LayerLab

Layering matches for

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

Every fragrance in the catalogue is evaluated against this one on its own merits. Each answer is a trajectory over a wear day, not a single score, because two sprays are two films on skin with different evaporation curves rather than one blend.

Recommended

Both fragrances stay present through the day, something in the pair actively works, and no material is pushed far enough past its dose threshold to damage the blend. Any threshold that is crossed at all is still listed on the card.

Le Labo

Santal 33

Recommended
  • amber-woods and musk extend each other into one continuous skin base
  • musk and orris both sit close to skin and share the same register
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Le Labo Santal 33

Ratio: 1 spray each. Neither is loud enough to need holding back.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet roasted-bitter skin-musk (flipped)
  2. 1 hour Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet skin-musk (flipped) roasted-bitter
  3. 3 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet skin-musk (flipped) creamy-wood
  4. 6 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet skin-musk (flipped) creamy-wood

Dose thresholds crossed

  • galaxolide — caused by layering. Combined load 0.8 against a threshold of 0.65. Above this it reads laundry-detergent flatness that deadens the blend.

Shared materials: galaxolide.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Tom Ford

Oud Wood

Recommended
  • amber-woods and musk extend each other into one continuous skin base
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Tom Ford Oud Wood

Ratio: 1 spray each. Neither is loud enough to need holding back.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) dry-amberwood roasted-bitter creamy-wood
  2. 1 hour Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) dry-amberwood roasted-bitter creamy-wood
  3. 3 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) dry-amberwood creamy-wood roasted-bitter
  4. 6 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) dry-amberwood creamy-wood resin-animalic

Dose thresholds crossed

  • vanillin — made worse by layering. Combined load 1.0 against a threshold of 0.6. Above this it reads flat plasticky sweetness that smothers what is under it.

Shared materials: vanillin.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Glossier

You

Recommended
  • amber-woods and musk extend each other into one continuous skin base
  • musk and orris both sit close to skin and share the same register
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Glossier You

Ratio: 1 spray each. Neither is loud enough to need holding back.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Glossier You is still readable.

    skin-musk (flipped) vanillic-sweet dry-amberwood (flipped) roasted-bitter
  2. 1 hour Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    skin-musk (flipped) vanillic-sweet dry-amberwood (flipped) roasted-bitter
  3. 3 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    skin-musk (flipped) vanillic-sweet dry-amberwood (flipped) roasted-bitter
  4. 6 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    skin-musk (flipped) vanillic-sweet dry-amberwood (flipped) burnt-sugar

Dose thresholds crossed

  • galaxolide — caused by layering. Combined load 1.0 against a threshold of 0.65. Above this it reads laundry-detergent flatness that deadens the blend.
  • pink pepper — caused by layering. Combined load 0.8 against a threshold of 0.7. Above this it reads dry dusty rasp.
  • cashmeran — caused by layering. Combined load 0.65 against a threshold of 0.6. Above this it reads pine-musk plastic.

Shared materials: pink pepper, galaxolide, cashmeran.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Maison Margiela

Jazz Club

Recommended
  • vanilla rounds cured tobacco instead of competing with it
  • rose and damp earth is the chypre spine
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Maison Margiela Jazz Club

Ratio: 1 spray of Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium to 2 sprays of Maison Margiela Jazz Club.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Maison Margiela Jazz Club is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) roasted-bitter peppery-bite (flipped) narcotic-floral
  2. 1 hour Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Maison Margiela Jazz Club is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) roasted-bitter narcotic-floral skin-musk
  3. 3 hours Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Maison Margiela Jazz Club is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) roasted-bitter skin-musk burnt-sugar
  4. 6 hours Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Maison Margiela Jazz Club is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) skin-musk burnt-sugar earth-damp

Dose thresholds crossed

  • vanillin — made worse by layering. Combined load 1.1 against a threshold of 0.6. Above this it reads flat plasticky sweetness that smothers what is under it.
  • pink pepper — caused by layering. Combined load 0.76 against a threshold of 0.7. Above this it reads dry dusty rasp.

Shared materials: vanillin, pink pepper.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Workable with care

These hold together, but something about them needs watching. The caveat is stated on each.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Baccarat Rouge 540

Workable with care
  • ethyl maltol is pushed past its usual dose here and starts to read cotton-candy syrup, suffocating and inescapable.
  • jasmine absolute is pushed past its usual dose here and starts to read overripe, indolic, airless.
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540

Ratio: 1 spray each. Neither is loud enough to need holding back.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet burnt-sugar (flipped) roasted-bitter
  2. 1 hour Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet burnt-sugar (flipped) roasted-bitter
  3. 3 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet burnt-sugar (flipped) skin-musk (flipped)
  4. 6 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet burnt-sugar (flipped) skin-musk (flipped)

Dose thresholds crossed

  • ethyl maltol — made worse by layering. Combined load 1.05 against a threshold of 0.35. Above this it reads cotton-candy syrup, suffocating and inescapable.
  • jasmine absolute — caused by layering. Combined load 0.65 against a threshold of 0.42. Above this it reads overripe, indolic, airless. Threshold lowered here because indole reads dirtier over a dry amber base than it does over green or citrus.
  • galaxolide — caused by layering. Combined load 0.7 against a threshold of 0.65. Above this it reads laundry-detergent flatness that deadens the blend.

