Comme des Garçons recently launched Black Eau de Toilette. It includes notes of black pepper, Somalian incense, leather, licorice, birch tar, vetiver, and cedarwood. The original concept was developed in 2009 “in response to the general negativity engendered by the recession and to counter the feeling of things being blocked or stopped because of the crisis” (as quoted in the press release). A tall order for a perfume, perhaps, but Comme des Garçons excels at dark and smoky blends.
Already available in Comme des Garçons boutiques and luckyscent.com. 100ml spray bottle/$100
16 Comments
marsi: Huh? Does birch tar release negativity? 😀 April 23, 2013 at 8:49am
Victoria: 🙂 April 23, 2013 at 9:09am
Heather: For some reason I’m a sucker for perfumes with “black” or “noire” or similar in the name. I’m fooled nearly every time. Recently I went out to find and try the new Gucci Guilty Black, and it was an awful fruity thing like all the others, and I was actually surprised. I would love to experience more of the truly dark in perfume. April 23, 2013 at 9:13am
Victoria: I’ve tried it briefly on the blotter today, but CdG Black really seems black. Lots of tar, lots of smoke, lots of pepper. My biggest “black” disappointment was probably Dahlia Noir. It’s an ok fragrance, but not black or dark or dramatic at all! April 23, 2013 at 9:30am
Daisy: Coco Noir was pretty disappointing too . . . April 23, 2013 at 5:13pm
Victoria: Yes, it didn’t move me at all. It’s a well-done fragrance, but not all that original. April 24, 2013 at 5:29am
Tara C: Tar, smoke and pepper? Sounds right up my alley! Luckyscent has already sold out of their samples but they expect more by the end of the week… Looking forward to sniffing this one. April 23, 2013 at 11:03am
Victoria: It’s interesting, even though tar and smoke is not the easiest combination to wear! 🙂 Robin posted at NST that it’s also available at Aedes, so they might have samples too. April 23, 2013 at 11:40am
maja: Oh, no, not licorice 🙂 April 23, 2013 at 1:47pm
Victoria: It’s not overly strong, at least not on the blotter, but it’s noticeable. April 23, 2013 at 3:00pm
Daisy: I like licorice, smoke, leather, and incense. Those pretty much up there for favorite notes, but I worry that having them all in one fragrance will just lead to disappointment . . .
Well, we can always just try it! It is only perfume after all 🙂 April 23, 2013 at 5:15pm
Victoria: Exactly! It’s a low commitment deal. 🙂 April 24, 2013 at 5:30am
Amer: very VERY VEEERYYYYY intrigued! April 23, 2013 at 5:15pm
Victoria: I need to wear it properly, but it’s interesting. April 24, 2013 at 5:28am
André: Gave it a proper try today. Black pepper from top to bottom. I would venture to guess that the black pepper is the result of a new aromachemical because it is potent and unlike any black pepper note I have experienced. The resulting composition is, to put it kindly, top-heavy and eventually collapses under the staggering weight of the enormous pepper note. Eight hours later I am left with a wan cedar note sprinkled with (you guessed it) black pepper. A few additional notes: the projection is magnificent for the first two hours and the composition has the slightly industrial feel that Comme des Garçons fans will, no doubt, appreciate. I usually count myself among them, but this composition is, unfortunately, a bit too heavy-handed for me. April 25, 2013 at 8:59pm
Victoria: I agree with your description and also that it’s potent and borderline unwearable. But I appreciate its oddity. April 26, 2013 at 7:48am