Black Opium Yves Saint Laurent for women

I no longer get any coffee. Mainly get a super sweet pear , loads of sugar and light florals . It’s super pretty but wish I got more coffee. Sometimes I think I catch it but it reminds me of those frappes people drink and add like 8 pumps of corn syrup

I remember when it came out and it changed my perfume journey. I was young and new only flowery and tropical scents because of my mom who prefers fresh scents. I didnt like any perfumes my mom wore and found all perfumes on the market the same. Then this one came and I fell in love. Its sweet, its sexy and its bold but delicious. Its a party scent- more for the night. Longevity is amazing. Bottle is beautiful and represent the whole perfume. I see when people are saying its a man-pleaser scent. You cant go wrong with this one.

This perfume is so pretty and delicious! People compliment me all the time!<3 Smells like vanilla + sweet cookies, a little bit smoky. Perfect for winter and fall.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Don’t listen to what anyone says…
Is it a basic crowd-pleaser scent? maybe but who tf cares because its smells absolutely delicious. It’s feminine, bold, and sexy. I get a coffee laced white floral smell thats ever so slightly sweet from the vanilla and u can definitely detect the pear note in the opening, it’s not sickly sweet so it doesn’t smell juvenile at all.
If you wanna go get it, this is your sign, its signature scent worthy for sure. It’s not an intense gourmand i would categorise it as a amber floral scent, but smells heavenly nonetheless, i think gourmand lovers will appreciate its nuances. Overall, 9/10.

Got a sample of this with my Black Opium le Parfum. On my skin, it's a total boring mess. It turns into something vanillic after some time but I really don't understand the hype. Nothing special, nothing original and I'm surprised YSL released something like that. Maybe it was supposed to appeal to the young clients but it could be so much better.

Very similar to The only one
But the only one smells like caramel to me
Whereas this one has caramel scent but somethibf more to it /perfumy
Very slight difference though

I dont get why women like this! Its just boring

Got this as a sample in my order and fell in love! If you like sweet perfumes but not too sweet, this is for you.
Tbh i don't smell coffee in it.

Honestly, this type of scent profile is something I’d expect from an Ariana Grande fragrance, not YSL. It’s not very Luxurious, it’s sweet, sugary and girly. Smells like on of those Ariana Grande perfumes with the pom poms. Nevertheless, I loved it for a long time.

ALTHOUGH….

After having my bottle for about 6 months I noticed something weird. I took the cap off to smell it… and a funky-kind-of genitalia smell emerged. I thought it was because of unwashed hands or the hygiene on my part and carried on with my day. But a few days later I sprayed it again and felt the same odor lingering. I don’t know if I have a bad bottle, if the perfume has macerated or something of the sort. But for me the sweet notes dry into a very bodily coochie discharge scent now…

And everytime I make the horrible mistake of smelling the bottle.. I jolt back in horror because of the sheer likeliness it bears to a female bottom.

Absolutely beautiful - and, the thing is, people on tik-tok have said it’s rubbish so the sheep don’t wear it. Suits me!, It stands out in the crowd, now and rises above the iso super fog.
I love that it’s not popular anymore
More fool them.

Black Opium at the start smells like citronella and those mosquito repellent tablets. On the drying it improves a lot and in that final phase it´s without a doubt much better than Opium edp

I don’t like overly sweet and gourmet perfumes, but sample came with my order ohh well…. I expected something heavy and cloying like Delina or LVEB Lancôme, but to my surprise it wasn’t as bad. Opening was strong and heavy, i got mostly dirty vanilla, patchouli and spice, but I didn’t have to scrub it off (like other overly sweet ones) dry down was actually really lovely, realistic vanilla with almonds. Staying power was only 5 hours. I don’t like it, I’m fresh fruity floral gal, but i may think that’s first gourmet I didn’t mind to have on my hand and dry down was cute. One of the best one of this category.

Sweet, heavy, floral, and dark, in that order. The coffee in this is barely noticeable on me. This has been done and copied so many times by now that I associate it more with knockoff bags than the actual bottle. If you wear this in the heat you will suffocate those around you, and not in a sexy way.

This was the first perfume I ever bought and it was to wear it to a lesbian bar. While I personally enjoy it, I can understand why others might find it cloying or overly sweet. It's not an EDP by my personal preference but I still find myself picking up the bottle frequently just to smell it.

I’m not really a fan of this tbh. I’ve smelt this a thousand times before and it smells like literal coffee. I mean it’s a good fragrance but it’s way too overrated

I see no one really agrees here.

Unsurprisingly, I'm going to side with those who don't like Black Opium, quite simply because I don't like coffee and here, I perceive it far too intensely. I just can't stand this pear/coffee accord surrounded by all this sugar. Too much for me.

If you like coffee and sugar you might like this. Personally, I find Black Opium Le Parfum (all black bottle) more pleasant and less sweet, even if the coffee still bothers me just as much.

It's surprising how Black Opium has absolutely nothing to do with the original Opium.

Absolutely one of my favorites of all time. I feel like this fragrance evokes every feeling I want to have when I’m wearing a fragrance. It makes me feel strong, feminine, sexy, playful, mysterious, and sweet. Patchouli is a very tricky note for me to enjoy, as certain patchouli can trigger a headache for me, but this patchouli is exactly the patchouli that I love. Warm and sweet, and men love this. You will get compliments wearing this. Also, when I first tried this, I didn’t like it, but after it dried down, I completely changed my mind. People can crap all over this fragrance and I would still wear it. Wouldn’t wear this on a day that is over 70 degrees warm.

Sampling this on paper I could 100% smell the vanilla notes. However, on my skin is a whole different story. It's a very strong and overwhelming floral/coffee scent with the vanilla notes out the window. It's incredibly warm and definitely gives off a spicy scent, but an incredibly artificial one. The strongness of it gives off a lysol type effect. Perhaps it was a bad batch, but this was a no go for me.

Love the performance on this and that the predominant sweet and vanilla notes are cut by the jasmine, coffee, and pear. I don't get anything spicier than a hint of cinnamon, but this also doesn't come across as synthetic or cloying, which is what I'm trying to avoid when I look for sweet scents blended with pepper. This is a great fragrance for a festive occasion or to perk yourself up on a gloomy winter day.

From the first moment I smelled this I disliked it. Coffee and vanilla sounded great but unfortunately I don't get any coffee notes at all. I just get this bitter licorice smell on a base of vanilla sweetness, but the bitterness overpowers the vanilla. I find that the notes clash.

I own it and I've tried so many times to like it but it just doesn't get any better. On the other hand I see people calling this scent trashy which I don't agree with. But it just smells bitter and like licorice in a piercing way which makes me nauseous. I hate this on other people too. blegh

absolutely deserves the hype imo, this smells so sweet and yummy! i fell in love at the first smell, kinda reminds me of red velvet cake for some reason.

Fragrance is not as nuanced as the notes make it out to be but it has it’s place in my collection nonetheless. Don’t reach for it as often but I always get compliments when I wear it. Youthful, not much maturity about it. But sometimes you want to wear scents like that! There’s an occasion for everything. Perfect for bright flashing lights. Going clubbing and wearing something skimpy. Wear pink and put on some glittery eyeshadow when you wear this. Very girly girl. A little slutty but in a cute way! VERY sweet but I’ve started to like gourmands less and less so may not be as sweet to some. When I wear this I definitely feel ultra femme. If you take perfume too seriously you will hate this. But if you want to connect to your inner middle school girl a bit, you’ll enjoy!

Definitely a dark and sexy scent, will stand out on a night out and gets a lot of compliments. I wouldn’t say I smell coffee, but it’s a bit spicy and just deep, I wouldn’t say I get a big vanilla scent off of this either but it’s like a dark cocktail evening scent ! Love but don’t wear as an every day, usually when I want to wear something different.

Opening is very fruity then the dry down smells like a brown sugar boba milk tea.

The bad rap this scent gets is overblown and undeserved imo. I'm sure some ppl genuinely don't like it, nothing works for everybody, but once 1 or 2 influencers on social media slammed Black Opium using words like cheap, granny, wannabe, and even "cringe" the easily influenced masses just piled on. Even if it's not your style or doesn't work with your chemistry, this scent is in no way "trashy" or old smelling, and liking it does not make you "basic" (Anna Bey 🙄🙄). It's a great balance of sweet and musky/spicy that keeps it from leaning too gourmand, and it's one of the scents in my huge collection that I get the most compliments on. The Nuit Blanche flanker was even better, and I'm so sad it was discontinued. I have a little of that one left, and I'll continue buying the original. Try it for yourself and if you don't like it, fine, but don't dismiss it out of hand and potentially miss out on a great addition to your scent wardrobe.

ok. now i don't know if my nose is broken or what but i get absolutely ZERO coffee or spice in this, i was super surprised. the initial spray is very floral pear, similar to tocca florence. the dry down on my skin is like a floral fresh creamy vanilla, almost a little reminiscent of fresh laundry or dryer sheets or something. its soooooooooooooo yummy, but not the dark mysterious sexy spicy fragrance everyone says it is. super weird. i absolutely love it though, if that makes me basic so be it

Smells a bit like the inside of a new car

warm, spicy slightly peppery vanilla. Smells similar to Good Girl in my opinion but still love it and perfect for a simple vanilla that gets lots of comlpliments!!