Shared materials: galaxolide, jasmine absolute, ethyl maltol, benzyl salicylate.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Tom Ford

Tobacco Vanille

Workable with care
  • ethyl vanillin is pushed past its usual dose here and starts to read synthetic candy-plastic.
  • ethyl maltol is pushed past its usual dose here and starts to read cotton-candy syrup, suffocating and inescapable.
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

Ratio: 1 spray each. Neither is loud enough to need holding back.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) hay-almond roasted-bitter cured-leaf
  2. 1 hour Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) hay-almond roasted-bitter amber-balsam
  3. 3 hours Both, roughly even

    Both are still contributing in similar measure.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) hay-almond amber-balsam cured-leaf
  4. 6 hours Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

    Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille is ahead but Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) hay-almond amber-balsam burnt-sugar (flipped)

Dose thresholds crossed

  • ethyl vanillin — caused by layering. Combined load 0.75 against a threshold of 0.4. Above this it reads synthetic candy-plastic.
  • ethyl maltol — caused by layering. Combined load 0.55 against a threshold of 0.35. Above this it reads cotton-candy syrup, suffocating and inescapable.
  • vanillin — made worse by layering. Combined load 1.5 against a threshold of 0.6. Above this it reads flat plasticky sweetness that smothers what is under it.

Shared materials: vanillin, ethyl vanillin, ethyl maltol.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Yves Saint Laurent

Libre

Workable with care
  • jasmine absolute is pushed past its usual dose here and starts to read overripe, indolic, airless.
  • ethyl vanillin is pushed past its usual dose here and starts to read synthetic candy-plastic.
  • amber-woods bury a citrus opening within the first hour, so the citrus is decoration rather than a layer
  • vanilla smothers herbal transparency rather than blending with it
  • caramelised sweetness flattens dry herbs
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Yves Saint Laurent Libre

Ratio: 1 spray each. Neither is loud enough to need holding back.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Both, roughly even

    Both openings are still present and roughly balanced.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) narcotic-floral (flipped) roasted-bitter dry-amberwood
  2. 1 hour Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Yves Saint Laurent Libre is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) narcotic-floral (flipped) dry-amberwood skin-musk (flipped)
  3. 3 hours Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Yves Saint Laurent Libre is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) skin-musk (flipped) narcotic-floral (flipped) dry-amberwood
  4. 6 hours Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Yves Saint Laurent Libre is still readable.

    vanillic-sweet (flipped) skin-musk (flipped) dry-amberwood narcotic-floral (flipped)

Dose thresholds crossed

  • jasmine absolute — caused by layering. Combined load 0.75 against a threshold of 0.42. Above this it reads overripe, indolic, airless. Threshold lowered here because indole reads dirtier over a dry amber base than it does over green or citrus.
  • ethyl vanillin — caused by layering. Combined load 0.6 against a threshold of 0.4. Above this it reads synthetic candy-plastic.
  • vanillin — made worse by layering. Combined load 1.2 against a threshold of 0.6. Above this it reads flat plasticky sweetness that smothers what is under it.
  • orange blossom absolute — made worse by layering. Combined load 0.9 against a threshold of 0.455. Above this it reads soapy-indolic, heavy. Threshold lowered here because indole reads dirtier over a dry amber base than it does over green or citrus.
  • galaxolide — caused by layering. Combined load 0.85 against a threshold of 0.65. Above this it reads laundry-detergent flatness that deadens the blend.

Shared materials: vanillin, ethyl vanillin, galaxolide, orange blossom absolute, jasmine absolute, cashmeran.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Chanel

Bleu de Chanel

Workable with care
  • amber-woods bury a citrus opening within the first hour, so the citrus is decoration rather than a layer
Spray first Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Spray second Chanel Bleu de Chanel

Ratio: 1 spray of Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium to 2 sprays of Chanel Bleu de Chanel.

How it moves over the day

  1. 10 minutes Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Chanel Bleu de Chanel is still readable.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet roasted-bitter skin-musk (flipped)
  2. 1 hour Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Chanel Bleu de Chanel is still readable.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet roasted-bitter skin-musk (flipped)
  3. 3 hours Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Chanel Bleu de Chanel is still readable.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet skin-musk (flipped) roasted-bitter
  4. 6 hours Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium

    Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is ahead but Chanel Bleu de Chanel is still readable.

    dry-amberwood vanillic-sweet skin-musk (flipped) burnt-sugar

Dose thresholds crossed

  • galaxolide — caused by layering. Combined load 0.7 against a threshold of 0.65. Above this it reads laundry-detergent flatness that deadens the blend.

Shared materials: galaxolide.

Based on material values interpolated from material class. Treat as indicative.

Not recommended

Listed with the reason, because a rejection you cannot inspect is indistinguishable from a bug.