Basic Black vs Ella
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
28%scent match
Clearly different
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Basic Black takes 5 of 7 categories.
Basic BlackChoose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.
EllaChoose it for a musky and powdery character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Basic Black5/7
Ella2/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Basic Black
- Community sentiment
- Basic Black
- Longevity
- Ella
- Sillage & projection
- Ella
- Value for money
- Basic Black
- Versatility
- Basic Black
- 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 BlassEllaArquisteWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split3.86/ 5 · 357 votes
Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%
3.61/ 5 · 135 votes
Have 28%Had 11%Want 61%
Category winnerBasic BlackRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate37%Love
41%Like
4%Ok
17%Dislike
1%Hate
313 votes
29%Love
35%Like
7%Ok
26%Dislike
3%Hate
135 votes
Category winnerBasic BlackMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityElla
SillageElla
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerBasic BlackBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothwarm spicy100%
woody92%
amber84%
floral77%
powdery69%
aromatic61%
musky100%
powdery92%
animalic84%
amber77%
white floral69%
smoky61%
Scent match28%Clearly different · both amber and powdery
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
CarnationYlang-YlangPlumCardamomPeachMandarin OrangeBergamot
Heart
HoneyCorianderRoseTuberoseVioletJasmine
Base
OakmossPatchouliCivetAmberMuskBenzoinSandalwoodStyrax
Notes
CivetJasmineSmokeHoneyAngelicaCarrot SeedsAmbergrisVetiverTurkish RosePatchouliCardamom
No top / heart / base split published
InformationalShared notesCardamom, Honey, Rose and Jasmine. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring53
Summer34
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Spring78
Summer0
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Category winnerBasic BlackMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#3,732
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews71
Overall rank#33,992
PerfumerRodrigo Flores-Roux
Launched—
Reviews0
Category winnerBasic BlackHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotBasic 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 →Ella by Arquiste is a Chypre fragrance for women. Ella was launched in 2016. The nose behind this fragrance is Rodrigo Flores-Roux.
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.
Guided comparison
Ask about this matchup
Get a practical answer grounded in the fragrances currently selected.
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Basic Black or Ella?
Basic Black takes 5 of 7 categories. Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes; Ella is rated 3.61/5 from 135 votes. Choose Basic Black for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Ella for a musky and powdery character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Which lasts longer, Basic Black or Ella?
They last about the same: Ella 70/100, Basic Black 69/100 for longevity in community votes.
Which projects more, Basic Black or Ella?
Ella projects furthest (Ella 69/100, Basic Black 62/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Basic Black and Ella smell similar?
Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and powdery accords. Common notes include Cardamom, Honey, Rose and Jasmine.
Is Basic Black or Ella better for summer or winter?
For summer, Basic Black is the stronger pick. For winter, Basic Black is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Basic Black and Ella?
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. Ella features Civet, Jasmine, Smoke, Honey and Angelica.
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