Buonissimo ma ha una durata ridicola.
Evoluzione stupenda, appena messo super dolce e chimico ma dopo qualche minuto diventa conturbante e sensuale. Lo metto come base del mio amato alla vaniglia perché questo permane sulla pelle al massimo un paio d'ore. Sui vestiti un po' di più ma niente di eccezionale.
Lo avrei amato immensamente se non fosse che è più un ou de toilette che un vero profumo.
Molto comune ma molto apprezzato in ogni caso.
Sarei curiosa di provare la versione più intensa ma vista la delusione (ed a caro prezzo) di questo, adesso temo un po' un'altra fregatura.

A bit generic, but the hate this frag gets is not warranted imo. I don't regret having a 30 ml bottle of this in my collection. I reach for it when I'm craving a simple, warm vanilla :) .

If you are needing a sign to try out this perfume this is it! This scent is AMAZING. Gifted this to a family member for Christmas and this is now their daily scent. I am always happy to stop and smell this whenever I see it.

i truly believe this is one of the best perfumes ever created. i will keep rebuying for as long as they’re produced 🥰 my go to night out/clubbing/date night scent. gets me compliments from men on every date I go on lol

My skin tends to enormously inflate florals in perfumes, and this is no different (unfortunate for me, as I don't like heavy florals). I get only jasmine. Absolutely no vanilla, no coffee, no fruits. I tried spraying on paper and it didn't bring out the other notes, so perhaps my tester was old? A no for me.

My signature scent for years. I keep coming back to this one, it is a deep cotton candy licorice on my skin. Works perfect with my chemistry and has a nice projection without being overbearing. I personally wear it any season any time of day.

Really a sexy fragrance if you are a woman in your early ages. It smells like sweet candy on my girlfriend. Men and women, this is a need for your woman.

I have a 3 oz bottle of this for trade/ sale. About 5% used. Will send photo. Message me if interested.

Smells like cosmetic for me, but i'd like to smell it from my wife. a lot of vanilla, less of coffee, and creamy white floral trough the end. And it's quite common scent, definitely have picked up this in the air before

Very sweet and playful, yet mature perfume. Sadly I don't get much of the coffee notes, which I was hoping for because I adore the way coffee smells. To me, it smells like opening a pot of gummy bears and letting the smell waft in your face. Definitely not as 'mysterious' as advertised, but still a good perfume!

my all time favorite! its very sensual. i've worn it year round, but it's definitely best suited for wintry nights. if this perfume was a person, it'd be the person laying on a faux fur rug by the fireplace, drinking a glass of red wine, while snow falls outside.

Its way too much i can not handle its sweetness. Nothing like the classic opium which is spicy. Its like yin / yen these two arent similar at
All !!! Wonder why give it the same name ?! If youre looking for a sweet overdrive look no further

Call me crazy, but Black Opium smells like Loverdose almost exactly. Sticky sweet and permeating with vanilla, just the same.

I love sweet fragrance, and I do love vanilla, but something about licorice in perfume doesn’t work well on me. The licorice does give it just that small touch of “darkness” to what would otherwise end up being just another girly sweet scent on the market.

It’s nice, but not worthy of a full bottle in my collection. I did have both a bottle of Black Opium and Loverdose at one point, but I gave them both away.

This does last a long time, which is great. Silage is quite wide, people will definitely smell it as you walk by.

Coffe beans, vanille and licorice. Thats all you smell.... Its not so much coffee in eat. I think is balanced with the flowers. A little bit licorice but dont get scare. I think this is a blind buy if you like a sweet coffee beans.

At first, I wasn't feeling this perfume's scent—it seemed pretty strong to me. But after I spritzed some on in the morning and still caught whiffs of it when I got back home, I gotta admit, it sticks around. Like, no question about its staying power. And here's the thing: after a few hours, it kinda melds with your natural scent, giving off this nice vanilla-coffee vibe. Plus, I noticed people doing double-takes when I walked by. Cool.

This scent is nothing short of breathtaking. It's beautiful and one of the most perfect perfumes I've ever smelled. To be honest, my nose is not refined enough to pick out the individual notes and how they compliment each other, but I know a good thing when I smell it. I don't really pick up the coffee or licorice notes (two scents I'm not particularly fond of in perfume), but I'm sure it's because they are combined so well with the other notes that nothing comes off as overbearing. It's dark and sensual for sure. It makes me think of being at a sexy vampire party or something. It's definitely not ordinary. I was not a fan of the original Opium, but Black Opium is divine. 9.5/10

Smells like those clouds of vape in fruit or candy flavours blown around by passing nicotine addicts. Does not smell even remotely natural, and as such, does not blend with human skin chemistry, but rather 'sits' loudly on the person wearing it. A vulgar, cartoonish rendering of femininity which calls to mind hair salons, where the overwhelming sweet aromachemicals of various hair products clash violently with the smell of sebum and burning hair. Truly vile.

i’d kill people to get another bottle of this. i love how this made me feel, like i could walk with my head a bit higher. i loved how this was feminine but not in the soft, delicate way. it’s edible and warm and i was addicted to it while i still had it!

Delicious, seductive and warm....absolutely love it!

I must preface this by saying that I like florals, I like sweet scents and I LOVE coffee in perfumes. However, all I can smell with Black Opium (and all its flankers) is the smell of the stale water when you leave a bouquet in the vase for a little too long. Once I made this mental connection, I can not "unsmell" it and it spoils anything that's BO-coded for me. While the newer flankers are less offensive to me, that flower water note is still lingering... It's a No from me personally (my husband loves them all though - sorry babe I won't wear that, not even for you 😂)

sticky chocolate and old coffee and orange blossom...... EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! I am not one to get headaches from fragrance but black opium is unbearable. please. can we end the black opium epidemic. it's so sickly sweet and announces itself to everyone in the room. no more.

Es un perfume audaz, adictivo y gourmand para crear una fragancia irresistible y sofisticada. El fondo de este perfume es donde se aprecia su lado más sensual y envolvente. Black Opium de Yves Saint Laurent es una fragancia verdaderamente hipnótica, perfecta para la noche y las ocasiones especiales. Tiene una duración excelente y una estela intensa, que no pasa desapercibida. Es un perfume adecuado para mujeres que les gustan los aromas dulces, especiados, florales. Te hará sentir como una estrella, y recibirás muchos cumplidos

Smelled this on a friend ( we are both 70) knew I had to own it. On her it is very coffee forward, but on my skin it is chocolate. Delicious, lasts for 6-8 hours (or more) on skin, and days on clothes. Love grabbing a scarf from last week with this gorgeous scent

This is another perfume that I don't get the hype. On paper, it was nothing special so I thought maybe I just had to try it on my skin. Nope. It's doesn't smell bad, I just don't think it smells good. Pass.

This smells yummy, I’m not in love but it’s a nice fragrance. I don’t think this is worth the FULL price, I was gifted a 1oz from a friend and I’m happy to experience this perfume, however this will not be a repurchase. To my nose I get a lot of the vanilla, a teensy hint of coffee, the licorice, patchouli and the woods wafting at the base. This is sexy and it’s giving femme fatale vibez. A great date night fragrance. Perfect for the movies, to go out to a restaurant , or a hotel resort. Cozy and sweet with a hint of spice!
d(-_^) Simple thumbs up.

I used to love this but I smell it on everyone now and now it’s just meh 😭😭😭

The first perfume I was ever addicted to. I remember spraying a tester strip at Ulta with my mom when I was in high school, putting in my pocket and completely forgetting about it, then a couple hours later frantically searching my jacket to find whatever smelled so fucking good. I remember thinking how expensive of a purchase it was for me at the time ($80 to a high schooler). It felt like it marked a transition to adulthood. I sprayed it liberally, which I now cringe to think about, because the scent is so strong and clubby and sex-juicy, and I was wearing it to work as a tutor. That being said, it did smell good on my skin. The notes mixed in a magical way, I got very heavy coffee and vanilla with something a little bite-y. From 18-23 this was my signature scent, which honestly seems like the point of this fragrance. It's perfect for young hot girls. My friends and I all shared it. We'd suffocate anyone in the car with us on the way to the bar. It's seductive, youthful, trashy, destructive.

