Eau Noire

It’s amazing how such a random list of notes could create something that feels intentional, let alone something so beautiful. It’s at odds with itself, contrasting notes are locked in a constant tug of war, creating a strange, discordant harmony. Licorice, immortelle, herbs, vanilla, coffee, lavender, all somehow share the center stage at different points, at first the vanilla and lavender act as a warm backlight to the black silhouette of the licorice, but then it dries up, becomes darker and the bitter coffee materializes out of nowhere, then comes the immortelle, adding a slightly sticky, resinous quality. When the scent travels through the air it forms a frayed, bittersweet, inky veil that whispers evil things into your ear. The overall effect also reminds me of absinthe, but sweeter, deeper, darker and smoother. Eau Noire is also one of the very few perfumes called something “black” that actually live up to their name, but rather than going the now common smoke, oud, leather, incense or pepper route, it does “black” in a witchy, psychedelic, dare I say venomous way that is entirely its own.

Je possède la toute première version en flacon de 400 ML et j’ai senti la dernière version c’est actuel, ça n’a vraiment plus rien à voir à première version, c’est vraiment une potion plus qu’un Parfum très puissante sur les notes de lavande réglisse immortels c’est vraiment pour les amateurs de lavande comme Caron pour un homme. C’est un parfum qu’il faut porter quand il fait très très froid à la chaleur, impossible de porter. Je parle pour la première version la version actuelle ne m’a donné aucun plaisir.

This is a hidden gem masterpiece that should've gotten way more love than it received. I was surprised to stumble upon a sample of this in my mother's drawer especially since Dior privé is not easily accessible in the area, but by then she had long forgotten about its origin. The initial spray was a shock to me; the smell of the fragrance was like nothing I've experienced before. I cannot explain the amazing feeling that occurred to me in that moment. The level of photorealism, the particularity of it, the feeling of nostalgia. It had warm green tone with a distinctive peppery aspects tamed by the scent of sun-dried hay, and the vanillin of old paperbacks. Thyme, a distinctive note that offered a delicate airiness to the environment along with trace amounts of camphor was enveloping the opening beautifully. Everything wrapping up into a herbal scent best compared to that of plants left to dry in the heat for tea and spice making. It was clear to me that whoever has participated in the making of this fragrance knew exactly the feeling they wanted to convey. And I was all in for it. I had to purchase it. I succesfuly secured a 40ml partial later on. Now my perception of it has mildly changed; however, It is still amazing. I must say that I never understood why it was categorised as a gourmand, if anything it is a savoury gourmand given its spicy character but nothing of it truly feels edible. After longer time spent, I discovered newer nuances of this fragrance, some that have mildy tempered my excitement. It is, however, needless to say that something like this was prone of happening for no other spray could've topped the moment my brain came to perceive it for the first time. The new facets were woodier with a powdery coffee depth and a plasticky layer most likely offered by the violet accord. Throughout its evolution, the herbal accent subdued within the core of the formula, giving the scent of liquorice. Finally, in the base, the powdery vanillin along with the brown accents morphed into something that reminded me of cocoa powder in a rather superficial way, far from gaining the title of gourmand as it maintained its original nostalgic nature. At last, I can only be grateful for the unique one-time experience which this perfume offered me and it is hard to believe another will be able to surprise me in the near future in such way and with so much impact as Eau Noire did.

smells like the most whimsical medicine cabinet filled w little potions and remedies. im so obsessed w it. the lavender is so prominent in the beginning but as it settles it develops this warm cocooning peppery herbal scent that i cannot get enough of. i'd love to pair it w a vanilla/lactonic body milk or lotion

Eau Noire has been definitively discontinued in 2026, sadly. The fragrance will disappear once the remaining stock is gone. As an alternative, I would suggest considering La Rhapsodie Noire by Dusita Parfums. The quality level is the same, and the scent has noticeable similarities.

