Black Onyx
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Black cherry syrup slashed with raspberry tartness hits first, but there's an immediate bitterness—almost like cherry kernels crushed into the juice. The bergamot brings a resinous, slightly medicinal quality that stops this from reading as straightforward fruit cordial, creating an edgy, metallic sweetness.
The praline thickens into burnt caramel as jasmine sambac unleashes its full indolic fury, that "spoilage" note reading like fermented florals and overripe fruit skin left in humidity. Heliotrope adds an almond-marzipan plasticity whilst the damask rose struggles to maintain elegance, its petals already browning and curling at the edges.
Palo santo and gaiac wood create a smoky, almost camphoraceous backdrop that finally tames the sweetness, whilst vetiver's earthy-citric bite adds an unexpected freshness. The tonka-Peru balsam combination settles into a creamy, vanilla-touched warmth with patchouli's dark chocolate facets, ambrettolide making everything feel like it's been worn against skin for hours.
Black Onyx is Philippine Courtière's study in controlled decay, where fruit morphs into something darker and infinitely more compelling. The opening cherry-raspberry duo refuses to play nice—there's a bitter almond whisper lurking beneath the sweet flesh, whilst the bergamot adds a resinous edge that prevents any descent into syrupy predictability. What makes this fragrance genuinely unsettling is that "spoilage" note in the heart, which reads like overripe jasmine sambac left too long in a vase, its indolic funk amplified by heliotrope's Play-Doh plasticity and praline's burnt sugar. The damask rose tries to maintain decorum but gets dragged into the fray, petals browning at the edges.
This is a gourmand for people who find most gourmands insufferably one-note. The base is where Courtière reveals her hand: palo santo and gaiac create a medicinal, almost mentholated smokiness that cuts straight through the sweetness, whilst the Haitian vetiver adds its characteristic citrus-tinged earthiness. Ambrettolide provides a skin-like warmth that makes the Peru balsam's vanilla-cinnamon richness feel lived-in rather than confected. The patchouli and tonka don't so much ground the composition as drag it into shadowy territory—think velvet curtains in a theatre that's seen better decades.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.8/5 (89)