Fragrance comparison

Basic Black vs Tropical Hawaii

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

Updated 7 Nov 2026 368 ratings analysed

Basic Black

Bill Blass

3.86357 votes

Rank #3,659 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

12%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Tropical Hawaii

Camara Perfumes

4.3611 votes

Rank #32,152 White FloralSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Tropical Hawaii takes 4 of 5 categories.

Basic Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Tropical Hawaii
Choose it for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Basic Black1/5

Tropical Hawaii4/5

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

Tropical HawaiiCamara Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 357 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

4.36/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 18%Had 2%Want 81%

Category winnerTropical HawaiiRating 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

64%Love

27%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

9%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity92

〰 Sillage93

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityTropical Hawaii

SillageTropical Hawaii

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value78

¤ Price value98

Category winnerTropical HawaiiBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

floral77%

powdery69%

aromatic61%

white floral100%

sweet92%

coconut84%

vanilla77%

citrus69%

yellow floral61%

Scent match12%Clearly different

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CarnationYlang-YlangPlumCardamomPeachMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

HoneyCorianderRoseTuberoseVioletJasmine

Base

OakmossPatchouliCivetAmberMuskBenzoinSandalwoodStyrax

Top30 to 45 minutes

BergamotPink PepperPistachioCardamom

Heart3 to 5 hours

Ylang-YlangTuberoseJasmineRose

Base8 to 12+ hours

CoconutAmberVanillaTonka BeanBenzoin

InformationalShared notesYlang-Ylang, Cardamom, Bergamot and Rose. Durations are only published for Tropical Hawaii, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring53

Summer34

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring87

Summer100

Fall60

Winter60

Day100

Night75

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex40

Women58

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,659

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews71

Overall rank#32,152

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 →

Tropical Hawaii by Camara Perfumes brings together rich floral notes and sun-drenched gourmand sweetness in an oriental floral profile. The fragrance starts with an energetic burst of bergamot and crisp pink pepper, paired with nutty pistachio and warm cardamom. Soon after, a lush floral heart of tuberose, sunny ylang…

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 Tropical Hawaii?

Tropical Hawaii takes 4 of 5 categories. Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes; Tropical Hawaii is rated 4.36/5 from 11 votes. Choose Basic Black for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Tropical Hawaii for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Basic Black or Tropical Hawaii?

Tropical Hawaii lasts longest (Tropical Hawaii 92/100, Basic Black 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Basic Black or Tropical Hawaii?

Tropical Hawaii projects furthest (Tropical Hawaii 93/100, Basic Black 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Basic Black and Tropical Hawaii smell similar?

Clearly different: a 12% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Ylang-Ylang, Cardamom, Bergamot and Rose.

Is Basic Black or Tropical Hawaii better for summer or winter?

Tropical Hawaii suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Basic Black and Tropical Hawaii?

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. Tropical Hawaii has top notes of Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Pistachio and Cardamom, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Tuberose, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Coconut, Amber, Vanilla and Tonka Bean.