Fragrance comparison

Basic Black vs Celsius

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 373 ratings analysed

3 wins

Basic Black

Bill Blass

3.86357 votes

Rank #3,431 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

Celsius

The Dua Brand

4.0016 votes

Rank #21,810 VioletLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Basic Black takes 3 of 5 categories.

Basic Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Celsius
Choose it for a violet and leather character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Basic Black3/5

Celsius2/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Basic BlackBill Blass

CelsiusThe Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 357 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 16 votes

Have 67%Had 9%Want 24%

Category winnerBasic BlackRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

37%Love

41%Like

4%Ok

17%Dislike

1%Hate

313 votes

63%Love

13%Like

6%Ok

0%Dislike

19%Hate

16 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityCelsius

SillageCelsius

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value78

¤ Price value67

Category winnerBasic BlackBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

floral77%

powdery69%

aromatic61%

violet100%

leather92%

amber84%

smoky77%

powdery69%

woody61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both amber, woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CarnationYlang-YlangPlumCardamomPeachMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

HoneyCorianderRoseTuberoseVioletJasmine

Base

OakmossPatchouliCivetAmberMuskBenzoinSandalwoodStyrax

Notes

VioletBirchBenzoinHoneysuckleSicilian MandarinStyraxNutmegSandalwoodBergamot

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Violet, Benzoin and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Celsius, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring53

Summer34

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring75

Summer50

Fall100

Winter88

Day64

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex40

Women58

Men85

Unisex15

Women0

Casual 33%Date 28%Party 24%Work 15%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,431

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews71

Overall rank#21,810

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerBasic BlackHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Basic Black by Bill Blass is a spicy, mossy floral chypre with a vintage dressed-up attitude. Reviewers often notice carnation, coriander, oakmoss, musk and honeyed florals, with an opening that can feel sharp, soapy or animalic before it settles. It suits people who enjoy bold 80s and early 90s style perfumes, powder…

Reviews →

Celsius by The Dua Brand revives the unapologetic grit of early nineties masculine perfumery. The opening hits with a sharp collision of tart Sicilian mandarin, violet leaf, and an unmistakable rush of mineral petrol fuel. That famous industrial bite does not apologize. Within twenty minutes, the initial solvent sting…

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.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Basic Black or Celsius?

Basic Black takes 3 of 5 categories. Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes; Celsius is rated 4.00/5 from 16 votes. Choose Basic Black for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Celsius for a violet and leather character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Basic Black or Celsius?

Celsius lasts longest (Celsius 75/100, Basic Black 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Basic Black or Celsius?

Celsius projects furthest (Celsius 67/100, Basic Black 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Basic Black and Celsius smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Violet, Benzoin and Sandalwood.

Is Basic Black or Celsius better for summer or winter?

Celsius suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Basic Black and Celsius?

Basic Black has top notes of Carnation, Ylang-Ylang, Plum and Cardamom, heart notes of Honey, Coriander, Rose and Tuberose, a base of Oakmoss, Patchouli, Civet and Amber. Celsius features Violet, Birch, Benzoin, Honeysuckle and Sicilian Mandarin.