I bought a bottle last Christmas for nostalgia purposes after a couple years and resold it after one spray. The love affair was over. I outgrew it, which I think is the point of fragrances, sometimes.

This perfume has beautifully blended notes and I can understand why it's so popular, however the strong coffee note is nauseating to me.
It's a perfume for people who have a bold personality and perfect for nights out or winter.
I would never wear it, it's really not my taste.

I'm so glad I got a sample of this before purchasing a full size! I hate this fragrance. It was so strong and overpowering that one spray filled the room, and I hate to air out the bedroom. If you have migraines that can be triggered my certain scents, I highly recommend trying this one first! I did not, and I regret it. The scent itself was quite boring, very vanilla with a bit of coffee and jasmine. The coffee note dissipates quickly, and you're left with a very cheap smelling jasmine/vanilla dry down. I usually love cheapies, and this is significantly worse. Very disappointing for the price point.

Instantly recognisable, and seems to be everywhere on a night out. I genuinely think it smells simple, cheap and sweet on the vast majority of people.
I've found the coffee note comes out well directly on my skin when it's warm, which is a positive.

The initial spray is gorgeous, luxurious and sweet; strong vanilla with an intoxicating whisper of coffee in the background. A safe sweet blind-buy, very much a girly-girl, sweet-sensual-sexy.
HOWEVER: 1 hour later, the scent is completely gone (on my skin), and I look like a sniffer dog wildly searching for a scent. I even entertained the possibility that I'm nose blind to it - but no other people can't pick it up on my skin either.
It performs much better on clothing, but the perfume doesn't really develop to its base notes. I am told that the scent (on clothing) lingers where I've been. I'm glad I've tried it, but wouldn't repurchase.

Look, It's a truly beautiful smell but so subtle that I can't smell it, I've seen body mists stronger and with better sillage than black opium. It's such a shame because the blend is perfect. The extreme version doesn't solve this issue, tho it's nicer with note of that coffe note. I'm just gonna stick with gardenia from Zara and leyer it, cuz it lacks a bit ngl. I wish they would reformulate

I love it so much but I can't smell it anymore. I don't know why I'm completely nose blind to this one particular scent. The initial spray is strong but once it dries down, it's very subtle and not really there😕 on a jumper it lasts 30min max (it wasn't a spoiled bottle or anything as it happened with 2 separate ones!) I did wear this perfume in the past and didn't have this problem. Very frustrating. 🤦

If you are looking for a cheaper version, Christina Aguilera's Unforgettable has a similar vibe with vanilla, tonka bean and plum. Nice!

At one time this was one of my favourite scents. I received a bottle for Christmas and I cannot smell it at all. I’ve gone completely nose blind to it. I also have the same experience with the Dossier clone.

Love the complexity of this scent. Would wear it to work or a night out. It's the coffee, jasmine, vanilla combination that works so well. Absolute love!

This is the most overrated perfume that I have ever sampled. It smells like a vanilla latte, but in the kind of way where the coffee is just a theoretical concept. Like a hint of a hint of a hint of coffee. So basically just vanilla and cream but in a sickeningly sweet kind of way with absolutely no depth or complexity beyond that. I know some people are into this kind of scent, but your money would be better spent on a vanilla body spray from somewhere like BBW.

Didn't like it when I sampled on the tester, but tried it on skin and was surprised! Smelled sweeter, with more coffee, on me with less intensity of the florals.

This is my mum’s favourite scent. I always liked it on her and thought I could try myself, being close to my 40s now. I was expecting w bigger projection, but it’s quite intimate. It reminds me of a place with mixed incense or a coffee shop during Christmas. This is the only thing I can smell after an hour of wearing it. I am not impressed with the performance, I thought it would be better, but maybe it’s just me. It’s not bad, but I am underwhelmed. But it brings me good memories about my mum and I’ll just keep it that way.

Love it but still a little bit disappointed, I'm used to apply perfume just once in a day before leaving to work, this last an hour top, I love the smell, love the packaging, but idk if it's my ph, but I don't think it's worth it the money, you are paying for the brand, not for a quality product. I wish I have known this before.

very generic to me

Disappointed. Another generic, common smell. Doesn't live up to its name: it's not black and it's not opium. Next.

it’s an odd bitter warm scent.. too heavy for me. i wish i understood what everyone likes about this but maybe i’m not sophisticated enough lol

Siento un poco de vergüenza por lo que voy a escribir pero es la sensación literal que me produce este perfume. Este no es un hermoso café dulce avainillado y cremoso, no! Es un café oscuro, caliente y fuerte, y eso podría ser delicioso pero... El problema es que sumergido en este café hay una barra de jabón genérica y barata sin nada especia, ah!!! Y el café dura muy poco. De verdad... No lo compren a ciegas.

it's been my signature for the past six years, on my third or fourth bottle now. literally didn't know anything about its reputation until I started reading this site this year, just blind bought it as my first Big Girl Perfume because i liked the way it sounded and fell in love! anything this popular will naturally have haters but godddd i ADORE it still. yes: i am an ugg-wearing, frag to cover chainsmoking, sugary starbucks latte spill basic girlie. i am the fragrance strawman you've invented to make yourself sound cooler in comparison! that's me, baby! anyway. i actually had no idea vanilla is one of the main notes, which is wild because I lean so heavily towards vanillas otherwise. for me, it's strong coffee/fruit off the top and settles into a really sexy cocoa/dark chocolate scent on my skin. lasts forever, especially on clothes-- I will literally huff my discarded hoodies because I love the way it sits on fabric. bottle is ugly af but i don't care. i love that dark pink liquid tho, in my head that's what the scent looks like; what's that specific fruit? I dunno, but it's that color. this is the "oh my god you smell sooooo good" perfume, the go-back-for-a-second-hug perfume, straight guys shyly saying i smell amazing perfume. a real crowd pleaser, but more importantly a ME pleaser. a really sharp eyeliner wing + black opium is what makes me feel like myself in the morning. really really good. ymmv.

I think every woman needs a scent that they can spray 2-3 times and go out and have it last all night and have people smell you. Sometimes I literally spray this under a skirt, on my legs or under my shirt and people will still smell it and enjoy being close by me. I think it’s a solid scent. It is obviously so popular. Some of the notes honestly do piss me off, I can’t fully figure out what I find slightly irritating… something that smells like pennies?? but I keep coming back to it. I did try the perfume very late in the game and got it second hand for like $20 so I think I’ll use up the bottle until I can find something similar to wear out at night. Angel’s Share came very close to being the replacement but not quite.

I used to love this, upon first spray- but the dry down is just a bad blend mash up that doesn’t smell good, nor does it last at all. Not that I want it to for the dry down, but if it smelled as good as it does in the beginning and lasted that way for longer than 30 minutes, I might like it again. I now have some flanker of this that my kids won’t let me wear because if it’s not ice cold outside it smells like dirty diapers. I can’t remember which flanker it is since they all look so similar and don’t carry their individual names on the bottle, so I just steer clear of this fragrance altogether now. It’s just not very well made. Although the first initial spray might draw you in, it just doesn’t live up to the hype since it doesn’t perform.

I really don’t understand why I just don’t love this one .. it has all the notes I love .. still nothing nothing memorable.. but nothing . It is the most generic perfume I smelled for a long long time .. I didn’t think with the longevity or projection was great either ..

Sweet vanilla latte coffee. Straight out of the first spray I catch the coffee and after five minutes the vanilla comes through and both stay through the time. It is sweet, and now it turns generic. Sofia vergara has similar perfume with pretty similar dna with fractional price. It is like a pretty instagram gen z who got her lips done and using tiktok make up trend. Pretty, but not intriguing since many perfumes carry similar vibe.

I love that it's not too strong and gives dark mysterious vibe. However, it doesn't give me
any special impression. I thoughy this perfume was iconic considering how many people have bought this, but to me it's so forgettable. Definitely overpriced ☹️

I thought i would like this. I DID like this... on paper. It is cloyingly sweet and just irritating although i should preface that I do not enjoy very sweet scents typically. The dry down does get better but not enough to convince me unfortunately.

I am mad at myself for buying a full bottle of this perfume as I will be returning it. PLEASE do NOT blind buy this one.

I can't believe this has been allowed to be produced. Is terrible and smells cheap. An exercise of mediocrity.

After smelling this on paper, I loved it. I bought a full bottle afterwards. I now regret it. After wearing this three times, it smells synthetic worse, it doesn't last long.

