Fragrance comparison

Black Suede Ultimate vs 1981X

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 477 ratings analysed

Black Suede Ultimate

Avon

3.605 votes

Rank #58,109 LavenderAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

1981X

Alexandria Fragrances

4.25472 votes

Rank #2,097 SweetVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

1981X takes 3 of 4 categories.

Black Suede Ultimate
Choose it for a lavender and aromatic character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, evening wear.
1981X
Choose it for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Black Suede Ultimate1/4

1981X3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: 1981X
Sillage & projection: 1981X
Value for money: Black Suede Ultimate
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: 1981X

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Black Suede UltimateAvon

1981XAlexandria Fragrances

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.60/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 43%Had 17%Want 39%

4.25/ 5 · 472 votes

Have 84%Had 16%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

60%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

20%Dislike

20%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

66%Love

25%Like

4%Ok

4%Dislike

1%Hate

403 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage35

♥ Love / hate65

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate86

Category winners

Longevity1981X

Sillage1981X

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value72

Category winnerBlack Suede UltimateBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

lavender100%

aromatic88%

citrus77%

vanilla65%

amber53%

sweet42%

sweet100%

vanilla92%

honey84%

tobacco77%

citrus69%

aromatic61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both vanilla, aromatic and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Lavender

Heart

Lemon

Base

Tonka Bean

Top

LavenderJasmineLemonBergamot

Heart

HoneyCinnamonCashmeran

Base

TobaccoTonka BeanVanilla

InformationalShared notesLavender, Lemon and Tonka Bean. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day75

Night100

Spring70

Summer25

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men80

Unisex20

Women0

Men59

Unisex37

Women4

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#58,109

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#2,097

PerfumerHany Hafez

Launched—

Reviews18

Category winner1981XHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Avon Black Suede Ultimate strips back the heavy, powdery leather of the original 1980 release in favor of a clean, modern aromatic build. It opens with sharp lavender and bright lemon, giving the scent a crisp bar-soap cleanliness right out of the atomizer. As the initial sharpness relaxes, warm tonka bean settles und…

Reviews →

1981X is a rich honeyed tobacco scent with a bright citrus opening and a warm vanilla tonka dry-down. Lemon, bergamot and lavender give it early lift, then the fragrance settles into sweet tobacco, cinnamon and soft cashmeran. It suits shoppers who enjoy smooth, slightly dressed-up gourmand tobacco scents with strong …

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 Ultimate or 1981X?

1981X takes 3 of 4 categories. Black Suede Ultimate is rated 3.60/5 from 5 votes; 1981X is rated 4.25/5 from 472 votes. Choose Black Suede Ultimate for a lavender and aromatic character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose 1981X for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Black Suede Ultimate or 1981X?

1981X lasts longest (1981X 77/100, Black Suede Ultimate 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Suede Ultimate or 1981X?

1981X projects furthest (1981X 69/100, Black Suede Ultimate 35/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Suede Ultimate and 1981X smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, aromatic and citrus accords. Common notes include Lavender, Lemon and Tonka Bean.

Is Black Suede Ultimate or 1981X better for summer or winter?

Black Suede Ultimate suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Suede Ultimate and 1981X?

Black Suede Ultimate has top notes of Lavender, heart notes of Lemon, a base of Tonka Bean. 1981X has top notes of Lavender, Jasmine, Lemon and Bergamot, heart notes of Honey, Cinnamon and Cashmeran, a base of Tobacco, Tonka Bean and Vanilla.