On paper: curry. On skin, something else entirely. Hard dark licorice, salt, coffee grounds, bitter herbs and a thick syrup holding it all together. Slightly sweet, slightly savory, very mysterious. A concoction being prepared in a remote monastery kitchen at golden hour. And yet Eau Noire was launched in 2004, composed by Francis Kurkdjian during Hedi Slimane's legendary Dior Homme era (skinny black razor-sharp tailoring, The Libertines backstage, Paris after dark…) I don't know what to make of any of it. But I can't stop sniffing.

A very unusual fragrance. It really belongs in the category of dark gourmand perfumes. Right from the opening, black licorice is extremely prominent. Dense and heavy, with the chewy impression of anise candy, yet at the same time carrying a strange coldness. Herbal notes such as thyme appear quickly, followed by vanilla, coffee, and immortelle. The opening makes you pause because it combines the cold bitterness of herbs with dark sweetness and a brief touch of spice. It does not resemble the clean brightness of typical lavender fragrances, nor the straightforward sugar and cream style of conventional gourmands. The sweetness here feels darker, more like black coffee, licorice candy, caramel, and maple syrup blended together. Immortelle is the key element in the composition. It is exactly this note that transforms Eau Noire from a lavender scent into something much harder to classify: a dark herbal gourmand. Lavender still runs through the entire fragrance, functioning almost like a cool thread woven between the licorice, coffee, and immortelle. Because of the lavender, the sweetness never fully collapses into syrup. I think the opening may immediately push some people away, but after about an hour the fragrance reaches its most beautiful stage. At that point the balance becomes extremely refined. Up close, the layers of black licorice, coffee, lavender, and vanilla are clearly distinguishable. From a slight distance, however, it turns into a dark cloud of coffee caramel sweetness with herbal coolness and a faint shadow of leather. In the drydown, the coffee slowly fades while immortelle becomes more noticeable again. What remains on the skin is maple syrup, dried plants, licorice, and a touch of wood. Anyone who enjoys immortelle, licorice, coffee, herbs, and dark sweetness will probably appreciate this fragrance greatly. Personally, I think it works much better in cold weather. In heat, the maple syrup aspect of immortelle becomes amplified and can feel sticky. In colder temperatures, the layers remain clearer and more controlled. A fragrance with a very strong identity and memorable character. Longevity and projection are both very good.

You’re sitting a cafe right off the Plebicito in Napoli wearing a Solaro suit (made by a local tailor of course) on a late autumn afternoon. The sun is bright but the air is crisp, but hardly cool (it’s still southern Italy after all!) Sfogliatelli pastry crust scents the air, mixed with freshly pulled ristretto. Since it’s afternoon, workers are starting to eschew coffee for spritz and negroni. Those herbal anis notes co-mingle with the others. Is that vanilla or pistachio gelato wafting from the shop next door?

It's a big hodgepodge of lots of chaotic notes but I like it a lot. It all translates into kind of an alternative gourmand - some kind of vaguely dessert-y sweet anise-y distantly chocolatey thing. I can imagine it as some type of artisanal coffee shop concoction more than anything even though the actual coffee note here is a pretty minor player to my nose. It's the most interesting thing I've smelled from the Dior Privee line and so far the first one I've personally felt inclined to keep after acquiring a bottle. This is based off a 2022 bottle - performance is pretty nice as I've had a large, consistent scent bubble projecting around me for at least a couple of hours now.

Smells like Chartreuse / Génépi (herbal liqueur)

I am reorganising perfumes in my basement: Have an original case & bottle Eau Noire , still wrapped in plastic foil and Dior Boutique wrapping paper code: 1P01 ( 2011)

Went to the store today and found out they reformulated this one yet again!!! WHY DIOR????????????????????????????????????????????? Are you kidding me seriously? FIRST new look 1947, than eau noire, is your strategy :"let's ruin the og scents of the private collection?"

really good but gives me a real headache, sadly can't wear it

Wonder if the Hedi boys will figure this one out

There was high expectations for this fragrance to start. A powdery herbal with a toasted cocoa background. Has a weird vanillac feel to it. Not sure I quite understand this fragrance with everything it has going on. Herbal, Powdery, Green, Leather, Licorice, Spicy, Woody, Amber, Violet, Vanilla, Floral. Its a bit too much for me.

