Black Opium vs Poison Girl Perfume Comparison

For this fragrance comparison, we are going to take a closer look at to women’s eau de parfums, Black Opium by YSL vs. Poison Girl by Christian Dior. Which of these perfumes smells the best? They share a lot of similarities, have lots of sweetness, are gourmand, but which one is a better buy? As usual, I’m going to break down each by different metrics, and then declare a winner. I’ve also linked my original reviews of each scent below.

Tale of the Tape: Black Opium vs. Poison Girl

Black Opium

Notes include: coffee, vanilla, patchouli, pink pepper, orange blossom, cedar

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce

Read my original review: Black Opium

Poison Girl

Notes include: Damascus rose, tonka bean, bitter orange, vanilla, almond, sandalwood

Click here to try: Christian Dior Poison Girl Women’s Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

Read my original review: Poison Girl

Opening

I’m not too much of a fan with the way that Black Opium opens up. The first ten minutes or so are pretty jumbled, and honestly not that great, but it gets better. It’s a lot of orange blossom, cedar, and vanilla at the top. It’s loud and not very cohesive yet.

It’s strange, because I do really love orange blossom and vanilla. But for some reason, it just doesn’t click in the beginning.

Poison Girl, hits first with the Damascus rose note, tonka bean, and bitter orange. It’s creamy and smooth and actually feels quite close to how Black Opium ultimately smells.

At the start, the Dior fragrance, takes the edge.

Edge: Poison Girl 

Projection

Ok, Black Opium is a bold fragrance. The sillage is quite loud and it has the ability to project far and wide. Really, that’s one of the perfume’s major strengths. As such, Poison Girl is going to have to match that at least, does it? It doesn’t.

The Dior starts off strong but never reaches the same level as does the YSL. Later, it fades more into a moderate perfume while Black Opium keeps going strong. Poison Girl isn’t bad at all, it just doesn’t meet the pure power that Black Opium displays.

Edge: Black Opium

Longevity

Actually, this category might be a tie. Black Opium goes on and on, but I also got double digit hours out of Poison Girl. I mean, if you want to keep going into the deep hours, maybe there is a clear winner but not in normal situations.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Two cold weather fragrances. Poison Girl can be worn at the office, casually, or out on a date. Black Opium can do the same, although, in confined spaces its best to go lighter.

I’d say Poison Girl is a tad bit sexier to my nose and is subtle enough to wear anywhere. So, I’ll give the Dior the slight edge here.

Edge: Poison Girl

Overall Scent

So, these two perfumes are very close in how they stack up against one another. They share many elements and this close competition is to be expected.

Black Opium EDP turns into a vanilla and coffee mix as it moves along to go with an orange blossom note playing the support role. It’s very warm and super sweet. The pink pepper note and the patchouli, give it a cozy spice to sit underneath the sweetness, and create that enveloping feel.

Poison Girl is also quite sweet but has a creamier aroma, thanks to tonka bean and the almond note. The rose, vanilla, and tonka bean notes make for a formidable trio that lead the way. The bitter orange note supplies the citrus and sort of gives a similar vibe to Black Opium.

Ultimately, though, I think that I prefer Poison Girl. It’s smoother. Almond, sandalwood, and tonka make sure of that. It’s sweet, creamy, and smooth. It’s not as bold as Black Opium, but performs just as well. It’s difficult to pick a winner in this contest, but Poison Girl just strikes me as a tad more interesting.

Winner: Poison Girl

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.