Yves Saint Laurent

Black Opium

2014
Coffee-spiked vanilla oriental that translated Opium's hedonism into the lingua franca of 2010s nocturnal glamour.
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Sensory Profile

Sweetness Freshness Woodiness Intensity Longevity Complexity

Composition

Concentration Eau de Parfum
Style Designer
Notable Ingredients
coffee vanilla white flowers orange blossom pear pink pepper cedar

Olfactory Structure

Family Oriental
Evolution Moderate
Sillage 7/10

Character

Moods

intoxicating bold sensual playful

Season

Autumn Winter

Occasion

Evening

Thematic Territory

A shot of espresso spiked with vanilla and white flowers — the addictive, nocturnal energy of a city that never sleeps, bottled for a generation raised on coffee culture.

Era & Context

Modern

Black Opium reimagined the house's iconic oriental DNA for the Instagram era, replacing Opium's incense-heavy exoticism with an accessible coffee-vanilla gourmand twist. It became one of the best-selling fragrances of the 2010s, proving designer orientals could still dominate the market.

Spiritual Links

Mugler Angel
7/10
Gourmand Connection Era Defiance
Initio Parfums Privés Side Effect
6/10
Gourmand Connection Mood Convergence
Prada Candy
6/10
Gourmand Connection Mood Convergence
Valentino Donna Born in Roma
6/10
Mood Convergence Compositional Parallel
Dolce & Gabbana The Only One
6/10
Gourmand Connection Mood Convergence
Parfums de Marly Delina
5/10
Mood Convergence Compositional Parallel
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
5/10
Amber Warmth Gourmand Connection
Givenchy L'Interdit
5/10
Mood Convergence Compositional Parallel

Influences

Absorbed from

Mugler Angel The gourmand-as-luxury paradigm — Angel proved that edible notes could anchor a prestige fragrance

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