Black Amber Eau de Parfum by Agonist

Incense, Prune, Red Algae, Labdanum, Vetiver, Tobacco, Incense, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood.

Black Amber is akin to something Serge Lutens would collaborate with Amouage. It is weird but compelling, yet I'm still undecided due to the price point of this house. At $195.00 for a 50ml. bottle, most of us working stiffs have no choice but to be astute in our choices.

The smoke in Black Aber's opening  is camphorous and the incense provides a mentholated quality at the core of the fragrance. It is evident upon initial application and on me, it is the spirit the remainder of the composition is built upon.

I recently acquired the Agonist line in sample form and decided to begin with Black Amber. I suppose I'm a fan of quite a few orientals, but Black Amber doesn't fit into this genre neatly.

The top accord of Black Amber sets the stage with soft smoke, camphor and subtle earth tones. It's full bodied and wears like a substantial scent. Black Amber may be a misnomer since the gist is mentholated incense morphing into woods, mild patchouli and vanilla.

The extended drydown provides me with a mellow labdanum, but I can't say I'm disappointed in any way that the amber note isn't showcased. My wearings of Black Amber give me the expectation that the rest of the line should be as rich and well executed as this.

My one reservation is the price point, but I have that same concern with any house charging these prices. I can't say I like Black Amber enough to dig into my pocket, but that aside, on its own merit it is a good fragrance.

To sum it up, I can surmise that Black Amber would perform well for all those who gravitate towards smoke and incense dominant fragrances. It does have a twist however, due to the implementation of menthol.

Sillage is acceptable with longevity being approximately 6 hours on my skin. The amber quality does finally emerge, but long into the life of the scent. Thumbs up from Aromi for Agonist's Black Amber. The recommendation to sample first is strong.