Black Violet
Black Violet opens with bright citrus—bergamot and mandarin—that quickly gives way to its true character: a shadowy, old-fashioned violet backed by serious oakmoss.
The scent fingerprint
Weighted by intensity across 9 accords.
Every perfume in Sillage is represented as a distribution across canonical accord slugs — a lingua franca for scent. Two fragrances with overlapping fingerprints are scent-twins, even if they share no literal note.
- Oakmoss45
- Bergamot40
- Vetiver35
- Iris25
- Orange15
By the editors · 2 min readBlack Violet opens with bright citrus—bergamot and mandarin—that quickly gives way to its true character: a shadowy, old-fashioned violet backed by serious oakmoss. This isn't the candied or powdery violet of cosmetics, but something darker and more rooted, almost mossy and wet. The vetiver adds an earthy, slightly smoky backbone that keeps the florals from drifting into sweetness.
As it develops, the composition settles into a chypre structure that feels decidedly pre-reformulation in spirit, though it was released in 2007. The violet remains present but restrained, folded into green-grey moss and dry wood. There's a cool, somewhat austere quality to it—more library than boudoir.
This suits someone drawn to classical perfumery and unbothered by its lack of warmth. It wears close, almost introspective, better suited to solitude or quiet evenings than bright social settings.
