Sahara Noir Tom Ford for women

Finally got my hands on a 15ml and first impressions are mixed. The opening reminds me a lot of Bois d’Encens, the cypress and calamus is creating an open that’s smells close to Frankincense. I’ve realized recently that frankincense/olibanum is my least favorite balsam. Labdanum and myhrr being my favorite resins. So I was a little disappointed that the labdanum wasn’t as front and center. However, as this dried down this becomes quite a magnificent Amber. It’s what I imagine Amber Absolute must smell like.
I need to give this a few more wears but this might be full bottle worthy for me.

Its too bitter for me.. and its not that strong.. Doesn't even compare to Mitzah in terms of performance and incense smell.. so I will sell it..

Incense heaven! This could be even better than Amber Absolute. It shares this undeniable similarity with Encens Satin, by Armani Prive. I think this is a little more detailed than Encens Satin, where Encens Satin is a little more simple and straight forward. This has more going on, its a bigger puzzle to solve. This is top 5 Tom Ford ever released.

FYI…this is getting rereleased.

Reiterating my love for this perfume and wanting to buy a bottle of it I can know for sure is authentic.

Really caught a good luck streak at this independent perfume store in Houston Tx in 2022 The 1st time I came in there not expecting much I spotted 3 Tom ford Sahara Noir’s $130 each till she tapped on her calculator and said she could do $115 before tax. They were sealed & covered in dust Worried they could be fake I still bought 2 & Nope!!! Went almost 2 weeks later and the 3rd one still there for me. So can sorta see now how when it was readily avail & in production marketed towards ladies how this may not have sold enough…I never got to experience Amber Absolute I have to settle for Black Friday sale at Parfums Vintage for Sandal Amber every year because I really love it. But this one pushes that Tom Ford Amber out on initial spray that blows all other ambers out of the water!! At least to me…& then 15 min comes in with that middle eastern type incense that projects & lasts & lasts! Tom Fords don’t do that anymore....So good

I soooo miss this fragrance! Nothing that TF has come up with since comes even near it. To me, it was absolutely perfect evening scent, with its incense and bitterness, sensual and dark yet adventurous.

Wearing a sample of this today and it’s beautiful. Warm, resinous, and spicy. It does smell like incense. Although I’m a little underwhelmed at the performance as it sits very close to my skin. I only have a dabber vial so maybe that’s why. I can’t seem to get enough product on for this to project. Oh well, it’s still pretty.

This is exactly what Arabic royalty smells like! 👑
I love the complexity of this parfum, it has the best incest blend ever. The only issue is that the sillage is weak however the longevity is 14+ hours on my skin!
You can’t put this perfume with just casual clothings… this is not a plane Jane fragrance

I would like to buy an authentic bottle at a reasonable price. Please DM me!

Please message me if you’re if you’re selling at a reasonable price. Thanks :)

Smoky incense, bought it for myself, after the first wear I decided it's not for me.
Now my bottle is looking for another house :)

Edit: Not available now

Cypress and incense. Everything else is secondary. Smells like a Catholic Church at Christmas time.

= Refresh review on February 8, 2024 as below =

I revisit this beauty after I haven't wear this for a big while.
I love the idea of keep refreshing the note so I can track how I feel to the fragrance.

Actually, this is not the very incense scent.
But this is balmy spicy amber scent instead.

If you sniff the scent a bit too close, you will notice sort of Sandalwood/Cedar raw material quite prominent. However, when you sniff a little farther from skin.
It is result in Balmy amber that beautiful, contains all natural characteristic of amber beautifully.

It has smoothness to the degrees and not too herbaceous like Amber Sultan.
It has mild floral / woody support, like how the amber scent that crystalize over time should be. It is more like "Hot" feeling not really "Incense".

I kinda understand Tom Ford's perspective in early creation.
As reinventing certain DNA to the new comer too certain degrees.
Provide Modern twist in quite a good way and that is a charm of early Tom Ford.