Eau Noire Dior - I feel it is something like jeera somp + curry essence + sweet lavender + licorice immortelle maybe like sort of spiced maple syrupy splashed with greenish as toppings. This is in between Aromatic Fougere, Oriental Fougere and Gourmand structure. Very unique style and not for everyone and not even a everyday fragrance. I enjoy the dry down a more compared to the initial 30 mins blast. Sometimes I feel some elements of Parfum d'Empire Immortelle Corse and Amouage Sunshine Man may be due to Immortelle and spices. I own 2022- 150 ML partial (Batch:2H01X), haven't tried to older green juice. Scent: 9.6/10 - Uniqueness [10/10] Silage: 9/10 [4+ Feet radius] Longevity: 8/10 [5+ Hrs on skin] Bottle: 7.5/10 Price: 7.5/10 [10/20 ML Decant is enough to use for ages as it is very potent and can't use very often]

has a bit of a nostalgic quality for me with this lavender, but i don't think it's something i want to smell like. it's a bit of a confusing combination. it's not as incompatible as it looks like, but still not enjoyable. i think, even if i liked it myself, i would be worried about other people thinking i smell funny

I really like it but my friends kind of ruined it for me saying it’s smells like a soup with a lot of black pepper in it 😂 Def my favorite one from this Dior collection which I’m not that very fond of.

This is one of my all-time favorites, an iconic creation by Hedi Slimane that just feels otherworldly. It's rich, dark, and a little mysterious. Funny enough, my chiropractor once told me I smelled like couscous or an Arabic dinner when I wore it. There’s something about it that smells like ancient Egypt, like a secret ritual to Seth when night comes. It’s warm, smoky, a little spicy, unforgettable.

ok this is incredible. it has this amazing earthy & dusty scent that is filled with spice. On the drydown the spice reminds me of cardamon with a cooling fresh effect and all the spices gives it a really herbal fragrance that is so nice and unique. It does have a light and tone down projection and power which I think is a good thing from such a unique scent that works. The one I am trying is the most recent released version.

Have a 250ml of this bottle for swap anyone in usa send me pm. This bottle is not the older batch.

