Guerlain launched Angélique Noire in 2005 to open its L’Art et la Matière collection. Daniela Andrier sets the green bitterness of angelica against the house’s vanilla, with pink pepper, pear and cedar. Sylvaine Delacourte wanted to give vanilla an opposite. Victoria, of Bois de Jasmin, smells a creamy vanilla; Cécile Clouet speaks of a joyful oxymoron.
Victoria smells a creamy, silky vanilla, Robin finds it too candied, Elena Vosnaki too pretty; Cécile Clouet speaks of a joyful oxymoron.
Olfastory’s review
Victoria, Bois de Jasmin, August 2005
In August 2005, Victoria, on Bois de Jasmin, reads it as a take on the bergamot and vanilla pairing of classic Guerlains: a spicy opening, sharpened by bergamot, that slides into the milky bitterness of almond, and a creamy vanilla punctuated by a dark citrus note. More Romantic than Neoclassical, she judges, and worth four stars.
Robin, Now Smell This, December 2005
In December 2005, Robin, of Now Smell This, enjoys a strong, sweet opening carried by a green, bitter and spicy undertone, which softens into a warm cream with a hint of smoke. To her it is the most interesting of the collection’s three fragrances, but she finds it too close to candied vanilla for her taste.
Elena Vosnaki, Perfume Shrine, December 2008
In December 2008, Elena Vosnaki, on Perfume Shrine, notes that the fragrance has nothing black about it: a Pre-Raphaelite Madonna, too pretty to truly strike. She describes a tart bergamot and a spiced angelica, a milky, almondy heart, a base of creamy vanilla, and observes that it lasts a very long time.
Cécile Clouet, Auparfum, May 2015
In May 2015, Cécile Clouet, for Auparfum, speaks of a joyful oxymoron, among the most delightful creations of modern Guerlain. Angelica opens on a harsh greenness that nips at the tongue, a lightly sugared pear tempers it, and balsamic vanilla dominates without crushing the liveliness of the opening: a chiaroscuro, she concludes.