Sahara Noir is reinventing of Amber Sultan
Violet Blonde is reinventing of L'Heure Bleue
TomFord Noir is reinventing of Shalimar

I understand that certain fragrance user may feel this idea a bit off.
But for the new comer of fragrance user, I think TomFord really helps pave the way
into the deeper realm.

I personally think, Sahara Noir is not overlook but due to rarity.
People don't have much chance to access this one, so it is easily forgotten.
And How this provide beautiful aspect of Amber characteristic beautifully.
Can't help but pass this to my number one creation from Signature line.

If you ever have chance to find this one, go ahead please.
For your olfactive exploration if you do not like it just put it on sales.
There will be people certainly but this. It's a win-win situation.

Score: 9/10
Projection: Moderate, projecting in consistent manner.
Longevity: 7-8 hours
Classification: Unisex (it is spicy-amber scent)
Summary: The Modern Balmy Amber
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= Original review as of April 4, 2023 as below =

Sahara noir is such a real delight for those who enjoy incense scent.
To my surprise, I absolutely enjoy this fragrance as this is very in line with
TomFord 2022 Enigmatic wood collection (specific, Bois Marocain & Ebene Fume).

It's has no sweet, almost savory but the scent does smell good.
When first applied, it is very silent, Sunset Sahara.

Wait, wait until the wind rise.
You are hitting with load of Spicy-Incense and mild amber wood.

I don't find this interpretation is very middle east.
But more like encapsulate the middle east continent as a whole idea.

I find this scent perfectly unisex and can be wear by both genders.
While this accord is inappropriate in where I live, I will wear this for personal enjoyment.
And this one strong, really intense.

8/10
=====
Pre blind-buy record
(USD 94 / 44-45 ml. , A52)

My local perfume collector sell this.
Only in my wildest dream imaginable to own this one.

Have no idea how this gonna smell like.
Buy as for of note and name goes, you got my heart.

I need this back in my life.😩

Finally it's mine, thanks to a swap with an AMAZING Fragrantician. I have wanted this for so long, but just couldn't bring myself to risk spending hundreds of dollars on eBay knowing that Tom Ford is frequently counterfeited. I feel like Cleopatra floating on the most exquisite incense, the type I have been searching for for so long, but never quite hits the spot. It's funny because it's definitely a unisex scent, and yet I feel so sexy and seductive - like the mythologized version of Cleo - that It really feels feminine on me. I am going to see what it is like on my husband. He can be my Marc Antony.
As far as longevity goes, I recall from a sample I once had that it is long lasting. Silage is impressive - two sprays on my wrists and it is surrounding me. That is so rare for my perfume eating skin.
I hate to say it, but Sahara Noir has knocked the original Opium off it's pedestal as my favorite oriental of all time. I am so happy to own my precious unicorn that I hope the temperature doesn't get too warm too quickly!
PS - Reading the reviews below, I'm surprised at how many people think this is mostly a masculine fragrance that most women would shy away from. This is clearly unisex,but straight down the middle for me. As stated, I feel very much like a woman wearing this. Of course, tastes vary, so no one is wrong, but I just find it hard to believe that this doesn't have more female fans than the reviews would suggest.

If u want this on a budget. Get Zara Warm Black

I am interested in a bottle. Can anyone give any advice on the ones available on ebay from the Middle East?

Love this, one of TF's Best, IMO. I also have the Eden dupe. I can def tell them apart. Where TF almost has a bubblegummy Incense (from the orange & cinnamon), Eden is a little more medicinal. However! After an hour or 2 it is very hard to tell them apart. So, if you can't get this, & he doesn't bring it back, I would suggest Sahara from Eden. IF he brings it back, I'd rather spend more & have this. I love the sweetness in this. That part of it reminds me of Xerjoff's Dolce Amalfi. MMMMMMM!!

sold : I have a bottle I bought in 2016 that needs a new home, PM me if interested

@SofsMama: I have a dupe for this från Eden Perfumes, it´s actually pretty spot on!

