Fragrance comparison

Basic Black vs Promen 104

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 358 ratings analysed

Basic Black

Bill Blass

3.86357 votes

Rank #3,742 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

48%scent match

Some overlap

Promen 104

Parli Parfum

2.001 votes

Rank #79,652 AmberCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1.

Basic Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Promen 104
Choose it for a amber and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection.

Basic Black1/2

Promen 1041/2

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Promen 104
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

Promen 104Parli Parfum

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 357 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

2.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%

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

100%Dislike

0%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

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hate25

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillagePromen 104

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%

amber100%

citrus88%

woody77%

aromatic65%

powdery53%

violet42%

Scent match48%Some overlap · both amber, woody and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CarnationYlang-YlangPlumCardamomPeachMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

HoneyCorianderRoseTuberoseVioletJasmine

Base

OakmossPatchouliCivetAmberMuskBenzoinSandalwoodStyrax

Top

LemonMandarin Orange

Heart

CedarCorianderViolet

Base

LabdanumAmberStyraxBenzoinLeather

InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange, Coriander, Violet and Amber. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, 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#3,742

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews71

Overall rank#79,652

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 →

Promen 104 opens with a brisk, synthetic burst of lemon and mandarin orange that hits sharp before calming down. Within fifteen minutes, the citrus peel edge softens into a cool cedar wood core accented by dry coriander and powdery violet leaf. The base relies on heavy amber resins, labdanum, styrax, and benzoin to an…

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 Promen 104?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1. Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes; Promen 104 is rated 2.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Basic Black for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Promen 104 for a amber and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection.

Which projects more, Basic Black or Promen 104?

Promen 104 projects furthest (Promen 104 100/100, Basic Black 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Basic Black and Promen 104 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 48% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange, Coriander, Violet and Amber.

What are the notes in Basic Black and Promen 104?

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. Promen 104 has top notes of Lemon and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Cedar, Coriander and Violet, a base of Labdanum, Amber, Styrax and Benzoin.