I have very mixed feelings on this perfume because on one hand i think it can smell great on other people and it was my first designer perfume, but on the other hand, it’s so incompatible with my skin. The top notes disappear fast, which i dont mind too much because i like the dry down, but the dry down disappears on me within an hour. If i’m lucky it might last a few. Not only does it hardly last, but it irritates my chest and neck when i spray it there. I’ve never had that issue with any other perfume. Still, i haven’t seen anyone else with these complaints, so i’d recommend anyone to try it out on their own skin before buying. I love the scent, if will last better on clothes, and it is a compliment getter (after recently sprayed anyway). If longevity and irritation isnt a problem for you, i’d recommend it

The scent is fantastic. I love the coffee vanilla smell. Sweet lovely. Jammy and dark fruit coffee just lovely. But it doesn’t last on me. It fades out within two hours. When I first tried it I thought I’d likely buy it. But I won’t spend the $ on a full bottle because I want something to last longer. It lasts a little longer on my clothes. But the longevity and silage are disappointing. Especially because it comes on so strong at first. I was expecting a beast. Sadly no.

Edit: after wearing my sample for two days I I’m tired of the sweet and having to reapply after two hours. Won’t buy this.

Tested this scent for the first time yesterday and I'm in love. It's a lovely gourmand that isn't too heavy or overwhelming. When I saw the marketing images I was turned off because it made me think that it was an excessively heavy fragrance, which is not my style. I'm pleasantly surprised.

@Addisonc802's assessment is spot on.

I recommend it if you collect and would like a gourmand that is not overly sweet and overwhelming. It's multi layered so it is satisfying on an olfactory level.

Regarding hype, please test it yourself. Honestly the only person who should decide whether a perfume works for you is you.

I've noticed that many comments on the internet describe Black Opium as being quite common and reminiscent of any random girl at a club. Any perfume with strong coffee and vanilla notes can give you a headache if used excessively, so it's best to use this one in moderation. Three pumps are enough. Please avoid over-spraying it, and let those around you breathe.

Despite the negative comments, I find this perfume incredibly complex and pleasing. Every time I spray it on myself, it smells different, and I like re-discovering it every time. I think that the notes react with the hormones as I smelled it on my friend, and I did not enjoy it. It is one of those perfumes that can either smell amazing or offensive on your skin. I feel the designers aimed to compose a crowd-pleaser. For that reason, it may smell generic, but I am not bothered by it. My husband always compliments me on how good I smell when I wear it, and I love having it on me. That's all that matters.

Not a huge fan of it but my mother is and has been wearing it for years. I feel like its too heavy and old lady smelling -ish which i am not the biggest fan of. If you like this kind of scent, all power to u but i am not a fan. 5/10

one of my first perfumes purchased, used to like it.

I swear some people would rather drench themselves in cat pee than actually admit when something smells nice because they don’t want to be seen as “following the crowd!”
If you don’t like the scent that’s okay and you can say so, likewise if it doesn’t match your body chemistry. However, to be really nasty and disrespectful about anyone who enjoys scents that are popular is just pick me energy and it’s not the flex you think it is!!
Black Opium is a beautiful vanilla/coffee oriented scent. I personally prefer it to the original Opium that my mother used to wear.
Black Opium is not generic in the slightest! It’s a scent that, if you know it, you recognise in a crowd. I personally think it has a gothic vibe to it. It definitely has its own personality.
Please don’t feel like you have to pretend to dislike this because it’s popular! There’s a reason it’s popular and that’s because it’s good. Let people enjoy things!!

Rating: 🙂
Do I like it: Meh
Who it is: girl from the marketing department, random girl in the club
Smells I get: generic woman's perfume, vanilla, floral, hint of coffee
Meyer's Briggs type: ESFP, ESFJ

This is good example of a perfume that smells good on others, while on me this is utterly generic and utterly boring. Does nothing.
On me it's very perfumey, as in literally duty free ladies perfume department smell.
I much prefer the black opium neon version - that one has a brighter, sweeter and fruitier opening and a deeper, more coffee like drydown that lasts for hours.

layer with Stronger With You.

Thank me later

Seriously what is the hype? First of all my mother wears this. And she also liked and wore Angel.
To me it smells cheap and awful. And it’s actually assaulting to my nose. Is it just the marketing that is so good? Because it’s definitely not the scent.

I got a sample size of this as a decant to try out - I'm looking for a signature fragrance. I like the vanilla note but somewhere around the middle it gives me very light Dawn Dish Soap. I sort of imagine this is what it would be like to finish cutting open a vanilla bean and then washing the cutting board afterwards would smell like especially because I don't get any of the coffee or spice. It's mostly agreeable on the opening and ending but I can't shake the middle note of dish soap. It's fine but doesn't feel particularly interesting/unique and the dish soap turns me off completely. A solid meh for me.

Unfortunately Black Opium smelled like car oil mixed with gas on me. I was surprised because I liked the scent on the test paper strip. But even after it dried down, I could still smell the oil with gas, but it was a lot softer with a mellow chocolate thrown in. Absolutely nothing like the original Opium (with it's yummy Oriental spices scent).

I just cannot get into it :/
I wish I would get all the deliciousness that people here are talking about, but this is very ?meh? to me.

This is everything I hate in a perfume: generic, cheap, sickeningly sweet, intrusive, kitsch, cloying, unsexy, reggaetony...a real scrubber. I don't know what "black" means here. "Outrageously pink" would be much more descriptive.
And worst of all, it's omnipresent. All those reggaeton fan girls with long plastic nails and tons of horrible makeup shower in this, or Lady Million or CH Good Girl. Those are nasty juices. Something like Angel in the 90's.
Of course this is nothing like Opium at all. Fortunately the performance is terrible so the torture is short-lived. Smells like an overpriced H&M or Primark chocolate candy body spray.

I hope that diabetes and tooth decay will make fans of this horrible trend of cloyingly sweet perfumes reconsider. It's been twenty years of sweet stench and reggaeton, I hope these trends don't have much time left.

Wow…. Yum!? Haha but totally a dessert, not a perfume! Haha to me this is more like what you may want your house to smell like (scented wax candle). It’s is beautiful & delicious, but smells like a box of chocolates. It’s very sweet with scents of warm vanilla, cocoa, caramel, & cream. Maybe a nice scent for winter or cold evenings, or like others said to mix a little bit with another perfume, but for everyday wear, nope! Haha unless smelling like chocolate & candy is your thing. I gave it to a friend to play with her young daughter! Haha as she definitely wont smell like shes wearing perfume. :)

I used to like this but I tried it recently and it reminds be of something a teenage girl would wear trying to be adult dark and sexy but missing the mark. It’s not bad, but just a sweet sticky dark rather than an elevated sweet glamorous dark.

She's an icon! Vanilla and coffee, you can't go wrong. She is sexy, delicious, classic, and smart. Don't spray too much though, it's very strong. Pairs so well with other vanillas/ woody bases

LOVE this perfume. its a beautifully sweet coffee-vanilla. Might be too strong for some, but if you layer it sparingly with other scents it can be such a beautiful addition to your collection and give you so much dimension with your fragrance.

Layered with Burberry Goddess is magic by the way

Very sweet perfume, if I don’t limit myself to 1-2 sprays it actually makes me physically nauseous. I don’t get the coffee notes specifically, it just smells richly sweet to me. Definitely a cold weather/going out fragrance.

I personally love this. I recently bought a tester, and on my skin I pick up on the coffee scent first, then some floral, and the dry down is almost cupcakey? But more perfumey and mature. I love this scent and I’ll most likely purchase a larger bottle!

Edit: It’s been a day, and I swear I can still catch some vanilla on me. This is super long lasting!

This is PSA. This perfume is not for everyone and it tends to smell different on everyone. It’s a very intense moody scent thats not very generic. It’s for more of a complex nose. It’s very creamy, warm, spicy. I don’t really get coffee but its got this very fragrant bitter dark chocolate opening that dries down to this creamy woods vanilla with a very sheer sweet pear note. Personally i love her. Very gothic. She takes some time to settle into the skin but she lasts long and the way these notes blend so that you can smell all of them at the same time which ought being overwhelmed is lovely. Be sure to macerate this perfume to get to the full potential because one she dose shes so strong and so intoxicating. I know a lot of people say this fragrance is boring but I believe its one of the more complex perfumes rather then the new clean girl or basic vanilla scents. She’s sexy and floral and just yum.

It seems like another one of those that I smelled a million times unbeknownst to me, before getting into perfume and knowing which is which. As a result, this is the same to me as Coco Mademoiselle - I only smell the definition of the word "perfume" and can't really make out anything else in it, except that it is a sweeter variation of the word.