Anybody know of a dupe? Sigh. I miss this one so much

9/10

Welcome to a world where the scent is so intense, that it will make your senses reel. A place full of smoke and spice that you can't help but get lost in for hours on end with each deep inhale.

Sahara Noir is a perfume that will make you love incense and amber even more. The scent of this powerful elixir rides on the notes' tails, leaving behind its signature heavy smokey smell for those who are lucky enough to catch it in their aromas or locks after applying just one spritz!

If you are a fan of incense and amber, then this perfume will be your new best friend. The scent is absolutely incredible-not too strong but just right so that it lasts all day long without becoming overwhelming or cloying in any way at all!

Disclaimer: This is how my nose/brain interpreted this fragrance. I'll just put this here in case someone else feels the same way I do... or maybe I'm alone in feeling this way, which is fine xD.

I blind bought this and deeply regret it. This is NOT a safe blind buy.

As soon as I smelled this, it smelled incredibly familiar and I FINALLY figured it out!!! It smells exactly like triple antibiotic ointment applied to a wound on the skin, dare I say a suppurative one... it has an extremely unpleasant medicinal quality. I ordered it because I wanted to smell frankincense and myrrh and I regretfully don't smell that at all.

Aside from what I mentioned above, I smell some extremely dry woody notes... and something reminiscent of rice, though it's not in the notes. I don't smell any warmth or sweetness whatsoever.

Also, this to me has more masculine vibes than unisex vibes, but I also generally believe that perfumes can be worn by anyone of any demographic. If I ever smelled this on anyone, I would run the other direction, though.

I love this. I will probably only use this perfume once a year until i die because i cannot imagine never being able to smell this again. Its dry and warm and contemplative. Feels very solemn

My taste with ambers has slowly gone through an evolution from dark and sweet ones to more dry ones – and this is my current favourite. It is dense, deep and rich, it has the dry quality of desert wind – and the floral notes develop into an amazing green focal point on my skin, like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

This is a very cultural reference, but in my country, we love our saunas. At the beginning of the summer, it is a tradition to collect some birch branches and tie a bunch of them together. The bunch – "vihta" – is used in the sauna, it is dipped in the water, rolled on top of the stove and people will whip their skin with it lightly. It feels amazing, so relaxing, and the green scent the bunch is emanating is so beautiful. And somehow the green heart of Sahara smells exactly like that. Can't get these notes initially and it takes time for them to develop on my skin, but it happens every time I wear this – and it feels like a small miracle.

I don't find this difficult to wear at all. It is rich, deep and dark, but the sillage is polite. Even my fragrance-sensitive friends don't complain (on the other hand I do apply lightly). Lasts for ages. Too bad it is discontinued. I think that the mistake TF made with this was marketing it as a female scent. Can't get more unisex than this.

I think I have a decant of L'Air du Desert Marocain with a birch note, have to find it for comparison. Would love to find a good replacement when I run out my bottle and backup.

The spicy, wet wood, and resinous notes are what is most prominent in this fragrance for me. I wish I could get some of the florals and incense but really all I pick up are the base notes. It’s an interesting fragrance but it isn’t wearable for me.

Tom Ford Sahara Noir.
Frankincense,smoky, rich, amber, wet wood, dark, resinous and so damn good!

I cannot remember exactly what I paid for this but randomly got a bottle on Amazon a 4-5 years back. Maybe $200ish…….Never really wore until tonight, and it’s one of the best incense releases out there. I see why it is targeted towards a woman. Once the dry down begins there is a sweetness from the rose. However this is equally spectacular on a man. If you are an incense lover you should buy this even at its ridiculous price. It’s masterfully done and I Would agree on previous comments stating the quality of ingredients used for this particular fragrance are “top shelf” It’s beautiful.

@ Stillmagnolia - you might have a fake. I have bought a 2ml decant from a reputable source which was fake. It was also faint and kinda sweet. The original (which I've later bought a decant of) is a strong incense, so if your Sahara Noir smells faint then it is a fake.

Hmmm…
I kept reading words like burst, strong, and intense.

