Fragrance comparison

Black Suede Essential vs Violet Blonde

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 3,497 ratings analysed

Black Suede Essential

Avon

3.76110 votes

Rank #32,421 LavenderCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

15%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Violet Blonde

Tom Ford

4.043,387 votes

Rank #23,417 IrisPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Violet Blonde takes 5 of 7 categories.

Black Suede Essential
Choose it for a lavender and citrus character. Wins on value for money and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.
Violet Blonde
Choose it for a iris and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Black Suede Essential2/7

Violet Blonde5/7

Ratings & consensus: Violet Blonde
Community sentiment: Violet Blonde
Longevity: Violet Blonde
Sillage & projection: Violet Blonde
Value for money: Black Suede Essential
Versatility: Black Suede Essential
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Violet Blonde

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Black Suede EssentialAvon

Violet BlondeTom Ford

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.76/ 5 · 110 votes

Have 56%Had 27%Want 17%

4.04/ 5 · 3,387 votes

Have 66%Had 34%Want 0%

Category winnerViolet BlondeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

17%Love

57%Like

10%Ok

15%Dislike

0%Hate

110 votes

39%Love

43%Like

2%Ok

16%Dislike

0%Hate

3,387 votes

Category winnerViolet BlondeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity47

〰 Sillage42

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityViolet Blonde

SillageViolet Blonde

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value76

¤ Price value38

Category winnerBlack Suede EssentialBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

lavender100%

citrus90%

leather80%

aromatic70%

musky60%

fresh spicy50%

iris100%

powdery92%

musky84%

woody77%

ozonic69%

earthy61%

Scent match15%Clearly different · both musky

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Mandarin Orange

Heart

Wild Lavender

Base

Suede

Top

Violet LeafPink PepperMandarin Orange

Heart

IrisOrris RootJasmine

Base

SuedeBenzoinMuskVetiverVirginia Cedar

InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange and Suede. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring75

Summer73

Fall100

Winter58

Day92

Night100

Spring96

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerBlack Suede EssentialMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men81

Unisex19

Women0

Men2

Unisex31

Women68

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#32,421

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#23,417

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerViolet BlondeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Avon Black Suede Essential opens with a sharp burst of mandarin orange before settling into aromatic wild lavender and a soft suede base. The scent feels clean and simple, keeping a light citrus sparkle over a calm herbal core. As the top notes fade, the suede accord creates a quiet leather texture that stays close to…

Reviews →

Tom Ford Violet Blonde opens with a sharp, peppery crunch of violet leaf and pink pepper. Unlike typical sweet, candy-like violet scents, this composition quickly develops a dry, makeup-like texture on skin as Tuscan iris absolute and rich orris butter take command. The drydown feels expensive, shifting into a warm sk…

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.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Black Suede Essential or Violet Blonde?

Violet Blonde takes 5 of 7 categories. Black Suede Essential is rated 3.76/5 from 110 votes; Violet Blonde is rated 4.04/5 from 3,387 votes. Choose Black Suede Essential for a lavender and citrus character. Wins on value for money and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Violet Blonde for a iris and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Black Suede Essential or Violet Blonde?

Violet Blonde lasts longest (Violet Blonde 71/100, Black Suede Essential 47/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Suede Essential or Violet Blonde?

Violet Blonde projects furthest (Violet Blonde 64/100, Black Suede Essential 42/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Suede Essential and Violet Blonde smell similar?

Clearly different: a 15% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange and Suede.

Is Black Suede Essential or Violet Blonde better for summer or winter?

For summer, Black Suede Essential is the stronger pick. For winter, Violet Blonde is the stronger pick. Black Suede Essential suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Suede Essential and Violet Blonde?

Black Suede Essential has top notes of Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Wild Lavender, a base of Suede. Violet Blonde has top notes of Violet Leaf, Pink Pepper and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Iris, Orris Root and Jasmine, a base of Suede, Benzoin, Musk and Vetiver.