Kenneth Cole Black for Men

Kenneth Cole Black is a fucking liar. Look at the name. Look at the bottle. Look at the packaging. BLACK. And I love that it lied to me. I've never been more grateful for such barefaced lies. Before I'd ever smelt this, everything about it made me assume I was getting some dark, musky, amber-heavy nighttime fragrance. Something moody, warm, and probably not particularly "me". Then I sprayed it; "oh, shit. This is fucking lovely!". Black opens surprisingly bright, fresh, and clean. There's citrus there, but what I remember most is this gorgeous clean-laundry, powdery, floral quality. And yes, that's clean laundry, powdery goodness. Not laundry powder. There's a comma there doing some very important work. Interestingly, Fragrantica doesn't list powdery among its main accords at all, but I absolutely remember it. That's one of the strongest things my memory associates with this fragrance. There's also a softness and floral sweetness to Black that pushes it ever so slightly towards the feminine side to my nose, but never enough that I'd actually describe it as a unisex fragrance. It's not sugary sweetness, either. No brown sugar and vanilla attacking the back of your throat like the girls who bathe in Bath & Body Works spray mists. Think more "warm meadow" than "desserts on date night". As the hours go by, it warms up and gets deeper. The initial citrusy freshness gradually retreats, the aromatic character becomes more prominent, and the whole fragrance seems to gain a little more weight and masculinity. I've previously reviewed CK Be, and there are definitely some similarities between the two to my nose, particularly in that clean, floral, slightly powdery territory. But they're different fragrances, and Black is noticeably deeper and more masculine. There's also one other rather significant difference - Kenneth Cole Black actually sticks around. I remember the longevity being VERY good. Issey Miyake territory. Projection wasn't enormous, but it didn't need to be. It was noticeable without announcing my arrival five minutes before I walked through the door. And perhaps that's why I'd describe the sexiness of Black as understated. This fragrance has quiet swagger. It doesn't smell like somebody desperately trying to attract attention. It smells like somebody who's accustomed to receiving it anyway. Kenneth Cole Black smells like spotlight syndrome. It smells like "I'm that bredda". It smells like "the boys wanna be me, the girls wanna be with me". And apparently the girls agreed. I had this in Jamaica in 2015 after my employer gave me a gift set containing the fragrance, moisturiser, and deodorant stick for Christmas. I hadn't chosen it myself and, based purely on the name and presentation, probably wouldn't have expected to like it anywhere near as much as I did. I definitely wouldn't have bought it for myself, based on the name and bottle, so I'm eternally grateful for the gift. Women LOVED this stuff on me. I used to go to a lot of social events at the time, and Jamaican uptown society is generally very "huggy", so you were constantly greeting people physically. Black regularly got compliments from women. One colleague's reaction has stayed with me: "Lawd, William, yuh smell sweeeet! No sah, dah one deh a real panty droppa!" And for clarity, "sweet" in that context means NICE. She wasn't saying I smelt like sugared almonds. Now, I don't wear fragrances to get compliments. I've owned fragrances that women apparently loved on me but that I personally couldn't stand. Yes, Versace: The Dreamer, I'm looking directly at you. But let's not pretend compliments aren't nice. And Black had the perfect combination: other people seemed to love how it smelled on me, and I already knew I smelled fucking fantastic before they told me. The compliment wasn't, "oh, I smell nice?", it was, "yeah, I do smell nice. I know I do. I knew before I came here that I did, but thanks for confirming it". And that's probably the best way I can describe the personality of Kenneth Cole Black. It's also one of the best "utility" fragrances I've ever owned. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Day, night. Job interview, date night, popping to the supermarket, or staying in watching a movie with wifey. White shirt, black shirt, T-shirt. Trousers, jeans, shorts. City, beach. I wouldn't necessarily put it on someone under 21, but it doesn't smell "old", either. There's an unusually broad "everyone, anytime, anywhere" quality to it. I'd personally wear it formally, too. I know there are people who seem to believe that attending a black-tie event requires you to immediately reach for the darkest oud, amber, or musky fragrance you own, lest you be struck down by the Fragrance Gods for wearing something insufficiently "moody". Those people are pretentious cunts. And I don't particularly care what the Fragrance "Gods" think - they're just people. I believe in THE God. And He gave us free will... So I'm wearing Kenneth Cole Black to any event I like. Cheers. Ultimately, this is one of those rare fragrances that seems to manage almost everything without becoming predictable in the process. It's fresh without being beachy, floral without becoming feminine, sweet without becoming sugary, sexy without being loud, and versatile without becoming generic. If I had to own ONE fragrance to cover as many situations as possible, Kenneth Cole Black would be a very serious contender. It's a Swiss Army Knife fragrance. I've just bought another bottle. That probably tells you everything you need to know. EDIT: Interestingly, other reviews seem pretty divided on the performance, with some calling it "moderate" or even "weak". That absolutely wasn't my experience. My bottle lasted extremely well on me; I'd put the longevity up there with L'Eau d'Issey, although the projection itself was much more restrained. And it's so interesting that someone else praised its versatility. I think that's probably the main strength of this fragrance. It truly is a little bit of a slut (anytime, anywhere, anyhow).