Well.
If this is a knockoff of an Middle East type scent, does anyone know the name or which one it would be? Or something close?

Cause I adore this scent. But it’s so faint, and kinda sweet. It’s cute, like a fluffy little miniature teddy bear.

I dislike TF TV and Black Orchid…. the leathers and this are more to my taste. But could this one be just multiplied by a factor of at least five? Probably ten would be better. Then, it would be fantastic.

Either that, or my nose is broke.

This is to me like a nice sweet little skin scent that has lovely undertones. But all that incense and wood? Just an undertone. I don’t wanna hyperventilate trying to get a smell of something.

This is along the same power to me as a molecule 1. While molecule 1 is maybe more elusive, when it shows up, I can at least tell what it is.
This is kinda Molecule 1 on “wear a little makeup and fix my hair” day.

At the LEAST, give me Dev1-level strength.

When I hear incense and wood and dry and such, I’m wanting bonfire, baby.

I need them to make another killer incense like this, definitely my favorite tom ford that I've tried. Personally I think this blows other popular TFs out of the park like tobacco vanille, jasmine rouge, lost cherry, black orchid, I would definitely choose this over them but I also love resinous scents, and this is not as casually wearable and for me I'd only wear in very cold weather. No incense fragrance has hit me like this one, a complex labdanum bomb, high quality ingredients, unisex. Definitely retest because at first it just seems like dry resin. Very dry, gothic, but dressed in vibrant gold over a campfire. Really sends me straight to the nativity, transportive, spiritual, unsettling, fever-dreamy and beautiful. To me this is the ultimate christmas scent because it's not sweet or cozy but very contemplative. Demands your attention like a zealous christian

Without a doubt, mt favorite woody, amber. INCENSE perfume ever. Everything comes together, mostly in support of the mysterious, smoky incense note. While it's definitely a Westernized concept of a fabulous Arabian perfume, it hits the spot for me, right from the first spritz.
Why, why has this been discontinued? That's a rhetorical question of course, but it's so hard to understand how a fragrance I consider to be a masterpiece can be shoved off to make room for other, more profitable perfumes. Here's my problem. All I have is a carded sample and I definitely need a full bottle. I'm sure other fans know how very pricey bottles - even used bottles - go for on Ebay. While I will continue to search, I know that I will eventually pay through the nose. So, I ask my fellow Fragranticians if anyone would be willing to swap a decant - say 5-10 mls - in exchange for a decant or decants from my collection. If so, please message me. I simply MUST have this in my collection!

PS - 2 things. First, I see that I already basically begged for a decant several months ago even though I had never tried. Now, I am begging twice as hard! 😉

Second, I see so many reviewers describing this as more masculine, and while it's definitely unisex and I would likely swoon if I smelt this on a man, it makes ME feel like a goddess because it's just so sexy! So if you are a woman whose tastes lean more towards traditionally "feminine" types of scents, don't fret. It's kind of like the perfume manifestation of yin and yang!

It is a hidden gem one of Tom fords best fragrance from this line
It captures the essence of the Middle Eastern vibe very vividly that it impresses me
Knowing the quality of Tom fords fragrances it was no surprise they came up with this masterpiece
Longevity is above average

Tom Ford's Sahara Noir is a scent in my cupboard I've long been ignoring and I couldn't tell you why. It's intensely evocative in an incredibly specific way, so first my nerd review and then a translation for those who don't have a tolerance for silliness. 

Sahara Noir is the blazing binary sunset seen from the still, dry heat of sand dune on the desert planet Tatooine; a midnight canyon campfire crackling with the spicy resin of the Japor tree, the aromatic blossoms of the molo shrub, and acrid ribbons of poonten grass incense while the ground rumbles with the snores and snuffles of a slumbering bantha herd nearby. 

Which is to say this is the driest frankincense, lemony woodsy pinon sawdust, a circle of fragrant burning woods, and brittle, smoky papyrus ash.

Whatever your preferred fandom or even if you stick solely to reality, Sahara Noir is utterly divine.

