Our take
What does La Petite Robe Noire Intense smell like?
Guerlain released an intense eau de parfum of La Petite Robe Noire in 2016, four years after the original went global. Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk stayed in charge. The brief was simple: keep the silhouette and darken the fabric. Bergamot opens, then blueberry and raspberry cover it with a dark, juicy fruit. Rose holds the centre. Orange blossom and jasmine flank it, so it feels rounder and more candied than in the standard eau de parfum. The base lays a thick vanilla over sandalwood and patchouli. White musk smooths everything out, and the drydown ends up smelling like sweet skin rather than dessert. Next to Lancôme's La Vie est Belle, the other big floral gourmand of the decade, this one keeps a black fruit edge that stops it from turning into candyfloss. It is still very sweet. Anyone who found the original too sugary will not be won over here.
When to wear it
An evening scent for autumn and winter. One spray on the neck and one on your coat will do, as the vanilla swells with body heat.
It belongs to the Floral, Oriental / Amber family. La Petite Robe Noire Intense is one of 89 creations by Guerlain in our encyclopedia.
