Fragrance comparison

Love Letter vs Basic Black

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 377 ratings analysed

Love Letter

Jardin de Parfums

3.6020 votes

Rank #61,874 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

21%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Basic Black

Bill Blass

3.86357 votes

Rank #3,742 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Basic Black takes 3 of 5 categories.

Love Letter
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Basic Black
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Love Letter2/5

Basic Black3/5

Ratings & consensus: Basic Black
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Love Letter
Sillage & projection: Love Letter
Value for money: Basic Black
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

Love LetterJardin de Parfums

Basic BlackBill Blass

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.60/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 15%Had 13%Want 71%

3.86/ 5 · 357 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

Category winnerBasic BlackRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

10%Love

60%Like

10%Ok

20%Dislike

0%Hate

20 votes · too few to score

37%Love

41%Like

4%Ok

17%Dislike

1%Hate

313 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate65

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityLove Letter

SillageLove Letter

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value43

¤ Price value78

Category winnerBasic BlackBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

sweet92%

woody84%

coconut77%

tuberose69%

soft spicy61%

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

floral77%

powdery69%

aromatic61%

Scent match21%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

PeachBlack CurrantPink PepperLemonApple

Heart

CoconutTuberoseYlang-Ylang

Base

PatchouliMuskAmber

Top

CarnationYlang-YlangPlumCardamomPeachMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

HoneyCorianderRoseTuberoseVioletJasmine

Base

OakmossPatchouliCivetAmberMuskBenzoinSandalwoodStyrax

InformationalShared notesPeach, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang and Patchouli. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer100

Fall75

Winter50

Day100

Night50

Spring53

Summer34

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men2

Unisex40

Women58

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#61,874

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#3,742

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews71

Category winnerBasic BlackHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Love Letter opens with a splash of sweet peach, tart black currant, and crisp apple that immediately grabs attention. As the bright fruitiness softens, rich tuberose and creamy coconut take center stage on skin. Grounded by a solid base of patchouli and amber, it fits warm summer evenings and casual humid nights out.

Reviews →

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 →

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, Love Letter or Basic Black?

Basic Black takes 3 of 5 categories. Love Letter is rated 3.60/5 from 20 votes; Basic Black is rated 3.86/5 from 357 votes. Choose Love Letter for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Basic Black for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Love Letter or Basic Black?

They last about the same: Love Letter 71/100, Basic Black 69/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Love Letter or Basic Black?

Projection is very close: Love Letter 63/100, Basic Black 62/100 for sillage.

Do Love Letter and Basic Black smell similar?

Clearly different: a 21% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Peach, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang and Patchouli.

Is Love Letter or Basic Black better for summer or winter?

Love Letter suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Love Letter and Basic Black?

Love Letter has top notes of Peach, Black Currant, Pink Pepper and Lemon, heart notes of Coconut, Tuberose and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Patchouli, Musk and Amber. 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.