It puzzles me so much that this was a women's release. It smells completely masculine to me. Probably the perfect labdanum, incense, amber, and vanilla fragrance. So much better than the overbearing and culinary Amber Absolute

Although Benzoin is a listed note, it smells more like Myrrh to me. In fact, that is all my nose can detect. Very heavy musty Myrrh. It smells like an old house, museum, or library filled with old books. No sweetness, very little Oud, no florals...just a very plain resinous woody incense that has an old kind of smell. The other listed notes are undetectable to me.

After 3 months with Sahara Noir, trying my hardest to love it as much as it's younger sibling AA, all I get on my skin is Frankincense...dry,dry,dry Frankincense surrounded by a medicinal herbaceousness.

When the note breakdown listed incense, I thought Incense as in Interlude by Amouage or even Sahara's cousin Amber Absolute, but no. AA is a much better balance: an interplay between the frankincense present here, a light smokiness, vanilla, and sandalwood.

Never thought I'd be indifferent on incense but Sahara is more about the ingredients than the vision it could have captured.

This is a Sahara without an oasis.

Completely unisex.

7/10.

@Jareth, i heard that because they didn't "cut corners" in making this, the ingredients were very expensive (especially the frankincense) to keep resourcing on a regular basis, especially since it's wasn't considered a best seller. That's why they pulled the plug.

Hard to believe, knowing how rich the company is, but it kinda makes sense i guess.

Sahara Noir was a jewel. Here's hoping they bring it back!

Like the dry air of the desert blowing through a temple. So much more than straight incense, though on first wearing it might appear so. However, good things come to those who retest.

This is damn sexy too, despite how I normally think of incense, cosy and spiritual. And it's utterly unisex; the rose isn't obvious. The oriental genre is generally up there as one the most unisex anyway.

I suspect the name Sahara Nights might also have popped up whilst brainstorming the name - campfires n' that - but who doesn't love a bit of French, eh?

Ridiculous why they discontinued it. Maybe it's name wasn't rude enough?

I had a bottle that I gave away to a buyer who bought another bottle of something else from me, that I was selling on eBay. I only sprayed it a few times over the years, if only to remind me why I didn’t like it. On me it’s too much incense. That’s ALL I smell and it’s the same in the dry down. It’s also too weak, it only lasted about an hour on my skin.
I blind bought it a long time ago. I gotta stop doing that. So yeah, if you love incense heavy perfumes, then this is for you. It’s not a bad perfume, it’s just not for me. I really don’t like incense heavy perfumes.

I hadn't tried this for a few years, Im surprised at how good it is.
I pick out 3-4 notes. First you get the incense blast, and it smells like a lot of good incense fragrances like Montale Full Incense...
But them it becomes much more. You get a nice labdanum, like in Ambre Sultan. The 3rd clear note I get is not listed, but its what makes this so enjoyable: Guaiac Wood. It's this creamy guaiac wood that I love in Le Labo Tobac 28.

Ashen incense can be harsh, but the soft and creamy guaiac wood balance it nicely.
I get a little papyrus, a nice touch, and I have to strain my senses to get any floral, but I think I do.

This is more of an incense fragrance, than Amber. It is one of the best incense fragrances out there. Because its complex, multi faceted. Maybe too busy.

If your looking for a great amber fragrance, try Ambre Sultan, or if you can find Tom Ford Amber Absolu.

If your looking for a great incense frag, this could be worth it. My favorite is Amouage Memoir Man.

If you love Amber Absolute, Sahara Noir is for you.
I adore them as the best amber perfumes and for Sahara a touch of incense that envelops you all day long.
To have absolutely in his collection, unfortunately Sahara Noir no longer exists, I use it sparingly.

Wow this is so raw, I’m in love. The top notes are boozy. It has an ancient character, this smells like something an Egyptian God would wear. It definitely veres masculine but it isn’t abrasive in any way, it’s such a smooth blend.

