Reviews of Black Orchid (2006)
by Tom Ford

I am in love. This is brilliant. I have been wearing this for a few days now. It is so complex. I get so many things that are not supposed to be in here. Humor me: almond cookie; fig newton; a hint of iodine; aquatic note; mud; incense; old flowers; some sort of woody note; maybe chocolate; and mushrooms the day before they go bad. This changes and changes and changes again--and I love every moment. In the morning, after a day of wear, it has that morning-after thing going on. This scent feels so personal that I might not recognize it on someone else. LOVE, I tell you--LOVE!

This one is a true modern classic. Words can not even describe how much I love this fragrance.

However, I must say, I think I like Voile de Fleur a bit better. Still, this is one of the most amazing out there and worth the cash, period.

Highly recommeded for both men and woman.

99% of the time this scent is wonderful. Its dark, chocolate, and hippy all rolled into one. I enjoy it greatly when the weather is cooler because when the temperatures are up, it can bite viciously (oh, the headache Black Orchid can induce). but, the joy it can bring is worth it. It smells wonderfully dirty in a rich, healthy, loamy sort of way all while smelling just finished up a sweaty romp in bed sort of dirty. yum. dry down is fairly simple, as as all the smut happens in the openning and middle... perfume's equivilent to having a smoke afterwards perhaps.....

WOW. One of the best new releases in years, and destined to become a cult classic if not a true classic. Impossible to draw comparisons, as it is like nothing I've ever smelled. A true example of artistry in perfumery.

Powerful opening - earthy, boozy, dark, slightly dangerous, intoxicating. The truffle note is brilliant!. So thick, it feels like velvet on the skin. Evocative...conjures up images of a moonlit dark forest heavy with evening mist...night blooming flowers...witches burning ceremonial incense. I feel mysterious and powerful when I wear it. Unlike others, I do not find the drydown disappointing at all; it may not be as explosive as the opening, but the vanilla/sandalwood/incense combination is very well done and so relaxing...like that peaceful feeling after an intense orgasm. To me, wearing Black Orchid is the olfactory equivalent of fantastic sex. Needless to say, I won't ever be without a bottle...

Yowza! Knock 'em dead! A most intriguing, STRONG, warm and fierce scent. I'd love to wear it oh, once a year, when I'm feeling tigerish. But if I were to smell this on colleagues and on the street... no, please! Definitely great art, I am very happy this was made and is selling, because it's streets ahead of 95% of other scents. I would love to own a gorgeous bottle, but for something I would wear so seldom, it's just too pricey. Try the Voile de Fleur if this is too much for you, but that one I found very pleasant, still interesting at first, but with a generic-ey drydown and not quite enough presence.

This is the first women's fragrance I bought. Saks says that this is unisex, but it requires quite a stretch to accept this as unisex to my taste. Nonetheless, I adore this scent. I love everything about it: the opening, how thick and syrupy the scent presents itself, how it sticks on your skin and totally transforms itself to something unique.

It is an unmistakably heavy scent, and I can detect it anywhere I go when someone wears it. On the elevator, at a club, outside, no matter how crowded the place is, you can always feel if Black Orchid is present. Like I said, it is very thick. That being said, the scent on my skin doesn't remain too sweet, as many people complain about the fragrance. It transforms something quite spicy, and erotic. It is very dark. The black currant note is quite heavy in the opening, and I can also detect some bergamot, which gives it a very very slight citrusy note to my nose. I never had the chance to smell a pure ' black truffle note' as a scent, so I don't know what that smells like in particular, yet that anonymous scent that hits my nose along with deep woods and heavy florals can be the truffle in question, I suppose.

The most gorgeous state of the fragrance is the drydown though, it is almost cruel to the nose. It is so seductive and erotic, it is nothing short of orgasmic. I claim there have been few scents that could handle vanilla this well. (Another one is Opium pour Homme, I think) It settles into something warm, familiar, close to skin, and very hazy. Yes, it is sweet, make no mistake, yet it is a very sophisticated, well thought out and sublime sweet. It is not 'delicious' like Lolita Lemplicka, Chpard Wish, or that monstrosity called Angel and the masculine versions of all that I have listed. Blacl Orchid doesn't smell like food, or desert.

