Yves Saint Laurent
Black Opium
Black Opium: Between sophistication and originality. A fragrance in the image of Yves Saint-Laurent. Like the seductive couturier and perfumer Yves Saint-Laurent, Black Opium, released in 2014, offers a blend of sophistication and raw materials, of elegance and soft brutality, of golden lights of jasmine and orange blossom and dark olfactory paths of coffee.
- Brand
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Launch year
- 2014
- Gender
- Women
- Olfactory family
- Oriental
- Concentration
- Eau de Parfum
Where to buy
Chic and rock, a touch mischievous and disturbingly beautiful, the “Black Opium” woman is as seductive as this fragrance is a play of contrasts.
Black Opium between rock and flowers, between an elegant woman and a “bad girl”
When the first opus, Opium, was released in 1977, the fragrance caused a scandal. Explicitly linked to the world of drugs, even though it was “only” a fragrance, let us remember, it stirred up such passions that it was banned in certain countries for being considered an incitement to drug use. It must also be said that the provocative Yves Saint-Laurent had already caused controversy a few years earlier with a daring advertisement...
Be that as it may, the codes of Opium were clearly taken up for the image and advertising of “Black Opium,” although the imagery of addiction seems to be much more a pretext for creating mystery than an illicit incitement... For the great Yves Saint-Laurent seems to have well understood how to get people talking about him!
The very dark world of the “Black Opium” advertisement is driven full speed by a face of the campaign as disturbing as she is magnificent, Edie Campbell, and it is impossible not to follow her frantic pursuit of her fragrance. The heroine transports us to dark streets and golden passageways, takes us into light wells and guides us through the darkness. The world of “Black Opium” is tinged with chiaroscuro, which immediately carries us toward the luminous contrasts of its fragrance and its bottle.
A rich and complex fragrance for a “dark and luminous” oriental perfume
No fewer than four great perfumers worked on the creation of “Black Opium”: Honorine Blanc, Nathalie Lorson, Marie Salamagne, Olivier Cresp. The result lives up to their talents: a deep fragrance that plays with an overdose of caffeine all the better to surprise us.
The fruity, juicy top notes of pear blend delicately with the spice of pink pepper. Then a powerful, intoxicating coffee note opens the heart notes toward the florals. Notes of jasmine and sun-drenched orange blossom draw our senses toward the light. Yet the base of very raw, very “rock” cedarwood and patchouli plunges us back into the darkness of the undergrowth. But... a touch of exotic, gourmand vanilla leaves us with a luminous, gourmand sillage.
Just like the fragrance, the bottle also plays with effects of light. Sharing the same shape as its predecessor “Opium,” “Black Opium” is encased in a samurai-style flask dressed in light and a very trendy sparkling black. Ever more surprising, the pale pink window breaks the dark effect of the lacquer, a great technical feat besides, to reveal the light and beauty of its juice.
“Black Opium” plays with codes and moves with ease and elegance between rock, darkness, raw materials and light, sun and exoticism. From the fragrance to the bottle, from the advertising to the image of its face of the campaign, every meticulously calculated detail brings us back to this chiaroscuro. It goes without saying that such extreme precision can only give birth to a great fragrance. A fragrance for a free and independent young woman, passionate and intoxicating, but also a high-heeled rocker, elegant and sophisticated.
Olfactory pyramid
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The advertising
The story of “Opium” begins in 1977, with a provocative essence that would stir up much controversy, but which, more than anything, would turn “Opium” into a legendary fragrance. Building on this lasting success, Yves Saint Laurent offered its fans several flankers, including “Black Opium,” released in 2014. While the fragrance is just as diabolical as its predecessor, it aims to be more glamorous and moves within a rock-inspired world. In order to perfectly represent the “Black Opium” fragrance, the house of Yves Saint Laurent chose a most glamorous face of the campaign, the delightful Edie Campbell.
Edie Campbell embodies Black Opium, a Londoner who never lacks style
The advertising clip for “Black Opium” features the provocative Edie Campbell. Although she does not exactly fit the dictates of today's fashion standards, Edie Campbell captures the screen beautifully and irresistibly captivates us. She began her career under the lens of Mario Testino, who photographed her mainly for the British edition of Vogue magazine. Little by little, Edie Campbell found herself walking the runway for the biggest names in fashion, Chanel, Cacharel, Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin, and Louis Vuitton. All were won over by the Londoner's beauty and distinctive presence. In 2013, Edie Campbell was honored and named “Model of the Year” at the British Fashion Awards 2013. Regarding her collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent and her role as ambassador, Edie Campbell states that it is a true honor to be the ambassador for the Black Opium fragrance, that the Yves Saint Laurent brand has a vision of beauty that is both modern and inspiring, and that she is particularly proud to represent the archetype of a bold woman.
A glam-rock clip for Black Opium
In keeping with the composition and with Edie Campbell, a soundtrack that was both rock and glamorous was needed. That music is “Jungle,” sung by the Australian artist Emma Louise, taken from her album “Vs Head Vs Heart.” Independent, determined and tremendously glamorous, Edie Campbell wanders through the streets of Shanghai, a mysterious and highly electric city. Black nails, smoky eyes and wild hair, Edie Campbell is in search of her hypnotic scent. Directed by Harmony Korine, the advertising spot lives up to the composition of “Black Opium.” Bold and mysterious, the clip draws us into a languid and completely addictive vision. Here, Edie Campbell perfectly embodies feminine, contemporary beauty. Her unique style and dark beauty make her the perfect representation of femininity according to Yves Saint Laurent.
A face of the campaign equal to the glam-rock composition. Once again, “Opium” surprises, overwhelms, captivates. Released in 2014, “Black Opium” is one of Yves Saint Laurent's great successes.