Fragrance comparison

Basic Black vs First Lady

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

Updated 31 Oct 2026 358 ratings analysed

1 wins

Basic Black

Bill Blass

3.86357 votes

Rank #3,606 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

First Lady

The Dua Brand

1.001 votes

Rank #76,928 Warm SpicySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Basic Black takes 1 of 1 categories.

Basic Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
First Lady
Choose it for a warm spicy and sweet character.

Basic Black1/1

First Lady0/1

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Not scored
Value for money: Not scored
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

First LadyThe Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 357 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

1.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 60%Had 20%Want 20%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

0%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

100%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate0

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value78

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

floral77%

powdery69%

aromatic61%

warm spicy100%

sweet92%

fruity84%

powdery77%

woody69%

amber61%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both warm spicy, 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

Virginian CedarAmalfi LemonYlang-YlangSandalwoodTonka BeanCarnationPineappleBergamotCardamomVanillaBenzoinJasmine

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesCarnation, Ylang-Ylang, Cardamom and Bergamot. Durations are only published for First Lady, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring53

Summer34

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex40

Women58

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,606

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews71

Overall rank#76,928

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

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 →

First Lady by The Dua Brand is an amber floral fragrance for women that pairs ripe orchard fruits with rich spices and flowers. The scent introduces luscious apricot, peach, and plum lifted by bright Amalfi lemon and a prickly dash of paprika and cardamom. As the fragrance settles, powdery iris, carnation, rose, and j…

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, Basic Black or First Lady?

Basic Black takes 1 of 1 categories. Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes; First Lady is rated 1.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Basic Black for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose First Lady for a warm spicy and sweet character.

Do Basic Black and First Lady smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Carnation, Ylang-Ylang, Cardamom and Bergamot.

What are the notes in Basic Black and First Lady?

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. First Lady features Virginian Cedar, Amalfi Lemon, Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood and Tonka Bean.