I love this scent, it is a gorgeous creation from top to finish. It will always be a part of my fragrance collection. It is not just the fragrance that is unique, it is the whole experience. I feel like the great sultans or princesses of Arabia, or geishas of Japan must have smelt like this. It is an ultimate elixir. In general I love Tom Ford's creations, yet this is the first scent since his unmatched YSL m7 that I have been this excited about. He really shines in creating dark scents with flower accords and wood accents. Not only the scents, but also the bottles and packaging are also always gorgeous. The Black Orchid bottle, gorgeous like every fragrance bottle he designed, is on the masculine side, yet also very user friendly. You can carry it anywhere, and it doesn't 'age' with time, look tarnished and all. Being skinny and curved, the bottle looks decadent and very soignee. It is onyx black with a gold plate on top, proclaiming the mysterious name. First I thought 'Black Orchid' was a tacky name, but now I am kinda used to it.

If you want a unique experience, you must test this scent. Whether you like it or not, you WILL have some sort of an opinion about the scent, which makes this a very special creation. It has an identity, and it sparks up discussion, because it is very different. Must test before buying though, unless you are buying it only for the gorgeous bottle.

I don't know where to begin with this sinister, earthy, gnarly, rich, dark, gorgeous fragrance. Every time I smell it on me I notice something new, something even more spectacular. I generally enjoy dark, richer fragrances so no surprise that this is for me, but this is intensely fascinating. My sister had orchids in her house and I remember walking past them and noticing a funny, hollow clarity as they began to wilt, and I smell that RIGHT at the beginning here. There is a sense of earthy decay that is MIND BLOWINGLY intriguing, mixed with the richer vanillic base.

It starts of earthy, rooty, sweet (I don't smell fruit), with this hollow fresh cut white flower smell (like the smell of a flower in refrigeration), or is it the smell of a flower on its way to the garbage? I can't be sure but it's REALLY fascinating. My only problem with this is the drydown. It is an unfortunately simple, uninspired vanilla. I only wish that the shoulder grabbing, truffled earthy opening would last longer. But that part, however long it lasts makes this totally worth it.

Bizarre but beautiful concoction that puts me very much in mind of Thierry Mugler's Angel. A deep, chocolate-drizzled floral gourmand that is way too feminine on my skin, but definitely a creation to be admired from afar -- I can certainly see why this one has its ardent devotees.

I have a sample of this. I will own this. OMG, this is a masterpiece. Warm sexy boozy chocolaty, yummy, intoxicating. Dear God, this is Hedonism in a bottle!

I see there are many products out in this now, including a shampoo I think. I may start out slow with this, maybe a bubblebath and shampoo..oh would this make a bubble bath for two incredibly steamy.

YET, it isn't necessarily sexual, it is INDULGENT but that calms down after a bit and becomes soothing and comfortable...I only tried this for 18 hours. BUT I KNOW...A KEEPER! Tom, I love ya for this one.

As ridiculous as this sounds, since I tend to think in sounds and images, I totally associate this perfume with internet star Tay Zonday's voice (and voice ALONE) on the song "Chocolate Rain". The patchouli-chocolate-earthy wilty orchidity (not words, I know)has a completely over-the-top darkness and deepness (yet another word I know is not a word) that reaches out and grabs you. This ain't no a perfume to mess around with.

I like it OK. Transparently sour grapes because I can't wear it. This makes me sad because I think it's a late 2000s classic in the making. My attitude is right for it, I'm confident and assertive--I'll wear it any time I doggone well feel like it, day or night; but my body chemistry is all wrong. When I do wear it, I've had to face the consequences. I've gotten zero compliments and many "please-get-away-from-me", "oh-God-here-she-comes" and "I'm gagging." looks from my co-workers and my students. My three year old niece (and most honest critic) refuses to sit in my lap when I wear Black Orchid because as she puts it, "Auntie, you smell yucky."

I can't blame it on the perfume because it's fantastic. *sigh*

A velvety body, heavy without being stinky, sour, sweet, hot, , little spicy, a little woody too.
I'm amazed!. The best on the gourmad range like Angel by Mugler.
The compostion is very strong. I may suggest to use with caution.
Main notes of truffle, berries,vetiver, jasmin, lotus wood creams accords and patchouli...
I can see this one weared with brave men.
I would if I could reach it easy here in Spain.

