I first reviewed this fragrance way back in the beginning of this website. Actually, it was one of the first handful of full wear reviews that I ever wrote. Gucci Guilty Black was a cologne that I would wear quite a lot and really enjoyed it back then. As such, I felt that it was time to update this page, and expand upon what makes this scent what it is. I will cover how it smells, what’s inside, how it performs, and if it is still even worth a try.
What does Gucci Guilty Black Smell Like?
Guilty Black Notes: green coriander, lavender, orange flower, neroli, patchouli, and cedar wood
Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Black Pour Homme Fragrance Collection 3.0-oz. Eau de Toilette
My Full Review
The first thing I’d like to say about Guilty Black is that it definitely is not a boring fragrance. One of the best words I’ve read described it as, ‘hypnotic’, and I would agree wholeheartedly with that assessment. It is a refreshing scent that isn’t fruity or too light, rather, it is completely masculine and versatile in its uses.
I notice immediately, how it shares a very similar DNA to its predecessor, Gucci Guilty. However, Black doesn’t have that same citrus fruit top, but relies instead on orange flower and neroli to provide a different experience.
I will say, that I think Guilty Black is better than Guilty Pour Homme. It’d be a tougher pick between this one and Guilty Intense, but I don’t want to get too off track here.
Black is such a well-blended fragrance, that it can be hard to actually distinguish the notes themselves. Instead, it is more like you get the impression that each ingredient would normally give you, and sort of infer that it is there.
That being said, I can obviously pick up on that oh so familiar lavender, the other floral notes, and that great spicy coriander which adds a sexiness to the composition. The whole thing comes together as very green, fresh, masculine, with a great underlying spice/woodiness.
It shares that really clean and bright feeling that you get from wearing the other Gucci Guilty scents. I love the energy of this one and how I can pick out hints of notes, such as patchouli, when catching a whiff of it on my skin.
Sillage (Projection)
Projection wise, it was always very solid for me. Not huge, but not a weak skin scent either. Here’s what I wrote back in 2014, about it’s staying power: Also, it seems to both project well and it lasts long without fading. I put it on this morning at around 7:30 and it was still there at 6 PM when I left work, so it has staying power.
This was of course from the original bottles of Guilty Black, but the longevity was great on my skin, and the sillage stayed pretty moderate throughout.
How Long does Guilty Black Last?
Coming back to testing this cologne out again, I still manage to get anywhere from 7-12 hours. It really depends on the climate and how much time I spend outside with Guilty Black on.
Season and When To Wear
Seasonally, another sort of year round wear. The Guilty line, always struck me as better in warm weather, but ubiquitous enough to spray it on whenever. This is a cologne which is appropriate for the business world, but can be worn effectively for a date or a night at the club, as it draws attention.
Mostly, I always for it as a casual cologne, with t-shirt and jeans. Here’s another snippet of my initial experiences: I’ve worn it three days thus far and have had at least one person comment positively on it during each one of those days.
This is a scent for a man who exudes confidence and wants to be noticed and while it isn’t overpowering it does stand out. That can be a good or bad thing depending on your own personality but with a scent like this, one won’t stand out in a bad way.
It isn’t a heavy scent either, it’s clean, but not really definable as a clear woodsy scent or aquatic or even sporty.
Overall Impressions of Gucci Guilty Black
Overall, do I think Guilty Black is worth a try? Yep. This one has gained a substantial following since its release way back in 2013. It smells good and covers so many bases, that it is great to have on hand, when you just want something easy to wear.
Is it groundbreaking? No. It’s just a pleasant and sexy fragrance, which gets complements, and has nice performance. Sometimes, that is enough to make a cologne worthwhile. This is still one of the best Gucci colognes for men, one of the better performers, and has good versatility.
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.
– Guilty Black has the slight edge, in my opinion, as the best Gucci Guilty cologne. It doesn’t open with the same citrus top notes as the others, and instead has neroli and orange flower, to simulate that aroma but take it in a new direction.
– It is a tough choice to put Guilty Intense at number two, because I really do like this stuff. It shares the same lemon note, as the original Guilty Pour Homme, but tones it down and amps up the lavender and amber notes.