FRAGRANCE | Black Sugar EDT by Aquolina: Oddly beautiful, beautifully odd

halfwhiteboy - Aquolina Black Sugar EDT 01

Went through our collection recently to rediscover frags we either haven't been using or have "forgotten" already. One of the bottles I pulled out was Black Sugar, a 2013 flanker to the toothache-inducing Pink Sugar by Aquolina. I've read it's been discontinued, so I'm glad we have this. It takes after the presentation of the original: cylindrical bottle a la Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works mist, except that it's glass and is housed in a cylindrical box.

As one would expect from a fragrance with "Sugar" in its name, Black Sugar is unequivocally a sweet scent but is given a dark twist. The strong smell of burnt rubber in the opening may come as a surprise, though. I don't know, it's supposed to have oud or something but it just comes off to me as burnt rubber. It's as if a speeding car suddenly came to a screeching halt and the air is filled with the smell of burnt tires. I do smell rubbery accords in fragrances like Commodity's Whiskey but definitely not like this—no, never as bold like this. 

halfwhiteboy - Aquolina Black Sugar EDT 02

The accompanying sweetness is amber-vanilla in nature and its combination with the burnt rubber results in an odd but intriguing olfactory experience; quite addictive actually. After several minutes, the burnt smokiness eases but the rubber smell stays put, still drenched in that amber-vanilla syrup. Several more minutes and I get a raspberry fruitiness forming around the edges but at this point, it's only noticeable when sniffed up close. In the air, it's easily overpowered by the sweetened rubber. 

Later, the raspberry revs up a bit and steers the sweetness in a sugary, licorice-like direction but then reverts to its vanillic character in under thirty minutes. Eventually, the rubber relaxes a bit, allowing the sweetness to take control and relegating itself to a supporting role. After a relatively loud start, the scent now becomes more moderate in its projection, gradually settling close to the skin over several hours. 

Black Sugar is a polarizing fragrance but it can never be faulted for not being interesting. There's nothing quite like it that I know. Anyone with the right attitude can wear this anywhere, anytime except in extremely hot conditions. As for me, I'm enjoying it a lot. 

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