Sahara Noir is resinous and balsamic with a bitter green frame. It’s truly special and carries so much depth and complexity. This is incomparable with anything I have ever tried, it doesn’t smell like any amber scents I own. Imagine the ancient section of a beautiful, worldly museum. It’s slightly dusty but it has the excitement of a new discovery and strengthens your anticipation. Sillage and longevity are amazing.

What I love the most is how this fragrance carries a presence and commands respect with the ethereal and sincere notes. But there is a charismatic and natural sweetness from the labdanum and honey. It isn’t mass appealing but it’s an innovative masterpiece.
If Orientals and resins are your preference, we found the King, only he has been put to rest. 😖

Desperately seeking a bottle for trade or even a decent sized decant, say 10 ml or so. I have never tried it, but I am obsessed with owning it and thought I would try here before paying the exorbitant prices on Ebay. PM me please!

Russian orthodox priest. Will sell my just bought bottle.

Very much like pressed wood incense bricks, sort of Sandalwood/Pinion Pine sawdust. It has a slight screamy wood edge in the middle but that goes away and it ends as it started, pinon/sandal wood chip incense, before being burned. It's very nice.

do not expect a Catholic incense, do not expect that you will immediately like this perfume, do not expect to understand it at the first use.
initially, obviously a little Catholic incense is there and it is evident, but below it is as if there is an annoying fecal note.
after a few minutes all its magnificence arrives.
in random order Egyptian balm, rose, cinnamon, amber, benzoin, beeswax, labdanum, jasmine, oud, vanilla and cypress.
all this makes it a masterful perfume unlike anything ever felt. between east and west between smoke and resins, between balms and flowers, between waxes and plants.
excellent performance. 9,5 / 10

unlike anything I've ever heard. sweet but not cloying.

I love.

Ps: I think Jesus Christ smelled of Sahara noir.

I sprayed several test sticks with Tom Fords in a shop years ago. I didn't think much. Shoved them in different pockets. A few days later I was like OMFG WHAT IS THAT ONE?!?!
Forgot about it.
A while back I remembered and investigated with the help of the assistant. Turns out it was most likely this one. Sadness. Discontinued. WHY?!?!?

Anyway...
I found a purse spray sample on Ebay. I think they've put Tabu in it. It smells exactly how I recall Tabu smelling.
None of that dry punch in the guts. Maybe because the bottle is old or have I been duped?

Thanks.

I have an 8oz bottle of a "knock off type" OIL, of this...and I cant deny that it smells EXACTLY..and I mean, EXACTLY like the perfume, from start to finish. I just laughed at loud at how much they're alike. And the oil lasts MUCH longer than the fragrance. I rub it on my chest/torso and the back of my neck, and its there all day long. Incredible.

If you dont much care for incense or amber, there is no way, you should entertain the idea of buying this stuff..because thats more than half of what Sahara Noir, brings to the table. And NOTHING about it, is feminine, per say. Its unisex to the teeth, and fundamentally a man's scent. If you smelled it, you'd think "Ah, Im getting this for my guy".

Beautiful stuff....

I would classify this as an incense fragrance, and its the best one I have or tried. The amber gives it a smooth richness that many good incense frags dont have, like Montale Full Incense, or Comme de Garcon incense series, Kyoto etc.

Nefertiti.

I think this is how her skin would smell like.

For someone who burns incense, this fragrance evokes warm incense, extremely divine and regal. Coming from a S.E. Asian heritage, this fragrance gives me an invisible steel back, like I am a Goddess and a Queen!

Wear it as it is or layer it. This is a another GEM!

I’m back! This is a great perfume for the Fall and Winter.

Was this discontinued? I have a bottle at home nearly full.

Bring it back please! Please!!!