Speaking of oddball concoctions, here is one that I love and is among my most worn perfumes and one that I somehow never got around to reviewing. The one and only Eau Noire. It is worth mentioning that there were three iterations of this fragrance, originally composed by Kurkdijan in 2004, then slightly tweaked by Demachy when Dior launched its "La Collection Couturier" in 2010, and it was later reformulated yet again by its original creator. I happen to prefer the early Demachy version over both the Kurkdijans, as I find it to strike the perfect balance between Fougere and Oriental. The original "Cologne" was heavier on spices and fresher, while the latest version steers more into the dry-smoked woods territory and tones down the blast of spices and heavy licorice. That being said, I have to give credit to Kurkdijan for creating such a unique and memorable fragrance. He is no doubt one of, if not the most overrated nose in the industry, but he outdid himself when he created Eau Noire. Despite my love for Absolue Pour Le Soir, I think Eau Noire is the best thing he has ever done, and for my taste, the best thing that ever came out of the house of Christian Dior. What makes this perfume so exquisite is how it takes the most incompatible accords and blends them into something that not only works but manages to entice, inspire, and be completely original. Who could have ever imagined putting together greens, lavender, thyme, fenugreek, coffee, black licorice, vanilla, and wood? These are the most prevalent notes and accords to my nose. I don't get the people who call out Immortelle as one of the major players in here. As hard as I struggle to fathom that, I can't. I'd say fenugreek is to blame for the "curry/maple" feel in Eau Noire, and people get confused or regurgitate what others say. Eau Noire doesn't display the usual facets of Immortelle. But that's just my opinion. The perfume is built of two halves, the Fougere and the Oriental, linked by this most peculiar accord of Black Licorice. The latter is not your licorice root nor the star anise, but an actual "confectionary licorice" accord. Indeed, like those dark-hued candies you might have tried at least once as a kid. If you didn't, you've missed out. I happen to love them and naturally, adore their showcase in Eau Noire. It is strong, and if you don't like that flavor, you can safely avoid this fragrance. It's omnipresent and connects the two parts of the composition. It starts as a green, spicy fougere, with a strong display of thyme and perhaps myrtle, lavender, and green-wet grass. This part lasts for a good while before you start to pick up the Oriental elements underneath - the vanilla, the coffee, and the smoked woods that give off a "faux" leather impression at times. The coffee note is another major player in Eau Noire, and while I struggle with it in most compositions, I thoroughly enjoy how it is showcased here - think of a caffe latte, not the beans or the black coffee accord. The more it goes down into the base, the more of the woods, vanilla, and latte accord come to the forefront, but the green aspects, the fenugreek, the licorice, and the lavender hold their ground, albeit in the background. I believe the combination of fenugreek and vanilla helps to create the "maple syrup" impression that surfaces later in the development. And even after many hours, when Eau Noire finally settles down as a proper Oriental perfume, you can still sense the juicy and tart green aspects and the licorice cutting through the fuming woods and the steaming latte. Eau Noire is one of those "love-it-or-hate-it" perfumes with no in-betweens. The one thing, however, that cannot be contested is how exquisite and iconic an olfactory work it is. Technically flawless, a seamless blend of all those notes that don't belong together yet works like a finely tuned musical instrument without ever feeling jarring, while creatively original with no resemblance, played by a musician that nowadays is in his hour of fame but worst moment of creativity, for the few ears longing for good music, the type that stirs emotions. IG:@memory.of.scents

Eau Noire, or Black Water, originally composed by Francis Kurkdjian in 2004, was later ruined by Dior over the course of reformulations like they have most of their fragrances, and then they invited Captain Kurk back to re-reformulate their Collection Prive again to try to get them back into shape (2022). It must have been an interesting discussion between Mr. Kurkdjian and the powers-that-be at Dior and LVMH when they asked him to rescue some of his own fragrances. At any rate, a perfume with a name like Black Water at the hands of Captain Kurk is sort of a foregone conclusion to guess its style. You know what you're going to get: something sweet and veering towards gourmand. More recently anyway, I swear the man has no idea how to do dark, brooding, seductive, sad, sexy, angry, or anything else on that side of the emotional spectrum without making the perfume sweet and foody. He's done this I don't know how many times - think Grand Soir and Absolue Pour Le Soir as just two examples of many. Does he have a food fetish? Is he one of those people that considers food for enjoyment to be the deadly sin of gluttony? Seriously, a good friend or family member of his - if you're reading this - please check-in with him to make sure he isn't diabetic. His dark and brooding fragrances (or whatever description should be used on that end of the emotional spectrum) give me this hilarious image of him skulking away to some dark, dusty, out-of-sight corner of his home and stuffing his face with sweets, growling and purring like a beast trying to gobble up tasty treasures before anyone notices. Anyway, onto Eau Noire, which to my mind is misnamed: I think this should've been called Eau Violet or maybe Eau Pourpre. I instantly and easily see a dark royal purple whenever I smell this perfume. I'm sure Noire markets better. First minutes after application on skin I get a beautiful mélange of herbs and lavender. The lavender, in particular, is gorgeous, leaning into lavender's floral side rather than its herbal side. These dry down quite quickly to - guess what?! - an anisic or fenugreek accord, and vanilla! Ding ding ding! Put some points on the board for me, I was right, Captain Kurk is letting us witness his food fetish again! Give him some points for stylistic consistency and predictability too, I guess. However, unlike most of his other dark food-fetishistic perfumes, this one is actually fairly dry instead of obviously sweet, relatively speaking. What sweetness there is seems to come from the anisic/fenugreek accord, which actually makes me think it's more fenugreek - like the root bulb of the fennel plant, fresh and juicy with water and plant sugars, has been cut open before my nose. Some are saying this accord is immortelle; tomato, toe-mah-toe, but to me it's not immortelle since it has that sweetness that you don't get from the leaves of helichrysum. The vanilla is really quite dry and extremely, tastefully, marvelously smooth, evocating dried vanilla bean rather than a vanilla extract for baking. As the perfume continues to dry down, soft spoken and very smooth cedar and leather have more stage presence. They are so quiet and so smooth they are almost like whisps or shadows of cedar and leather. Circling back to the beginning of my commentary, just for a moment: after a couple of hours with this perfume you also get confirmation of one of Captain Kurk's mandates from Dior/LVMH with the re-reformulation, which is to stretch the materials as long and far as they can go. For an EdP the longevity, projection, and sillage are so understated you could say the performance is disappointing. I love an understated, calm, and quiet perfume just as much as anyone, but this version of Eau Noire - like most of Kurkdjian's own fragrances from his namesake brand - seems to be quiet and understated for the sake of using as little of the expensive olfactive materials as possible in order to increase profit margins, rather than underutilization for stylistic effect. One could argue that Black Water is meant to be like water, and therefore shouldn't have much strength or performance, but honestly that argument feels like a cop-out with what this perfume could do while still staying on message. This personal preference aside, and it is just a personal preference as I'm sure many people will validly disagree with me, it's a gorgeous perfume. It really is. Warm and inviting, yet a bit standoff-ish, preferring the warm glow of candlelight at night to the sunshine of the day. Though I might be a bit let down by the overall performance, I want to keep spraying it and spraying it and spraying it all over myself until I can't take any more - just like Captain Kurk in his dark corner where he indulges his shameful fetish for desserts.

