Dahlia Noir by Givenchy

Among the sample vials of fragrance that I received were several Givenchy scents, including a few perfumes for women. Dahlia Noir, is one of these perfumes, and a grown-up floral with a bit more sophistication than that of many other fragrances. In this review, I’m going to cover how Dahlia Noir eau de parfum smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not it is worth a buy.

What does Dahlia Noir Smell Like?

Notes include: tonka bean, iris, mimosa, rose, pink pepper, patchouli

Click here to try: Givenchy Dahlia Noir Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 2.5 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening blast of Dahlia Noir is an aroma of a creamy/powdery iris with just a hint of rose, at least at first. The rose note does become more prominent after a few minutes of wear but it never takes over the composition.

It really does have a scent similar to iris-laden baby powder. That will become more of a pinkish rose weighting for the back half of the wear.

On me, there really isn’t much of a citrus presence. Sure, a sense of brightness but nothing too distinct. Though, a sweetness that sits under the floral notes and emergent spice.

As it wears on, Dahlia Noir presents its pink pepper note, which adds a very slight spice to the scent and then a soft vanilla seems to emerge. There is also a light cinnamon, but on me the pink pepper is the more pronounced of the two. The aroma is quite clean and fresh.

Once a lot of the spiciness has died down, Dahlia does get a bit of an freshness/earthy aroma to it, thanks to a pretty substantial patchouli note with mossy highlights.

It’s basically there for the middle act of this scent and then sort of fades into the close.

Mostly, though, this is a floral affair and the iris, rose, and mimosa notes dominate a present a feminine perfume. Dahlia isn’t too complicated of a fragrance. Powdery iris, rose, with some spice and a woody base.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Dahlia Noir is pretty good. It isn’t overpowering or super strong; but you’ll know it’s there. This is a subtle fragrance but not weak, by any means. I would expect anywhere from 2-5 feet from the skin.

Longevity is decent, but again not superb. 4-6 hours seems to be its time frame to operate within. A bit below average sometimes, but can run right around the middle of the pack.

Beyond that, it doesn’t appear to really be present. If you’re paying a lot for a bottle, it’s not going to really give you any value, in terms of performance.

I think that Dahlia Noir would be good for casual or office settings. It is a pretty fragrance but it doesn’t strike me as sexy. I wouldn’t mind smelling it on a woman but I wouldn’t be all of that crazy for it either.

More refined and mature, with an old-school vibe versus being sultry or really captivating.

It does have some good versatility and could work well in almost any season besides the height of summer. The perfume would fall apart in higher temperatures. It strikes me more as an autumn wear, as that’s when I think these notes would be at their best.

Overall Impressions of Dahlia Noir

Overall, how does the Givenchy perfume rate? In my opinion, it’s just okay. There’s nothing amazing here unless you really love iris and rose. Which I am an iris fan, rose can be hit or miss, but Dahlia Noir EDP never jumped out at me.

The iris note is good here, but wasn’t enough to get me too interested.

I like the initial liveliness here. That pink pepper and touch of cinnamon gives this a solid start. There’s some balance with periods of sweetness or earthiness from the patchouli note. So, it’s not just all floral, all the time. A floral chypre fragrance.

The performance is passable and it does smell good but I don’t find anything about Dahlia Noir to be spectacular.

I’m not saying that it’s a complete no, it could serve a purpose in a perfume collection, though, it does nothing to make it ‘great’. It would be one that is worth a try, at a significant enough discount.

I do believe this has been discontinued, as of this latest page update. Discounts may no longer be possible for those who never acted on purchasing.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.