This was really part of my senior entrance into learning about fragrances. I believe my only previous fragrances was Nautica. I don't know how I feel about this fragrance. It doesn't last for incredibly long on my skin, scent and sillage are pretty weak as well. This scent doesn't strike me as a daytime scent, I would rank it more as a night time, warm-weather scent.

it’s not bad, but the sample that I got had way too much, probably black pepper, hence the name Kenneth Cole Black, I guess. Well it did have a little bit of a dark vibe, it was still a bit more of a fresh one, so don’t expect anything too dark to go with the black name.

This is growing on me pretty quickly. It's an interesting open of mint, basil, and ginger. The heart is incensy floral. The base is musky suede. It's simple, but also a confidently masculine most weather, most situation style fragrance.

This fragrance was a wild ride, you could call this a rollercoaster even. Extremely short but at its peak violently intense. Be me, wow I haven’t used this bottle in a while I’ll give this a shot. Oh nice! This basil note is really well spoken paired with the citrus minty blend! This is GREAT, I’ll wear this all summer. I will not be wearing this all summer. Thirty minutes pass. HOT. Drop you in the middle of the spice factory hot. Consider this the violent intense part of the ride, the amount of peppery notes hitting my nose at any given moment was borderline aggravating. If you like a very green, very sharp, spicy smelling dry down this could be a good pick for you. This to my nose, aside from first spray, doesn’t smell very fresh, very green spicy, not very fresh spicy. I could see myself wearing this in the fall and spring when it isn’t quite so hot temperature wise. But as far as the summer goes it almost seems inappropriate to wear such a “heat” emanating smell during peak high temperatures. At the very end of its life I do get quite a few of the woody notes in it in a very soft nice expression but the sillage is so small at the point those show up I fear it won’t express itself well.

It seems like I’ve always had a bottle of this in my collection since it came out. This and Armani code were my go-tos in the early 2000s. This one still stands up. I get moderate longevity and silage. You can wear it anytime, day or night. Young or old.

Smells great but lasts minutes with negligible projection. Don't pay more than $15 for this, and do 10 sprays minimum.

I don’t understand this one. When it hits my skin, I love the smell. I feel like it projects pretty strong. And yet, I never have received one compliment on this one. Ever. I love it, but nobody notices it. And it’s not like it smells like everything else. So I just keep wearing it, once in a while, because I like it.

Completely agree that this should be called 'Green' and not 'Black'. Lackluster performance, well-blended Basil takes the spotlight, pleasant everyday cheap Aromatic for Spring and could work in the Summer, keeps a profile that is still relevant even though a few years ago it could have been replaced by a few body washes. Clear juice so no dyes.

very citrus that smells cheap, not wortj 30+ dollars plus the bottle is hella small, 4/10

There's like pepper on it, casual to formal scent. Reapplies needed by late afternoon.

Manly, nice scent. But performance is non exist.

This is a timeless classic , even though the black bottle and the black name on it doesn’t represent the masculine or hard fragrance as expected, it’s bright citrusy, smocky, Clean fresh safe crowd pleaser, Very warm,refreshing and kind of uplifting scent and Good for all occasions and seasons, it’s a safe to start a fragrance journey with, something pleasing, affordable, and not complicated.

This smells extremely similar to CH 212 Men. This has a bit more of a citrus bite, but the violet is almost identical...which makes this fragrance identical to CK MAN.

Based on the current competition, I do not recommend this perfume. It smells great but Club de nuit intense man smells better and it also projects and lasts more. So get CDNIM instead.

An excellent value, if you enjoy sharp, linear, citrus fragrances. If you get headaches from frags this will trigger you without a doubt

Excellent vibes here. Forget about how it smells to you initially. What's important is the vibe you have while wearing it. Sleeper frag here. Average longevity and great price. Women love it.

My signature scent before I got into collecting. I owned this and the bold version, both served me well. If there were a niche or higher quality version of this scent I would buy it in an instant. Is this a 5 star scent? Nope, but to me it is and yes thats the nostalgia talking but I don't care, this will forever be a love for me. Longevity is around 4 hours and projection is mid at best, but you can get it for like 20 bucks at a rack store.

This one is the definition of people's taste in fragrances being purely objective. I find nothing about Kenneth Cole Black pleasing in any way. I get a blast of synthetic basil and this odd dark slightly sweet incense note. Its pretty hard to define this or categorize it. I smell sort of a fragrant peppery note and what pops in my head after smelling this is "black pen ink in a bottle."

This thing has great projection, has noticeable orange, mint and basil opening. It is not sharp. It has a great aquatic and fresh feeling and remains that way for quite a bit. I have a 5th bottle of it so this will come to use even if you have lots of fragrances. You will not go wrong because nobody hates a fresh smelling man, no offensive or loud notes. Most useful fragrance in my collection.

a great fragrance I used in my twenties.

