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Black Opium is still one of the best selling ladies’ fragrances on the planet right now. Due to that fact, it has spawned a bunch of flanker fragrances trading off of the success of that name. This always raises the question as to which is the best Black Opium? In this post, I want to present my top 5 picks to vie for this title.
What are the Best Smelling Black Opium Perfumes (Ranked)?
The New Best
Black Opium Le Parfum– Coming back to update this list a few years later, I now think of Le Parfum as being the best of this series.
This one is a very vanilla based version of the Black Opium style. Early, it is lighter on the pear and green mandarin, while also having a good dose of cinnamon to go with its various vanilla notes.
Much smoother and a cleaner presentation versus the original EDP. The coffee here doesn’t feel like roasted beans. Rather, it is like a cinnamon and vanilla coffee drink, especially early. The coffee though, isn’t too powerful in the mix, however.
Warm, sweet, and somewhat spicy. A well above average sillage and can last in the 8-9 hour range, making it also one of the best performers in the group. Le Parfum Review
Green
Black Opium Illicit Green– While the original Black Opium has better performance than this, I like the smell of Illicit Green more so. It reminds me most of Neon, from the series, but Green smells better.
It’s lighter and cleaner in the opening act with green mandarin, pear, and fig. You can very much tell that this is a Black Opium perfume, but has a bit of a different take, in order to make it distinct enough.
I get more coffee than vanilla in this one. But, that’ll be joined by fig, orange blossom, and patchouli in the dry down. Less of that initial freshness. Though, I still enjoy it. Performance is okay, just not great. Illicit Green Review
The Original
Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, Black Opium, 3 Ounce
I do think that Neon, listed below, smells marginally better. Though, EDP has much superior performance.
If you haven’t tried this one by now, the opening act can be kind of a mess. White flowers, vanilla, and cedar are kind of just thrown at you.
But, it does get better as things move forward. When the coffee and vanilla fully take over, with some pink pepper thrown in…this is really very nice.
The performance really separates this one from the other flankers. 8+ hours of wear on the skin, easily, and often hitting 10+. It is also stronger with its sillage.
Again, you may find that the others smell better for you than the original, but this brings the total package. Black Opium EDP Review
Best Smelling, Decent Performance
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Neon EDP 2.5 oz 75 ml Women NEW– If the coffee and vanilla are too much for you in the original EDP, Neon could be an option, as those notes aren’t nearly as strong.
This one opens up with a nice mix of dragon fruit and mandarin essence. It is energetic and a bit tropical and just not as heavy of an experience as EDP. For the beginning of the wear, it is the fruit notes with a stronger orange blossom and jasmine coming through.
The next phase, is quite a bit like the original. Slightly different weightings of the notes, with a very similar smell. It isn’t a completely weak scent, it spends much of the wear as pretty moderate, and will last for close to 7 hours.
If this one, were just a bit stronger, it’d be another spot higher for sure. Still, it’s a good fragrance. Black Opium Neon Review
Most Unique
Black Opium Intense– Based on the name, you might think that this would be an amped up version of EDP…but it’s not. It’s actually much softer, but with 7-8 hours of wear.
What it does have going for it, is a unique blend that utilizes blue absinthe and licorice. It’s smooth with that licorice aroma being prominent throughout. This is all sitting on the coffee and vanilla, which is a different sort of smell, yet kind of familiar during the dry down.
Is the uniqueness amazing? To me, no. It’s pretty good, but even switching things up like this didn’t move it to the top of the list. Black Opium Intense Review
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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.