Spray responsibly and you'll be fine. I've worn this thrice, and it sits very comfortably with me. The top is fruity, quite edible. The bottom to me is grainy,in the same way as M7, but still soothing and comfortable. Nothing sharp or irritating throughout the drydown. I don't find it synthetic smelling and think it has loads of depth. To me it's intelligent and sexy. Certainly no prude, but no putain either. I haven't received any comments yet, let alone compliments. The packaging is great...not too feminine, but far from masculine. However, it immediately caught my eye in the shop, and that was where the affair began. I think it's going to last longer than most...

The word, "bewitched", is used often by reviewers of this fragrance here. After trying it (and yes, buying it), I can see why. It's as much that as Ungaro III, another "dark and sensual", yet not as sweet a fragrance, that I find wonderful, yet different from almost anything else out there. Black Orchid's uniqueness is its allure and its strength. Bloomingdales Atlanta is selling it as a unisex frag and its flying off the shelves. Glad I caught one.

Before sampling the newest child of fragrance industry icon - Tom Ford - I read all the reviews, checked out the listed notes, and then sampled away! At first I was on the look out for a reason to hate this scent because there was so much seemingly undue hype around T.F. After spritzing this one on though, I must concede and concur ~ Mr. Ford has earned his accolades! Black Orchid is a well thought out, finely crafted perfume. At the top: Black Truffle, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot & Black Currant. I love this initial blend. The Florals, Fruits & Lotus Wood in the middle didn't particularly thrill me. In fact, I became slightly annoyed by a little tickle in the back of my throat while those middle notes hung around. After that, my most favorite part of Black Orchid...the drydown to the basenotes! Noir Gourmand, Patchouli, Incense and Vetiver! Sexy! For me, this is not a dark or heavy fragrance. I find it fresh, yet deep & mysterious. Actually, it is somewhat airy until the top & middle notes settle down. Black Orchid is unique and satisfying, I will eagerly anticipate future releases by Tom Ford; right along with the rest of you!

I’m at a loss here because i have never smelled a black orchid in my life before, but ill give it a go nonetheless:
The first of tom ford’s line of scents is a very attractive, love-it or hate-it kind of scent, that it truly smells very unique and , to my nose, is fantastic.
From the very first impression you get the sense that this ride will not be like something you’ve experienced before, in its complexity and its darkness, from the start you get the gritty ,black, earthy notes and the wonderful very dark and slightly sweet truffle that changes quickly to an intensely flowery (I imagine the black orchid note) that glides onto what it seems a french bonbon of very high quality : 73% dark chocolate cover with an inside of milk chocolate with a filling of vanilla-dark truffle cream that still has some gritty bits and some green bits and that all blends together very fetchingly. The drydown of this one get sweeter and sweeter but it’s a nice animalic smokey sort of sweet with a nice dose of patchouli, that it never loses its elegance, its power and its presence.
I would imagine that the queen of all vampires Akasha (that character from the Anne Rice’s novels) , would wear this one when she’s not in her stone-like form, when she’d smell more like a marble stone with dust and blood. Now she would wear this because it’s unique, she’s a queen and most of all because she just doesn’t care what other people say and she always has the last word, all at the same time when one is admiring her beauty and her intensity, falling under her spell, and we say: yes, do whatever you want with me, my Queen.
And the there’s the shock of the realization that this scent is very treacherous, and it would turn you into the stinkiest stink bomb ever, or it would send you into the fast track to heaven-dome, heaven being some type of Olympus where the gods seem decadent and smitten with all things human. And human is what you get on the basenotes, charred musky skin (human or not, I don’t know) with sweet undetones and dead sugary flowers and smoked chocolate, all resting in a very elegant dark wood cabinet.
I love it!

I think it's true that the dramatic and fantastic opening of Black Orchid trumps the drydown, and while that's a questionable strategy, I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it an insult, and yet. . .