To Daniel /benka666 , to answeryour question as to whether a man can wear this absolutely I would love to smell this on a guy I love to smell it on anyone including myself sadly I don't know why Tom Ford would discontinued such a Divine scent. I found a imitation oil from the website just great fragrances. Com their imitation of descent and ordered it several times however soon thereafter they stopped making it I did email and Facebook message the company several times and was told that they're going to meet with their perfumers and see if they're going to be bringing it back so listen up Sahara noir fans ,if you findthe website just great fragrances. Com I believe it's. Calm and you message them they're also on Facebook asking them to please bring back this scent!I can tell you that I had the real Sahara noir and their oil version of it and side by side they were identical and the oil was very very long lasting just the same if not more so than the original real cent I've also tried several imitation oils that are kind of similar but nothing compared to the oil that I described from just great fragrances. Com and by the way it was about $7 I believe. I would describe Sahara noir as a spicy incense scent and just heaven in a bottle in the bottle is absolutely gorgeous as well thank you very much for discontinuing this mr. Tom Ford shame on you !please bring it back !please!

so what do you all think can a man get away with wearing this even though its technically a female fragrance
always loved resins and resinous smells this one makes me feel of some sort of a mix between zoologist camel and oud wood something of the likes , this desert camel sweeet can almost taste dates there kinda atmosphere
its a very mood enhancing frag as far as i m concerned i find it cozy resinous and sweet and it envelops you and its just superb
i love it.
shame its discontinued i m struggling to find a full botlle online
daniel

I have over 100 fragrances. This is still one of my favorites. It's pungent, strong, not feminine at all. And yet… I'm addicted.

To me this is a very literal fragrance in the sense that it encapsulates the 'aura' of the desert.

The incense is very dry and arid, it invokes the feeling of hot desert wind dancing upon the skin, carrying with it flecks of sand and rich golden sunlight, along with whiffs of sticky balsam and amber.

The labdanum and cypress peek in here and there, with the cinnamon and other spicy notes ringing true. This scent is very brilliant and rather underappreciated, such a shame too.

9.5/10, I would vert much love a limited edition interpretation of this scent for the holidays.

Finally was sent a sample of this one. Very nice. Woody, warm, resinous, skanky . . . Wait, this reminds me of something . . . Oh that's right! It's really close to Olympic Orchid's Dev 2. Complete coincidence that the last 2 scents I sampled/reviewed reminded me of OO scents.

But I'm actually surprised no one else has made that comparison. Of course, that could mean I'm way off base.

It's a very lovely scent, and a bit more user-friendly than Dev 2, but the longevity is much worse. After an hour, the single spray on my wrist has quieted to a whisper.

Nice, but over-rated, I think. Certainly worth a try if you have the chance and you like smoky, dry, somewhat skanky scents.

I know that I have already published a review on this fragrance...I just felt that it is noteworthy to share that this fragrance does extraordinarily well in hot sunny daytime weather.
In fact, I think that it’s sultry nature really shines in the warm sun.
Perhaps the combination of sun kissed skin, the glisten of perspiration and this fragrance Sahara Noir really creates a dynamic synergy that becomes quite magickal.
The less clothing, the better.

Sahara Noir will always be the Crown Jewel of my collection.

As a Roman Catholic, I intuitively am drawn to this fragrance due to the heavy incense notes. Smoky, mysterious and heavy in a positive way. A gorgeous fragrance. If you want an alternative try 'Elixir' by Penhaligon's - another great incense fragrance, almost as good as this, but not quite!

My fav. Granted, I am really just beginning my perfume-journey. I am *so* picky. I'm also usually broke, so it will be a long time before I can afford it again :p

Why I love it: It is one of the most unique smells I've encountered.
It is woody and deep and wonderful, and *almost* for a man, but the slight orange and cinnamon and floral scents beneath pull it *just so* to the feminine side. I am a huge fan of these deep fragrances--I LOVE burning incense, I want to smell like an exotic creature from the woods, LOL. This hit the spot. So often, I'll like a scent, but it is too masculine or ruined (in my subjective opinion) by powder or too much musk. I wish I could find something like it, but lighter for spring and summer and all, but this wish is an improbable one.