The first time I sprayed this one, I hated it. The second time, I tolerated it. The third time, I kinda... love it?? Definitely an interesting fragrance that's growing on me more and more. It's unique and sophisticated and. The only issue is, I think I might be mildly allergic to something in it. Will try again at another time.

At first spray, Black Opium smells strong and like a cheap lady of the night. However, when you let it dry down, you get a beautiful, smooth vanilla that lasts so long. I love it.

I'm new to fragrances, having avoided them for years because of people in my household with health complications, but now that I'm able to explore, I was greatly looking forward to trying out this popular classic. Not sure if body chemistry or a novice nose is to blame, but I didn't pick up a coffee scent on the initial spray or the drydown.

Instead, after roughly 8 hours, what I pick up is a dark, fruity floral with a bit of vanilla. No one near me can smell it (sprayed twice, once on each wrist), though the scent is still going strong if I put my nose anywhere near my wrist. At this point, it slightly gives me Garnier shampoo vibes, but sweeter.

Anyway, not a total bust. It's not unpleasant, but seems kind of boring? It doesn't evoke any feelings or memories for me. "Just another perfume" vibe. I do wonder if I'd like it more on someone else, but if I ever came across it before, it didn't catch my attention enough to recall it now.

a deeply nostalgic smell of an unachievable ideal - the high school girl™. you stare at her in awe as she's passing you in the school corridor in her borderline-dresscoded outfit. you're kind of afraid of her. do you want to be her or date her?
side note: i just happened to ba a teenager during this perfumes hayday and many girls at my school actually did use it, however it's not in any way juvenile. unlike many other sweet perfumes, opium is complicated, with a witchy quality to it.

Intoxicating is the right word for this perfume. It starts off with a strong coffee note and evolves into creamy chocolatey goodness with jasmine and pear beautifully balancing out the gourmand. It's strong too and I still get compliments on it 8 hours later.

If you give time Black opium's vanilla base to macerate then magic happens. Spray it like 5-6 time and leave the cap open. It blows my mind how it can be this intoxicating over time.

Iconic, and a perfect, cosy winter scent. Works fine to layer this one with mandarin-, peach or orange-dominated summer scents for a new edge to it.

I have used a sample of this. First, a blast of coffee. Secondly, the wonderful licorice. Thirdly, an enveloping and lingering aroma lasting for what seems like eternity! This is a surprisingly comfy scent, feels very well-lived in.
If you are looking for a cheaper version, Christina Aguilera's Unforgettable has a similar vibe with vanilla, tonka bean and plum. Nice!

I really don’t understand why this fragrance is hated so much :S The only thing that i hate about it , it’s the design of the bottle lol !!!
In my opinion , it’s really a pleasant scent except the first minutes of opening , the coffee note it’s a little overwhelming but since it fades away & stays in background , you have a fantastic sweet , warm , beautiful aroma and the scent trail it’s so intoxicating(as the name itself)
I see it feminine leaning but i have met mens who were wearing “Black Opium”.I also see some similarity with Carolina Herrera “212 Vip” but this is “Black Opium” in a tonic way.

Absolutely angelic fragrance, a total nose pleaser and as a masculine leaning man I still had to get a bottle for myself. The pink pepper is heavenly in Black Opium and the subtle hints of foreign fruitiness the pear note brings out, blended with vanilla, makes this a truly unique masterpiece and quite frankly one of the best things I've smelt in my life. Calling this fragrance "generic, overrated" really confused me because when I smelled my sample for the first time I expected more praise. The amount of compliments I've received while wearing this made me think it wasn't very familiar but with 20k votes on Fragantica, I can assure anyone this is worth every penny. I see myself buying multiple bottles this year and wearing it as a borderline signature until something else strikes my nose with the same catchiness. This is the first purchase of my reformed fragrance collection and should be a staple in anyone else's as well!

10/10 across the board.

This may be a generic perfume but there’s a reason why it’s so loved by so many people. I used to hate how this smelled on me but now for whatever reason it smells so good. So much so that I finally bought myself a bottle. A nice sweet, vanilla scent with some coffee. For me it’s got that freshness to it which stops it from being sticky sweet, however it’s still very much a cold weather type fragrance. A lot of sweet perfumes give me a headache after a while but this doesn’t, so extra brownie points for that. This is now one of my signature autumn/winter perfumes as you just can’t go wrong.

Overrated af everyone’s middle aged aunts or mommas smell like this idk jus a basic sent imo

One of my favourite perfumes, I love everything about it... only problem is it doesn't seem to last on me. Maybe I go nose blind to it, maybe i under-spray. I've seen other people say it lasts for hours but for some reason I don't get that. Despite that its always a safe choice for me when I cant decide which perfume to use 😊

May be iconic, special or even the best for someone. But I'm so sorry that I could only smell vanilla. It was great but so ordinary to me. Maybe it's because there are too many dupes or Black Opium inspired perfumes but I just don't feel like it's ''that'' anymore

Blind bought as a sample from sephora and I actually ended up loving it!! i didn’t think i’d enjoy it but i just love the spice and the musk

Initial spray you get this gorgeous juicy almost caramelized pear, creamy orange blossom with a kick a sweet vanilla.

Once it begins to dry the coffee note comes out and SOMETHING in this turns absolutely ROTTEN on my skin. Idk what it is but it smells like putrid garbage. I know that’s a bit dramatic but it completely ruins anything good about this perfume for me. It’s weird because years ago I used to enjoy this perfume for a night out but I can’t anymore. I suppose my skin just doesn’t like it anymore.

this used to be my 2015-2016 signature fragrance, i have a 90ml bottle from that year which i have like 10ml left of and i’m holding onto for dear life all these years later bc the newer versions i’ve smelt in store are so weak in comparison to the older bottles :(

this is a sentimental fragrance to me, although it's not my taste anymore and i lowkey i roll my eyes when i walk by someone wearing this because it's so clock-able i recognise it right away - i can appreciate that this is an "iconic" timeless classic.

also, despite there being many dupes on the market now they've never managed to completely nail it (i smelled the Zara dupe my friend owns a couple weeks ago and maybe because mine is an old bottle from 2016 and i‘be let it macerate but the dupe smells so lack-lustre and weak in comparison...idk).

i’m not a MASSIVE gourmand gal anymore unless it's done right (can easily come across as juvenille), this has complexity, depth, and a dry-down which is giving very much GROWN!! Vanilla notes in this are sweet and yummy, the coffee and licorice give it balance and the patchouli/cedar give it warm/spicy/woody/sultry vibes :)

this has the strangest, fakest smell i have ever smelled in my life. it is indescribable and incredibly unpleasant. it is NOTHING like advertised. not sexy at all. no coffee scent whatsoever. stay far, far away.

No coffee. Nothing special. Just overrated.

this smells like the starbucks girl spilled her extra sugary iced coffee on you but your in the middle of class so you can't change your clothes or wash it off, and its a hot summer day so the sugar mixes with your sweat and turns sticky on your skin. it doesn't smell sexy too me, just icky and the bottle looks kind of weird.
on another note, the le parfum version is a lot better in my opinion because it has a lot less coffee and more vanilla

I don’t smell any of the notes. It just smells like “perfume” to me

I was not a gourmand, vanilla scent lover before Black Opium, likely because I was so turned off my BBW warm vanilla sugar from high school change rooms. I gave this a go in a blind buy and I am so pleasantly surprised by how much I love this! It is gourmand and has a very strong vanilla note but its sophisticated and the coffee notes balance it out beautifully. Upon spraying, its mostly vanilla and patchoulli then the coffee notes come out and say after drying down and reacting to your skin chemistry. This is probably a better nighttime or going-out fragrance but I have worn it to work without any issues (not obnoxious). Definitely leans towards a fall/winter scent too; a bit too sweet and gourmand for spring and summer for me. Overall, super happy with my blind buy!

AMAZING. i smell every note listed except coffee.. it's a really good scent but I'm 18 so it doesn't suit me, I bought it for my mom.. it gives a more mature woman scent

Review for the original:

I try hard to keep in mind that people’s chemistry, and climate affects fragrance. Okay, with that statement, I lean towards these sugared florals, but do I want to wear them, no. Also, back in 2014 when I first had this, it smelled much better and I could identify all the notes. Now it smells cheap, and linear.

In a world with so many sugared florals, I prefer hanae mori, and victor rolf flower bomb. In the category of similars. Though I do appreciate that there are so many similar scents to choose from, just because of variety of course. It can just be one not that makes, breaks or sets something otherwise similar apart.

THIS IS FOR THE ORIGINAL: Never tried any of the flankers.