I wish I could smell this since I love licorice but of course my local Dior store has all of their prive fragrances except this one!

This fragrance reeks of tumeric and curry! but it has monster performance to be honest

I have the green juice and the re-released version. my south Asian people will know when I say, spice bazaar. but a certain part of the bazaar which you'll find all the paan shops. anyone wondering what paan is. you'll see on tiktok with that silly trend of lighting up that green leaf and then shoving it in your mouth.

This is a coffee fragrance, hence the name- why do you think it’s called black water after all? It’s like smelling an empty cup of Coffee sweetened with maple syrup and brightened with a bit of anis/licorice. The coffee reminds of the same note as in Valentino Uomo, the roasted-ness of it is similar without being too overt It’s good. Some people will like it, some won’t, but that’s the nature of things in general. One of my favorite fragrances with a more apparent coffee note.

For me this is revolting. How this has a 4 star rating I will never know. The best way I can describe it is as a beef monster munch and curry smoothie.

An opening that reminds me of Eau Sauvage Parfum, but when I bury my nose on my wrist I get this strong indian herbal smell like from an ayurvedic oil/medicine. No sign of the coffee yet. will update if interest holds till full drawdown. I am wearing Costa Azzurra EDP while I'm testing this and the Costa Azzurra feels like very easy to like in context.

Eau Noire dances in the fougere register, married together with a rich oriental. The result is a harmonious blend that is as lush and succulent as an emerald New Zealand forest, and as thick and mysterious as an oriental bazaar. Clary sage, violet, lavender and cedar ripple over a strumming heart of helichrysum, caraway, leather, bitter coffee and smooth vanilla. Olfactory chiaroscuro is at work here... there are contrasting lights and shadows at play... rich spices and dark woods are stippled with bright, creamy vanilla and tranquilizing lavender. It offers welcoming familiarity with its honeyed warm hues, and also an uncharted greenness which begs to be explored. The juxtaposition of accords is genius, and the overall impact is velvety, comforting and engaging. Eau Noire remains earthy, natural and grounded. It has reasonable sillage and can be detected up to 8 hours after initial application. An absolute triumph.