Fragrance comparison

America vs Black Essential Self

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 15 Nov 2026 45 ratings analysed

4 wins

America

Milton Lloyd

4.0824 votes

Rank #39,891 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

58%scent match

Closely related

Black Essential Self

Avon

4.1021 votes

Rank #50,508 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

America takes 4 of 5 categories.

America
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Black Essential Self
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in spring, daytime wear.

America4/5

Black Essential Self1/5

Ratings & consensus: Black Essential Self
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: America
Sillage & projection: America
Value for money: America
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: America

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

AmericaMilton Lloyd

Black Essential SelfAvon

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.08/ 5 · 24 votes

Have 31%Had 47%Want 22%

4.10/ 5 · 21 votes

Have 58%Had 10%Want 32%

Category winnerBlack Essential SelfRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

29%Love

58%Like

4%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

24 votes · too few to score

29%Love

57%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityAmerica

SillageAmerica

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value80

¤ Price value75

Category winnerAmericaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

woody84%

citrus77%

vanilla69%

herbal61%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy88%

woody77%

green65%

earthy53%

herbal42%

Scent match58%Closely related · both aromatic, fresh spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top

CitrusesLavenderSage

Heart

GeraniumHerbal Notes

Base

VanillaCedarPatchouli

Top

CitrusesBasil LeafMint

Heart

TruffleGeraniumSage

Base

VetiverCedarLabdanum

InformationalShared notesCitruses, Sage, Geranium and Cedar. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer75

Fall75

Winter100

Day75

Night100

Spring100

Summer76

Fall82

Winter47

Day100

Night47

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men82

Unisex12

Women6

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#39,891

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#50,508

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerAmericaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Milton Lloyd America opens with a sharp, clean burst of lavender and sage, backed by citrus notes. It quickly shifts from its soapy, herbal beginning into a dry cedar and patchouli core. As the scent settles, a sweet vanilla note warms the woodiness, keeping the base from feeling too dry or clinical. This is a solid, …

Reviews →

Black Essential Self by Avon opens with a sharp burst of crushed mint leaves, fresh basil, and bright citruses. As the top notes settle, a green herbal heart of sage and geranium emerges alongside an earthy truffle note. The dry-down brings clean cedar and earthy vetiver to the skin, creating an accessible aromatic fr…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, America or Black Essential Self?

America takes 4 of 5 categories. America is rated 4.08/5 from 24 votes; Black Essential Self is rated 4.10/5 from 21 votes. Choose America for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Black Essential Self for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, America or Black Essential Self?

They last about the same: America 56/100, Black Essential Self 54/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, America or Black Essential Self?

America projects furthest (America 62/100, Black Essential Self 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do America and Black Essential Self smell similar?

Closely related: a 58% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, fresh spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Citruses, Sage, Geranium and Cedar.

Is America or Black Essential Self better for summer or winter?

America suits evening wear; Black Essential Self suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in America and Black Essential Self?

America has top notes of Citruses, Lavender and Sage, heart notes of Geranium and Herbal Notes, a base of Vanilla, Cedar and Patchouli. Black Essential Self has top notes of Citruses, Basil Leaf and Mint, heart notes of Truffle, Geranium and Sage, a base of Vetiver, Cedar and Labdanum.