When this first launched, I felt like the fragrance world finally(!) understood me. I just knew this was going to be revolutionary. YSL is one of my favorite fashion houses, so I had confidence that this was going to be groundbreaking. The notes listed were everything I ever wanted: Coffee, Almond, Jasmine, Vanilla, Cedar, oh my! I was going to smell like the sexiest and most powerful woman in the world!
I immediately blind purchased the largest full size. My anticipation was orgasmic.

What an absolute let down.
Let me explain, because this frag seems to have a cult following that is HUGE and some may find my unfavorable review sadly, offensive. I really tried to love it, I did. My investment in the price was on the line. I was stuck with a huge bottle of overpriced masculine cologne in a bottle that looks like Freddy Mercury and Elton John had a love child. It is practically wearing a black sequin Elvis suit. It stained all my clothing. It has a port hole like a submarine, but it's a booze flask? I couldn't like it, but I was supposed to, obligated to, right?

It is nothing revolutionary or special. It is a blatant bait and switch. The bottle looks like it would deliver an "Edgy drunk slightly Emo girl in a smoky night club in the early 2000's", but the scent inside says: "Rich pervert in his 50's at an Open Bar in 1999 trying to take home a 20 year old." Vanilla? No cream. Almond? If they were burnt. Pepper? Just about the most powerful note. Cedar? Maybe, but it is harsh on the back of the throat. Jasmine? The only sparkle is on the outside of this bottle. The note I wanted the most, Coffee. Nonexistent. This frag is a men's cologne marketed to women. Period. There is nothing edible, sexy or alluring about it. It is harsh, dark and of-putting. I have never regretted a fragrance purchase more than this.

The Dossier version of this called Ambery Vanilla is actually amazing and lasts a long time. Way better than the Zara. And not tested on animals unlike YSL and Zara! As someone whose favorite perfume was Black Opium for a long time, I never bought it because I don't support brands that test on animals. Finally I can enjoy the scent again:)

It smells good! I don't get any of the coffee notes at all, I think that would make it more interesting. Overall it kinda just smells like a grown up version of any other sugary/floral smelling scent you would have worn as a teen

An interesting note combination makes this a great unique perfume and a safe blind buy. Long lasting too!

I get no coffee

Black opium gets so much hate in the fragrance community for being so popular but dont let all that stop you from using it. I personally love black opium and always will. it is the most seductive fragrance out there. dont get me wrong sometimes its popularity can be annoying as a lot of people will recognise it when they smell it on you and most likely already associate it with one or multiple other people. But then again a very small percentage of people actually know anything about perfume and can appreciate it for the scent not the memories they have already associated with it from someone else. Just remember when purchasing fragrances like black opium to buy from trusted brands e.g. sephora as a lot of bulk warehouses that sell perfume for cheaper are actually selling expired perfumes which will make it smell more screechy/sour and alcohol like.

I sprayed this as a sample at Ulta and immediately bought a full size bottle after just one sniff. It was everything I wanted to smell like. The scent of coffee is one of my favorite smells of all time, and with vanilla and a hint of licorice it was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Unfortunately, it didn't last. After a couple of hours, I smelled exactly like a fresh jar of Play-Doh. I thought "Maybe this is a fluke and if I shower and try again, maybe it just sat with my skin wrong for some reason, maybe blah blah blah" but no, it continued to wear off into the same Play-Doh-y smell. :( I returned it after three days of use. I still love it though, just not with my skin lol.

I wanted to like this perfume so bad. The notes of vanilla and coffee sounded superb to me, I wanted to smell like that! When I smelled it, it was SO intense, it reminded me of Sharpie marker. Instantly I remembered the fragrance a girl on my campus bus would wear, every day, that always gave me a headache, it was Black Opium for sure! It smells like walking through a high-end department store in the mall, through the perfume isle. Today I was at the mall and a lady handed me a paper w/ Black Opium on it and offered me to smell.... it smelled the same :( I can *almost* get the coffee and vanilla scent, but just barely. It just smells way too intense, to the point that I feel like it could be a unisex perfume. It doesn't smell soft and feminine and gourmand to me at all. When I layer it with a sweeter, calmer scent such as Sol de Janiero 62, it smells much better. I'm hoping the scent will grow on me because I really want to like it. It seems many other people like it, I wish I did...

I’ve held off on buying this for so long because of all the hate it’s been getting about being too skanky and too common/basic. I’ve let other people’s views deter me from spending money on this, but honestly the more I sniff it when I’m at the shops, the more I like it! I can see why people think it’s too common but I think Black Opium is popular for good reason. I prefer the scent of the original over the flankers including Le Parfum, that one’s just a basic vanilla. I don’t care anymore, I want to buy myself a bottle!!

I think this is my go to party perfume. It lasts long enough on skin and clothing plus it just smells divine in general. Would I buy this again? I already did! I don’t think any ladies can go wrong when wearing this..

For years I had it in my head that this was the most basic scent and that I didn’t particularly like it. I actually LOVE how this smells on me. Yes, it is basic and everyone has it but it’s still a beautiful scent and it’s sweet enough for a gourmand lover like me but it’s not overpowering.

Intriguing, captivating, and seductive ♥️🎀 heartbreaker

Is it just me or does this have poor longevity? Luke 2 hours of projecting and then 2-4 hours skin scent

7/10 me - Opening notes are bitter coffee blergh but dries down into a pleasant yet overused, popular fragrance that is very recognisable. I feel like the cashmere wood/vanilla makes it addictive, orange blossom helps keep it feminine and floral. I liked this dry down way more than I thought I would.

7.5/10 boyfriend - "Nice chocolate icecream. Smells lovely not sexy"

You will always be my babyyyyy 🎶 I love black opium and didn't start loving her until 3 years ago. The le parfume is even better and I didn't think anything could beat this. The compliments are always endless from men. I find this femme fatal and I stand by that. When I wear this scent it feels like me and goes super well with my chemistry. I am very happy to own a full bottle of this and the le parfume version. These will always be in my large collection. Side note, I do not care at all how much hate this scent gets, more for me ☺️

Boring and artificial vanilla. Inoffensive. Smells really, really good for about 1 second before it smells like a generic vanilla fragrance. Eh

This is one for the beautiful milf-y type women.
You'd have to hone in on the confidence to pull this off.

I had this in 2016 and it's not really the same as I remembered it or my body chemistry changed because now I'm getting a lot of the pear, coffee, licorice, vanilla whereas back then it was the florals.

This is sexy and honestly I don't even care if others hate the smell. This just acts as an aphrodisiac for me. So much so that the scent profile itself transforms with my ph. So, who cares if people don't like it. It's an OG and a good one at that. The bitter almond is great. Really love this one.

Don’t like this. Smells of coffee and licorice. Cheap and tacky.

Completely understand the hype around this scent, it is delicious as everyone always says

🫧 this perfume is nice. i think the black opium le parfum is way better if you're looking for more vanilla.

🫧 It is quite *fruity* in the beginning with some spice. i guess it's the pear and pink pepper.

🫧 when it kinda fades, you get more vanilla and coffee. however, i can see why people would be very disappointed if they didn't smell any vanilla or coffee.

if you want more vanilla and coffee, get the black opium le parfum. it smells wayyyy more vanilla-y and it has multiple layers of vanilla in it lol. like there's vanilla in the top, middle, and base notes. also, the le parfum lasts way longer.

🫧 this perfume is nice, it isn't as gourmand if you're looking for a gourmand perfume. i really like the black opium flankers though! 🫶🏾

It does not matter where I test this perfume, I can never smell it. Why is it so faint to my nose? I dont get any of the beautiful notes it is described to have-- and when I do catch a glimpse of this perfume (and any of its flankers) it smells like a cheap oil I would find in my great aunt's cabinets.
Hard pass for the price.

Smells like pear, pepper, orange blossom blended with pickle juice. Coffee, vanilla, almond - where?

I thought this was supposed to be a vanilla scent 😕. Tested this today and I didn't smell anything close to a beautiful vanilla. Reminds me of those generic scents that I'm not quite a fan of. If you're looking for something sweet, soft, powdery, creamy or delicious, THIS AIN'T IT. Nor is the vanilla strong in this scent, I don't like it all and this makes me even more hesitant to trust other folks when they recommend fragrances.

Got le perfume this week and mixed it with original black opium. Smells amazing layered with bare vanilla cashmere and lasts for hours that way.

I just love this scent layered with Sol de Janeiro 62 spray and body butter. They share a similar sweet vanilla note that blends the two fragrances together perfectly.

To me, the Le Parfum doesn’t compare. The original has the best longevity and sillage with only a few sprays.

I love the punchy florals and coffee in the middle followed by a super sweet addictive vanilla.