This should be called Kenneth Cole Green, not Black. The leafy, grassy green notes in this are strong. If you were around during the early 2000's, you know this style: green and citrus-dominant with dry spicy and woody notes underneath. This smells crisp and CLEAN. Who cares if this is a mainstream fragrance? It's not like people near you are going to think, "Ugh, that guy smells so generic and boring". No, they will think, "Wow, that guy smells really good". Thanks to the use of synthetics, the orange, basil and violet leaf notes last for hours. This one's definitely a mood lifter, and a dumb reach scent that works for any occasion, any time of year. Longevity is excellent at about 12 hours for me, and projection is moderate, which is perfect for this kind of scent. This is awesome!

For some reason, this seemed very peppery to my nose. Quickly, it turns into a smoky, spicy profile reminiscent of burnt wood. Unfortunately, the composition feels synthetic and unbalanced, lacking the depth or nuance needed to pull off such bold notes. Hey, at least it's not freakin' Pyroligneous acid. -_- This is a harsh and abrasive perfume, in my opinion. Not particularly pleasant.

I've read some reviews by esteemed noses in which this fragrance is considered a "black sheep" of the Kenneth Cole range (at the time) and a sort of "proto-Bleu de Chanel" idea that took the world by storm. Although hindsight is 20/20, and bearing in mind that it's easier to criticize the critics than to proffer an original thought, I still have to say that I really don't smell any of that here. Black smells to me like the brief read: "Cool Water, except ozonic instead of aquatic." From there, Harry Fremont and Sabrine De Tscharner built a postmodern fougère around a familiar and time-tested accord consisting of little more than synthetic flutters of lavender, mint, and geranium around a massive green apple note, buttressed with some woody ambers and a hint of artemisia in the base. I'm fairly certain Steve DeMercado tweaked the proportions of this idea even further for Guess Man three years later by further amping the citrus on top and the artemisia in the base. Smells good, lasts forever, and gets the job done. But by no means original or all that interesting. I understand now why Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez ignored it in The Guide -- it was just another Cool Water imitator, and they only had so much time to cover those. (They really should've reviewed it anyway.)

This scent is excellent for someone who loves fresh, citrusy and green perfumes. It's so interesting and bright, definitely one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, it doesn't last longer than 2 hours. The silage is fine, but it fades so quickly and doesn't even leave its base notes. Definitely not the pick if you prefer a scent that lasts all day. Still, I love the smell so much that I just apply it before bed or first thing in the morning for a pick-me-up. Price is decent, especially if you find it on sale at Walmart.

Found it laying around and as i thought, the accords in fragrantica isn't quite right. This at best smells floral and im barely getting any hints of citrus or aquatic in the notes, it's more on the feminine side and i dislike and not a fan of floral like scents generally. Longevity-wise, i can barely smell it, and I just sprayed it on (could be my nose going blind). I can only smell very slight green when it's on my skin but it's still very floral. 3/10, Would highly not recommend. If you want something aquatic and green, just get the Nautica Voyage.

Timeless classic. Had this back in 2005, and honestly made me switch from Tommy. Great green freshly with a more "mature" approach l to a fresh green, but still playful enough for anyone to pull off. This is a step up from Tommy, and a step closer to Aqua di gio. And it's dirt cheap these days.

I hate it. It was a cheapie blind buy for $14.99 at Ross. So I pulled up Fragrantica to read the notes/description and mistakenly thought this would be aquatic, fresh, green, citrus, woody… NOPE. At least it isn’t on me. Best I can describe is a sharp soapy white floral that smells very feminine (I’m female but prefer unisex or “men’s” scents) but this smells like gross sharp white floral ladies perfume. I hate it. I got in the car and sprayed on single spray on the back of my hand. An hour and COUNTLESS hand washes later, I CAN STILL SMELL IT. So I guess that in and of itself is a positive if you like the scent, which I very clearly do not. But if this wears nicely on you, then you’ll be delighted to know that after vigorous scrubbing with a wet wipe and copious handwashing immediately thereafter—you’ll still smell like it. I am not sensitive to scents typically (unless they’re super confection-like or powdery—*vomits*) but this one is giving me a migraine. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. If you live in Southern California and you like this, lemme know and I’ll happily gift it to you. Just promise not to spray it until I’m out of the line of fire. For reference—I LOVE bright citrus/bergamot, woody, earthy scents. Aventus, Le Labo Bergamote22, Commodity Moss+, Cool Water (don’t judge), Spicebomb Nightvision, Versace Eros Energy, Aqua DiGio Profundo, LV Pacific Chill, LV Afternoon Swim.

it smells like baby wipes i dont like it

I own a significant amount of fragrances, admittedly to many, I bought this from a local store as a holiday gift set, and I must say that this may be my favorite dumb reach I’ve ever bought. It’s fresh, it’s green, it’s slightly soapy, and on my skin the longevity for this cheapie is impressive and it doesn’t smell cheap, and will smell better than most guys around you that aren’t wearing anything. For the age of this release the smell is modern, and it keeps me smelling my hand to get a closer sniff. The ginger, the mint and the touch of orange sweetness gives this such a brilliant opening, who cares if it’s synthetic, it’s supposed to be it’s 20 bucks, but the smell is perfect for the price and that’s all that matters. Blind by safe obviously give it a go you won’t be disappointed if you are looking for a fresh, soapy, slight woody, easy wear, easy reach