This is such an experience: a fruity floral not in the usual sense, but rather... it's as though the flesh of fruit were cloned somehow from a richly fragrant blossom, resulting in an edible fruit which is allowed to overripen, then is sliced open. A succulent, seductive perfume of decay, although there's none of the mustiness of the patchouli evident. Perhaps, I couldn't help imagining, there might be a resemblance here to the scents of the emanative wounds of the blessed St Lydwinne, whose body was at one point separated into three discreet sections representing the holy trinity, and from whose stigmata was said to waft uncannily alluring floral frangrances.

When I sampled it, the drydown seemed like the heavy syrup of a "fruit cocktail" made from this weird relgio-sci-fi fruit-flower. But when I actually wore it in a full application, the fragrance settled into something spicier, not unlike l'artisan's safran troublant.

I have to admit it's not one I will "reach for" often, but I love it anyhow.

I love it but, then again I also loved Alien when it first came out. I sprayed a sampler card with Black Orchid while at Nordstrom the other day. I put it under the noses of at least six sales people in several departments of either gender and they unanimously said: " Ummmmm...I like that! What is it?' I then flipped the card over to reveal the name: Tom Ford's Black Orchid. They were as surprised and delighted as am I when I spray it on in the a.m. I agree that it is a fragrance for men or women in moderation.

This fragrance intrigued me from the second I heard about it. The list of notes appealed to me a great deal (Top notes are listed as Black Truffle, Ylang, Bergamot and Black Current, the middle notes mix dark floral with dark fruits, and the base notes are listed as patchouli, incense, vetiver and warm vanilla). It sounded dark enough to capture my attention. When I finally got my hands on a sample my initial reaction wasn't altogether positive. I found that first spray very strong and overpowering. After a few minutes, however, I was in love. It is dark, it is exotic, and it has a definitive licorice scent on my skin. I would not recommend this fragrance for the meek at heart. It is bold and seductive. An added bonus is that the bottle is stunning!

A great, great modern Oriental. Surprisingly natural smelling for a big mainstream fashion house.
The opening notes are amazingly balsamic and natural. Those who love the great Orientals in history will find this a must-have. I love the quirky flacon, too... The lettering looks as though it was done with one of those old DYMO tape labellers... intentionally designed to look a wee bit "cheap"... but in a tongue-in-cheek, <> way. Bravo.

lovely fragrance...goes on very sweet,stays a little less sweet,can't smell any floral..it smells like i expected juicy couture to smell.i like it.doesn't smell anything like a man's crotch.LOL.even 6 hours later.this has lasted a long time on me,which i have not found to be the case lately.

Instant classic? Maybe it's a little too soon to tell, but at first whiff I realized this wasn't your everyday, middle-of-the-road designer scent. If Black Orchid is any indication of what we have to look forward to from Tom Ford, we're all in store for some wonderful scents. As Tovah said, it's a hard fragrance to describe, but it is quite dark, heavy, and yet subtle. There's not a lot with which to compare it, but beyond those mentioned already, I would also say it shares something with CN Scent Intense for that dark, thick, sweetness that works without becoming cloying.

Longevity is great, as is sillage (and rightly so for $135 for 100ml's), but best of all it rides that all-too-difficult line of maintaining distinction without being too outlandish. As well, it seems definitely wearable by men as well as women (it doesn't strike me as being any more feminine than CN Scent Intense).

DEFINITELY worth a try, but maybe only as a decant or small bottle, so that we can save our money to see what else Ford will offer this upcoming year. Smelling this, I'm THRILLED to see what his men's scent will be like.

i ve tested it yesterday and actually i 've to say this is a totally bewitching fragrance ,absolutely the best mainstream fragrance of the year

I agree this is totally intoxicating, and very dark. It has a strong sugar and liquorice scent when first applied but dries down to a woody, leathery scent on me anyway. It is very earthy after a few hours. I think it's highly vampire-ish and seductive

I haven't found a fragrance so alluring since the appearance of Poison in the 1980s. Before that it was Opium. For me the predecessors of that je ne sais quoi, are the likes of Chanel Bois des Iles, Fracas, FM Musc Ravageur...those fragrances that turned the olfactory world upside down. Black Orchid does not smell like any of these, it's that it's so different, so unusual, and so exotic. Black Orchid is daring, darkly sensual, and completely intoxicating. Don't even try this unless you're prepared to be bewitched into buying it!