I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before. I’d always assumed it was a basic b perfume for the club hopping set because of all the hate it gets on social media. This smells sexy and seductive (and a little slutty). Honestly I don’t think it’s that common of a fragrance, it’s BR540 and its dupes that I smell everywhere I go. I might be a niche snob heretic for saying this, but I prefer Black Opium to Hundred Silent Ways. The latter is just too cloyingly sweet for me without any of the grittiness of Black Opium to balance it out. Although the performance on HSW is definitely better!

As a male, I have two things to say.
1. YSL knew very well what they were doing when they named this Black Opium because this is ADDICTIVE. No matter all the hate it may get from the most elitist members of the fragrance communities shunning it for how popular it has become, this is a gorgeous vanilla floral and the coffee rounds the experience by adding a layer of warmth and darkness to it. The emerging embrace is very femme-fatale on a woman, it takes some confidence to pull this one off, but there is very little that is more attractive than a lady who knows she owns the game and walks into the dinner, the event, the party, the what-have-you of the night, wearing a head-turning stunner of a fragrance.

2. As a male who occasionally wears this, it is definitely more unisex than what it gets credited for with the modern-day trends leaning towards sweet/gourmand unisex perfumes. I personally love how the vanilla, coffee and white florals blend into my skin, this is a well-made fragrance that I'm confident to wear as a male at times where I would love to reach out for an inviting, warm, elegant but also mysterious fragrance.

A nice bittersweet creamy vanilla with a dark coffee hint. It's velvety, warm, inviting, and elegant with a dark mysterious hint. I enjoyed it very much when I had it but probably wouldn't repurchase it, there are better dark vanilla-based scents, even for less money. I love the smell but the longevity and sillage are below average, it needs to be re-applied every 2-3 hours or so, which is quite disappointing. That, and the fact that it became way too popular, made me stop wearing it. Might be an ok choice for work as it's not overpowering and provocative. If you are looking for something ultra sexy, bombastic and extravagant, this is not it. Generally, I like it a lot.

Used this years ago and didn't buy a new bottle, there were so many other fragrances I wanted to try. I got a sample of this perfume with an order, and I completely forgot how pretty it is. It smells different now, but better than what I remembered. Doesn't seem to project or last as long as it used to, though it is actually a really nice everyday scent for winter and now I want to get it again.

IMO really a basic girl scent with lots of vanilla and jasmine. Overpriced as hell. Didnt like it.

I used to wear this everyday when it came out, loved it. For going out, lectures at university, dates. It was my signature scent. I decided to give it a try 5 years later. Hell no. Not my type anymore, but it's a great scent, brings back a lot of memories.

Really liked this fragrance! I’ve smelt it in store and have a tester that I’ve been wearing. I love the creamy coffee scent to it. I’m a huge fan of vanilla so it works really well for me as it blends well with the other notes. It’s suited to younger people but definitely not limited to. I’ll admit I don’t like how it stains, or at least leaves a dark colour when I spray it on my skin.

One of the best fragrances ever created.

If you look at the notes, you would be forgiven if you thought they wouldn't blend but the perfumery at work here is astonishing.

The pear and pink pepper are delicious but it's that jasmine, licorice and vanilla combo that will stay with you.

Excellent longevity and silage. It's reasonably versatile but maybe reduce the sprays at work.

This is a perfect date night fragrance and one of my signatures. I get a lot of compliments wearing it.

Phenomenal.

10/10

I know this scent has a huge following so I was excited to (blind) buy this and I regret my decision. This smells, to me, like an old, cheap knock-off for Tresor. (With Tresor being absolutely exhilarating to my senses). BO just feels like it is trying to be something like that and failing-it smells old, retired, worn out, inexpensive gourmand, really basic musk, no layers, and equally flat and disappointing on my skin. I cannot comprehend that this is ISL, the same brand that gave us Libre (granted that is not a scent for me either, but I recognize how luxurious and expensive Libre come off), while Black Opium is a total snooze fest.

Full disclosure: this is my first time smelling the OG black opium. I have the le parfum version and I love it! With that being said, I was a little disappointed in this. It’s nice… but honestly, nothing special or standout. This is also something I’ve smelled somewhere before, many times. I’m glad I only got a sample, because at first sniff its nothing mind blowing. I’ll spend a little more time with it, and see if my mind changes at all.

1 spray was so strong and overpowering I count rven desently small. It's dark and full

It smells good but nothing special,to me that “dark and sexy” vibe is just about marketing. It also smells a little dirty. I’ll finish my bottle and not gonna buy this again.

I must say this scent is nowhere near the level of mysterious or chic as it was advertised as. Instead, Black Opium is a common smelling, blah vanilla fragrance with little maturity or depth. I guess it's a nice fragrance for a teen, but even so, a classic floral or better crafted vanilla would be better. For those looking to experience an elevated version of Saint Laurent's original Opium fragrance, Black Opium is not for you. Whilst the original delved into the Oriental realm of scents, Black Opium is a gourmand fragrance, with quickly fading notes of coffee and fruit. One too many sprays of this and the formula becomes nauseating, honestly, save your money since there are sooo many better perfumes at a similar price point.

I really love this scent. It’s playful and sophisticated at the same time. My boyfriend thinks it smells like cotton candy, but I don’t. It is on the fruity side, but not super sweet. I would honestly wear it anytime of the year, day or night.

Brought this on recommendation from a friend and regret it. Quite a strong, deep fragrance. Heavy on the sweet vanilla scents. Can be quite nauseating if you use too much. Think it is okay as an office fragrance as it smells like a professional lady in her late 30's to early 40's.
Do not recommend blind buying this. Would not buy again.

I'm surprised by all the negative reviews haha. I don't own a bottle of this, well, I never did, but I used to wear it clubbing during my early 20s a couple of years ago and I think it's perfect for that. I could never afford a full bottle so I lived of samples from Sephora. I was broke but I was fun! It's perfect for a club, dark and a little too sweet. When I smell it it brings me back to that time, dancing, drunk, trying hard to be sexy. For that it just works. Hopefully once I hit my mid 30s I'll be able to afford a bottle just for the hell of it.

Smoky. smelled a bit old fashioned to me. 3/5

My friend had this because someone left it at a bar and she took it, she brang it to college the next day and told me to smell it because it was amazing.. Personally I didn't get the hype, I thought it was quite boring and nothing special, I found it quite sickly.

The coffee note along with the patchouli is so powerful it burns my nostrils. Hard pass

Pear, vanilla, coffee, woods, patchouli, licorice, almond. I'm a gourmand girl, and this is one of the all time best. Such a popular fragrance and has been around a long time, feels a little silly/unnecessary to even review it, but I just had to pay homage, it's just delicious. I don't actually own a bottle, but would like to one day. Wearing a sample currently, certainly not my first time though. The ubiquitousness does make me want it a little less, tbh, but it just smells so darn good! Sexy too! In a good enough to eat way, my favorite type of frag. ☺️

I mean it’s kate moss in her party girl era. Serena van der woodsen kinda girl.

in theory this needs to be the ultimate gourmand fragrance with the notes of coffee,almond, licorice and vanilla but the pear and patchouli overpowers all of these gorgeous notes and turns it into lancome-la vie est belle in a coffee shop. which is still pretty but i am not a huge fan of la vie est belle. Sillage is okay, not very intimate not over the top. Stays about 6-8 hours on clothes.

smells unreal- received a sample today and cannot stop smelling myself! however it still has this almost dish soapy note that all ysl perfumes seem to have for me- which I don't like...contemplating buying a full bottle if I can overcome that.

I’ve tried so hard with this one, again and again, but I just can’t bring myself to like it. I just can’t stand the coffee note, it’s a strange mix of sickly and bitter (and I think the almonds aren’t helping). It’s a shame because beyond that there’s a lovely vanilla, pear, and orange blossom scent waiting in the wings, but the coffee is somehow both stringent and cloying.
It’s strange though, for such a popular perfume I’ve never noticed it come off this way on anyone else, so it must just be me.

When I first sprayed this perfume I liked it and about bought it but wanted to make sure I liked it on my skin and not just the paper and I was right, it was very different on my skin than the paper. This perfume is meh to me, I sprayed it on my skin and it’s not necessarily bad but I do really smell coffee and that’s just not something I want to have as a perfume. I wish it didn’t have the coffee or licorice notes because I actually think I’d really like it then. Longevity it pretty good!

I will never understand all the hype this fragrance gets. It is not warm and cozy. Very bland, mediocre sweet floral.

