Fragrance comparison

Black Essential Intense vs Playboy Vip Blue

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 108 ratings analysed

3 wins

Black Essential Intense

Avon

4.10102 votes

Rank #28,677 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

41%scent match

Some overlap

Playboy Vip Blue

Playboy

4.176 votes

Rank #52,135 MarineAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Essential Intense takes 3 of 4 categories.

Black Essential Intense
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Playboy Vip Blue
Choose it for a marine and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Black Essential Intense3/4

Playboy Vip Blue1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Black Essential Intense
Sillage & projection: Playboy Vip Blue
Value for money: Black Essential Intense
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Black Essential Intense

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Black Essential IntenseAvon

Playboy Vip BluePlayboy

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.10/ 5 · 102 votes

Have 56%Had 19%Want 25%

4.17/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 23%Had 27%Want 50%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

30%Love

53%Like

13%Ok

4%Dislike

0%Hate

102 votes

17%Love

83%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBlack Essential Intense

SillagePlayboy Vip Blue

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value92

¤ Price value71

Category winnerBlack Essential IntenseBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody90%

leather80%

fresh spicy70%

animalic60%

citrus50%

marine100%

aromatic91%

leather83%

citrus74%

woody65%

salty56%

Scent match41%Some overlap · both leather, woody and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Citruses

Heart

LeatherPepperLabdanum

Base

AmberWoodsy NotesFire

Top

Citruses

Heart

Sea Notes

Base

LeatherWoodsy Notes

InformationalShared notesCitruses, Leather and Woodsy Notes. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring51

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring88

Summer100

Fall38

Winter13

Day100

Night25

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men97

Unisex1

Women2

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,677

PerfumerClito Hoedicke

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#52,135

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBlack Essential IntenseHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Black Essential Intense by Avon opens with a brief burst of sharp citruses before plunging into a dark core of rough leather, black pepper, and resinous labdanum. As the top notes fade, a warm foundation of amber, dry woodsy notes, and a distinct smoky fire accord takes over on skin. Created by perfumer Clito Hoedicke…

Reviews →

Playboy Vip Blue opens with an immediate burst of juicy citruses that cuts cleanly through humid morning air. As the initial splash calms, watery sea notes emerge to give the scent its refreshing, salt-rimmed signature. Synthetic woodsy notes and a supple leather accord anchor the base, adding structural weight withou…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Saffron AmberIlluminumRUNNER-UP vs

Septieme Sens (7e Sens)Sonia RykielWINNER

1 person compared this today

Fancy NightsJessica SimpsonRUNNER-UP vs

Nino Cerruti Pour FemmeCerrutiWINNER

3 people compared this today

Sweet DreamsHouse Of SillageWINNER vs

Safari ElixirAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

PrometheuNecalliWINNER vs

Bruno ImperialAnfar LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Black Essential Intense or Playboy Vip Blue?

Black Essential Intense takes 3 of 4 categories. Black Essential Intense is rated 4.10/5 from 102 votes; Playboy Vip Blue is rated 4.17/5 from 6 votes. Choose Black Essential Intense for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Playboy Vip Blue for a marine and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Black Essential Intense or Playboy Vip Blue?

Black Essential Intense lasts longest (Black Essential Intense 67/100, Playboy Vip Blue 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Essential Intense or Playboy Vip Blue?

Playboy Vip Blue projects furthest (Playboy Vip Blue 66/100, Black Essential Intense 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Essential Intense and Playboy Vip Blue smell similar?

Some overlap: a 41% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share leather, woody and citrus accords. Common notes include Citruses, Leather and Woodsy Notes.

Is Black Essential Intense or Playboy Vip Blue better for summer or winter?

Playboy Vip Blue suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Essential Intense and Playboy Vip Blue?

Black Essential Intense has top notes of Citruses, heart notes of Leather, Pepper and Labdanum, a base of Amber, Woodsy Notes and Fire. Playboy Vip Blue has top notes of Citruses, heart notes of Sea Notes, a base of Leather and Woodsy Notes.