Black
Black by Kenneth Cole is a masculine-leaning eau de toilette from 2003 in the budget price tier. It opens with bergamot, lemon and cardamom, moves into lavender, sage and geranium and dries down to cedarwood, musk and amber. Expect around 6 hours of wear, and it projects at a moderate level.
Notes, explained
Opening
- Bergamot Sharp citrus with a faint bitter edge. The opening of about half of all men's fragrances.
- Lemon Clean, sour, instantly recognisable. Bright but burns off fast.
- Cardamom Cool, aromatic spice with a eucalyptus lift. Smells expensive.
Heart
- Lavender Herbal, clean, slightly medicinal. Barbershop in one note.
- Sage Dry, herbal and slightly bitter. Adds a grown-up, aromatic edge.
- Geranium Rosy and minty at once. Reads masculine more often than not.
Dry-down
- Cedarwood Dry, pencil-shaving woodiness. Clean and structural.
- Musk Warm, skin-like and slightly sweet. Makes a fragrance feel like you.
- Amber Warm, golden and resinous. Not a real material — a blend that glows.
Smells like this
- Nautica Nautica Classic
- Adidas Dynamic Pulse
- Argos Pour Homme
- Al Haramain Amber Oud Carbon Edition
- Hollister Wave
- Kenneth Cole Reaction
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