Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum

What Black Opium smells like

Editorial inference

Black coffee and vanilla up front, softened by white flowers, with a sweet, slightly boozy warmth. It’s dark and sweet rather than floral.

Black Opium notes

Brand description Source: Launch notes via Fragrantica.

Top notes

pear, pink pepper, orange blossom

Heart notes

coffee, jasmine, bitter almond, liquorice

Base notes

vanilla, patchouli, cashmere wood, cedar

YSL itself names just three: coffee on top, white flowers in the heart and vanilla in the base. The full pyramid is from the 2014 launch notes as listed on Fragrantica.

How long Black Opium lasts, and how it wears

Editorial inference Typical figures, not our own timing.

How long it lasts

6–8 hours

Projection

Moderate to strong for the first two hours, then a sweet vanilla trail close to the skin

Season

Autumn and winter; fine on cool spring evenings

Best for

Evenings, nights out and dates; one spray for daytime

How much to spray

2 sprays

Based on the Eau de Parfum concentration, a vanilla, patchouli and woods base, and wear reports on Fragrantica, which range widely from two or three hours to eight or more, with some reviewers saying current bottles are weaker than early ones. Skin, climate and how much you spray all move these numbers, which is one more reason to try a sample before a bottle.

Black Opium is one of our best perfumes for women and best fall and winter perfumes.

To get more from a bottle, see where to spray and how to make perfume last longer, how to layer it with another scent, and how to store it so it doesn’t go off.

Should you sample it?

Editorial inference

The Black Opium line, explained

Editorial inference

YSL has released a lot of Black Opiums, and the bottles look alike, so it’s easy to test the wrong one. Every version keeps the same idea, coffee and vanilla with white flowers, and changes the balance. The Eau de Parfum on this page is the 2014 original and the one to sample first. Black Opium Le Parfum (2022) is its richer sibling, with four vanillas, and the one to try if you want the same scent turned up.

The fruity versions add one note to the formula. Over Red (2024) brings cherry, and Pink Glaze (2026) brings strawberry; both are sweeter and more playful than the original. Black Opium Glitter (2024) is its own scent too, softer and built on a marshmallow-musk accord. If you want the coffee to stay front and centre, stick with the original or Le Parfum.

Several names you’ll still see online are no longer part of YSL’s US range: the Intense (2019), with absinthe, is discontinued, and Extreme (2021), with cacao, has gone from YSL’s site. Illicit Green (2022), a greener version with fig, was a limited edition. Older flankers such as Nuit Blanche (2016) turn up too. Treat discount bottles of any of these as different perfumes, not cheaper versions of the original.

Versions of Black Opium

The same name covers several different perfumes. Here is how they relate, so you sample the right one.

If you like Black Opium, also try

Editorial inference

• SofterLancôme La Vie est Belle Eau de ParfumThe same vanilla sweetness, but soft and powdery with iris and praline instead of dark coffee.
• BrighterDolce & Gabbana Devotion Eau de ParfumNo coffee: candied lemon and orange blossom over creamy vanilla, so it’s brighter and easier by day.
• Same moodCarolina Herrera Good Girl Eau de ParfumCoffee and almond on top, tuberose and jasmine in the middle, tonka and cacao underneath. The closest in mood, a little more floral.
• Less sweetMaison Margiela Replica Coffee BreakCoffee with lavender and milk: cosier and much less sweet, and it’s an Eau de Toilette, so it’s lighter too.
• CheaperLattafa Khamrah QahwaA spiced coffee, praline and vanilla gourmand that costs far less. Louder and spicier, so go easy on the sprays.
• FresherYves Saint Laurent Libre Eau de ParfumThe same house and a vanilla base, but lavender and orange blossom in place of coffee, so it’s fresher and easier by day.

More cheaper alternatives to popular perfumes are in our perfume dupes guide.

Comparisons

• Black Opium vs La Vie est Belle
• Good Girl vs Black Opium

Black Opium questions

Does Black Opium smell like coffee?

Yes, coffee is the first thing most people notice, but it isn’t a bitter espresso. It’s sweetened by vanilla and softened by white flowers, closer to a sweet coffee drink than a black coffee. After the first hour or two the coffee fades back and the vanilla takes over.

Is Black Opium for winter?

It’s at its best in autumn and winter, and on evenings year-round. The dense vanilla and coffee can feel heavy on hot days. If you want to wear it in warm weather, keep it to one spray or save it for the evening.

Which Black Opium lasts longest?

Black Opium Le Parfum is the one YSL positions as the most intense, and it’s the one to try if the original fades too fast on you. Despite its name, the discontinued Intense had a reputation among reviewers for weak longevity. Of the current bottles, expect Le Parfum to outlast the Eau de Parfum and its fruity flankers.

Black Opium vs Libre: which should I choose?

Choose Black Opium for dark, sweet evenings, and Libre for something fresher that works day to night. Both are YSL and both have vanilla, but Libre is built on lavender and orange blossom, which make it cleaner and more polished, while Black Opium leans on coffee. Libre is the easier pick for the office; Black Opium is the one for nights out.

How long does Black Opium last?

Most people get around six to eight hours, with the strongest trail in the first couple of hours. Reports vary a lot: some wearers get a full day, while others find it fades in two or three hours. Spraying on clothes or moisturised skin tends to help a sweet vanilla scent like this last longer.

Key notes are from Yves Saint Laurent’s published descriptions; the full note list is from the source named above. Longevity and season are typical figures, not our own measurements. Read how we compare perfumes, or what EDT, EDP and Parfum mean.