Fragrance comparison

Basic Black vs Venetian Belladonna

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

Updated 8 Nov 2026 471 ratings analysed

4 wins

Basic Black

Bill Blass

3.86357 votes

Rank #3,673 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

Venetian Belladonna

Parfums Quartana

3.85114 votes

Rank #12,523 FloralWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Basic Black takes 4 of 7 categories.

Basic Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter.
Venetian Belladonna
Choose it for a floral and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Basic Black4/7

Venetian Belladonna3/7

Ratings & consensus: Basic Black
Community sentiment: Basic Black
Longevity: Venetian Belladonna
Sillage & projection: Venetian Belladonna
Value for money: Basic Black
Versatility: Venetian Belladonna
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

Venetian BelladonnaParfums Quartana

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 357 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

3.85/ 5 · 114 votes

Have 29%Had 8%Want 63%

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

34%Love

36%Like

12%Ok

16%Dislike

2%Hate

114 votes

Category winnerBasic BlackMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityVenetian Belladonna

SillageVenetian Belladonna

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value78

¤ Price value44

Category winnerBasic BlackBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

floral77%

powdery69%

aromatic61%

floral100%

woody92%

powdery84%

sweet77%

violet69%

fruity61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both woody, floral 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

ChampacaVioletTuberoseSuedePlumStyraxCassisCognacHoneyIris FlowerAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Beeswax

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesPlum, Honey, Tuberose and Violet. Durations are only published for Venetian Belladonna, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring53

Summer34

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring79

Summer51

Fall100

Winter56

Day100

Night95

Category winnerVenetian BelladonnaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex40

Women58

Men0

Unisex11

Women89

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,673

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews71

Overall rank#12,523

PerfumerPierre-Constantin Guéros

Launched—

Reviews29

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 →

Venetian Belladonna by Parfums Quartana is an intense floral fruity fragrance that leans heavily into dark, powdery sweetness and woody resins. Created by perfumer Pierre-Constantin Guéros, it centers on an assertive violet note mixed with boozy cognac, tart cassis, and dark plum. As it settles, creamy tuberose and go…

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 Venetian Belladonna?

Basic Black takes 4 of 7 categories. Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes; Venetian Belladonna is rated 3.85/5 from 114 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 Venetian Belladonna for a floral and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Basic Black or Venetian Belladonna?

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

Which projects more, Basic Black or Venetian Belladonna?

Projection is very close: Venetian Belladonna 64/100, Basic Black 62/100 for sillage.

Do Basic Black and Venetian Belladonna smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, floral and powdery accords. Common notes include Plum, Honey, Tuberose and Violet.

Is Basic Black or Venetian Belladonna better for summer or winter?

For summer, Venetian Belladonna is the stronger pick. For winter, Basic Black is the stronger pick. Venetian Belladonna suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Basic Black and Venetian Belladonna?

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. Venetian Belladonna features Champaca, Violet, Tuberose, Suede and Plum.