Totally agree with the stewart’s root beer reference mentioned below. I love it but i only wear gourmands like this to bed or maybe like to the movies on a cold day. This is definitely a strictly cold weather frag IMO because it’s so sweet, warm weather could make this a bit cloying. In no way are they dupes, nor do they smell even remotely similar, but I’d put this into the same scent category as Billie Eilish Eilish

I loved this perfume from the first use. I got the vanilla and the coffee notes and I both love them. It lasts for so long on me and got also many compliments.

kinda headache inducing, kinda reminds me of the candle section in ikea, which isn’t bad but if you even just slightly prefer fresh scents this is NOT what you’re looking for, trust me 😐

This smells EXACTLY like Stewart’s Cream Soda. Love it, but not something I would wear on a daily basis.

so yummy. i don't get much of the coffee notes it's more of a fruity vanilla to me. while i do enjoy this perfume i can't help but feel like it makes me smell like a middle aged office worker.

This is probably just a me problem, but i think this perfume is extremely overhyped. I dont get why the coffee is incredibly coffee candy-like and i really dislike it. Also, if you know what coffee-scented car freshner smells like, this is what it smells similar to. It is headache inducing, mainstream, even though it’s a huge crowd pleaser. But as a gourmand lover, Black Opium is not going to be on my wish list.

I can understand both the hype and the hate for this fragrance. While I do not want to smell like everyone else, I have to admit there is something very pleasant about this fragrance. I do not really pick up on the coffee notes, but there is something that makes this fragrance unique, cozy, and addicting.

I was working with a colleague to who was smelling absolutely stunning today so I had to ask her what fragrance she was wearing. Honestly the surprise on my face when she said it was this , I can imagine was priceless! After years of slagging this off wtf going on ? Didn’t smell like BO to me
Is she lying 🤥
Or have they reformulated this ?

Suddenly this little black beauty (30ml) found it's way to my humble wardrobe!

I have been sniffing it "a billion" times, and just had to give in for my temptation! It smells as all of you have described it, the gorgeous vanilla, the patchouli, the pepper and pears, and flowers, and, the coffee, proably cause l make my coffee from beans every morning :))

This perfume blends also so very well with my skin, it fits everyone on this planet, man or female, black or white, and cats and dogs, it doesn't matter what color the cat has - as long as it catch mouses! 10/10

These perfumes are way too strong and it seems like everyone wears them. All the women over 50 in my city use them everywhere - at the gym, in stores, on the bus. I smell them all the time on the streets, even though they're not really appropriate for daily wear or warm weather. In fact, my husband's grandma only wears this perfume. So, I can't see them as sexy or unique. I would never buy them because why would I want to smell like my husband's grandma or thousands of other grandmas?

I understand that some people may enjoy it, but if you're unsure about buying those perfumes, consider saving an extra $50 and investing in something less mainstream.

At the moment, I am wearing Black Opium Le Parfum more, so I will repurchase the OG Black Opium later. Loved or hated by many, we have to face it: this perfume will definitely pass the test of time and it is not such a huge bestseller without a reason. Yes, many people are wearing it. Yes, its DNA is now supercommon and superduped. Hundred Silent Ways is a very expensive dupe, even if niche heads will claim it is not like that. However, I prefer to be surrounded by 100 people wearing Black Opium instead of being surrounded by 100 people wearing La Vie Est Belle, which is horrible, headache-inducing and nauseous. Black Opium is comfortable, floral and vanillic, so it's just what I need on a daily basis, when going to work, buying groceries, running errands etc. Plus, it lasts for several hours on my skin (not a powerhouse like HSW, but very decent), but I prefer to use 5 sprays of BO instead of 2 from Hundred Silent Ways and pay a third of the price. It's not a big deal if you use 3 more sprays, in the end.

After spending 160 on this and realizing it doesn't last long on my skin, I have decided that the dossier version is worth the money. And I will continue to use that. It Smells the same, lasts the same but is only 30 bucks. So i suggest that one for those who do not have 160 to waste. Will I buy a big bottle of this again? Not unless they make it stronger to last more than 2 hours. It smells amazing. But longetivity sucks for me in the fall and summer. Hoping it stays on longer in winter.

Like I said earlier though, it layers really well.

I'm usually on the fence when it comes to vanillas, they either turn my stomach and make me feel bad about my existence and life choices or they are delicioussss; for me this is the second one🤩 I adore the slight bitterness and spicyness that this has that balances the sweetness, I just don't love the licorice in this, it's just a tad bit syrupy for me but still adds personality and it's not as in-your-face. I adore the coffee in this baby! don't expect a cup of espresso because theres so many other notes playing at the same time and strenght and the coffee is just one of all those. I can detect the pear, the pink pepper, the vanilla, licorice, cofee ofc and that delicious patchouli at the base that adds just the right amount of skanky 🤌 Unlike vanilla, I adore patchouli and YSL uses such a nice, smooth patchouli that at first sniff i detected the YSL adn 😍Perfect. Men should try this.

tried on skin and paper tests like 5 times. Couldn't for the life of me smell coffee, and it was honestly disappointing. Though, that's on me for depending on TikTok hype. glad i stopped myself from blind buying this parfum.

I ordered a small sample of this to test it because I'm becoming a fan of Nathalie Lorson, one of the creators (usually credited as the main nose on this, although I'm sure it was collaborative--the other perfumers are no slouches, certainly). I wasn't a fan of the original Opium (although I loved the name and ads for it); this Black Opium doesn't contain much, if any, of its DNA. I know it's classified as an amber vanilla, but to my nose it reads very gourmand. The coffee note is there, and quite lovely, but it gets a bit muffled by all the sweet floral notes and the vanilla. I like it quite a bit on the drydown, and I could see owning this one day, but I have too many other scents that are similar enough to it that I would need to score some kind of phenomenal deal to consider adding it to my already probably too large collection.

I so wanted to like this as a lover of gourmand fragrances and particularly vanilla based ones. On first spray you might be tempted to think this is a sweet, seductive scent but don’t be fooled… the dank patchouli is waiting in the wings to make you smell like your great aunt Tessie. Coupled with the bitterness of the almond notes this is a stone cold ‘no.’

I love this one. This brings me back to when me and my then boyfriend (now husband) first started dating and I was sampling perfumes at the mall to try to find one that would impress him. As a 23 year old that went straight from Victoria Secret perfumes to oud/tobacco centered fragrances, it’s refreshing to wear something so simple and feminine. Thankfully I don’t get the Starbucks latte vibe that others get when this fragrance dries down, i get a lot of white florals and vanilla with a very small hint of something bright & solar. It’s definitely sexy, it garners compliments and it’s absolutely perfect for this time of year. I don’t care how “over worn” this is, I’m glad I picked up a 30 ml for my collection and I’m going to continue to reach for it and layer it.

so trending and many of my friends used this too, I'm a bit like this but I already turn off with this one because maybe there already 8/10 of people on my class had the same and maybe similar with this fragrant, but I would recommend u to wear this on a dinner date or any night party I think it's gonna make u stand out on the that night <3 6/10

This smells like a sexy college girl. The vanilla-coffee one two punch combo is just perfect here. Its strong and extroverted. Very alluring and confident.

I know it’s the trend to hate on this one but frankly I still love it. My husband is not a fragrance guy, and he actually hates most perfumes, but when I wear this he always tells me how good I smell. I agree with him!

On me it’s not super gourmand at all, I don’t get any coffee notes for instance. It opens with some subdued pear, then some fleeting almond and licorice, before it settles into the base for the rest of the duration. The patchouli in this is pleasant and not overpowering. If anything it’s a mostly vanilla/woody scent on me. It’s a very easy scent to wear and fits most weather and occasions, so it’s no surprise to me why it’s so popular. Of course popular things always get backlash, but at the end of the day I think this is going to go down in history as a classic. It’s not going away any time soon.

I don't mean to sound like an asshole or a snob or anything.... but after actually trying to pay attention to this fragrance and analyzing it I have come to the conclusion that it's just a basic Sephora girl type fragrance. This fragrance was made for christian girls who wear big hats and uggs in October that want to feel edgy. I was originally drawn to the fragrance from the stylish bottle and the name brand but I regret having this bought for me when I could have gotten something else. Though I do want to get my Husband's money's worth so I plan to layer this under Angel's Share from Killian.

This fragrance opens promisingly with a shining pear and cashmere scent with a hint of vanilla, but then within about an hour and a half basically turns into a vanilla macchiato with a TRACE of tonka bean and rum.

Don't let the longevity rating fool you. It lasts about 3.5 hours on skin and very faintly 5 hours on clothes.

The only redeeming factors Black Opium has is that it will make a 14 year old girl feel like an adult and an old lady once told me I smelled good when I was helping her at the grocery store with this on.

Overall: JUVENILE and OVERRATED