One of the best resin-based fragrances with amazing longevity and projection. 9/10

Tom Ford Sahara Noir is probably the best-known resin-dominant fragrance from the brand apart from Amber Absolute. Sahara Noir involves a variety of resins--described as amber, frankincense, benzoin, and labdanum--and in so doing facilitates a varied resinous experience. The fragrance is roughly equal parts smoky, animalic, and sweet. Often resin-dominant fragrances are accompanied by a strong woody component, for example, or lean toward the smoky, sweet, or animalic sides, but Sahara Noir is reasonably balanced; it's a bit of each.

There are other elements, too—fresh bergamot mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit blossom and orange blossom—that create a bright opening and sort of acidic vibe throughout much of the life of the fragrance, as well as some other heartier contributors that I unfortunately do detect a lot of, like tobacco, black pepper, patchouli, oakmoss, and leather.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a nice winter option and a good performer; though its projection is not boastful as far as distance, Sahara Noir has an obvious density that creates a fairly pungent effect within a foot or so. It’s good value, in that respect. I have only the 50ml bottle and feel fine with that, though I believe it comes in a larger bottle as well.

Overall, the balance of the various resinous elements is very good, but still not as subtle or elegant as in, say, Benjoin 19, the Le Labo Moscow City Exclusive, which is similarly balanced (though a little more woody than smoky) but seems to fit together more neatly. Granted, the retail pricing of Benjoin 19 is several times that of Sahara Noir. I believe Sahara Noir is now discontinued, though, but it used to retail for roughly $125 for 50ml or so. If you enjoy resinous fragrances, it’s certainly worth tracking down a sample/decant of, as it seems to be a favorite of many. I’m glad I have a bottle but it’s not among my very favorite resinous fragrances.

7 out of 10

في البداية لا أحب أن أترجم الإسم ليكون "الصحراء السوداء" أو المعتمة
ولكن لعله يليق به اسم "ليل الصحراء"
عدد قليل من الناس من يحبون الصحراء، وعدد أقل هم من يحبونها عن معرفة..
من يعشقون الصحراء حقيقة ستجدهم يفضلونها على هيئتها الطبيعية بعيدا عن وجود أي أثر للتدخل البشري.
رمال فسيحة ناعمة مسحتها يد الرياح فأحالتها لما يشبه أمواج البحار حينما تقترب من الشطآن.
قمم وسهول، أحجار وصخور، وبعض من آثار ساكنيها، مبعثرة بمنتهى الدقة والعناية.
الصحراء نهارا.. أفق فسيح بلا نهاية، سيحملك على تأمل الكون كله وأنت واقف في مكانك.
ولكنها ليلا.. غوص في أسبار النفس والذات لما هو أبعد من نجوم السماء.
--------------
حينما استنشقت عبق هذا العطر لأول مرة
رجع بي الزمان سريعا إلى أن وقفت أمام وجهي العاشقين (رمسيس الثاني وزوجه نفرتاري "جميلة الجميلات")
وهي قصة حب تكاد تفوق روعتها كل ما عرفته البشرية من قصص العاشقين
إنه رحلة ليلية لهذا الجيش الذي لا يهاب أحدا.
البداية ستكون مع طقوس الحرب الملكية من أحد أكبر المعابد المصرية القديمة، لمنح هذا الجيش وقائده الأذن بالتحرك محملا بقوة النصر.
ولكن هيهات أن تُغيِّبَ قوةُ وعنفوان هذه المراسم العلنية طقوسَ ومراسمَ هذا الوداع الخاص بين هذين الحبيبين.
أو أن تمحو قوة عبارات هذا النص:
أنت أيها الفارسُ الأصيل
أنت الذي لا يخشى المستحيل
يا من أتيت بأسودِك من النيل
اضرب بيمينك فعدوك يهابُ منك قسوة الصليل
وأطلق عنان خيلك ليملأ ليلنا كله صهيلا
سيد قادش النبيل ألق بسهامك فإذ ظلامُ سمائنا يستنير
ذكراك في قادش ستبقى مادام الزمان وإن شاء الزمانُ الرحيل
وستشرق شمسُك على تلالها لتطارد غروب أعدائك الهزيل
هيهات أن تمحو هذه القوة رقة هذا الوداع الخاص الذي همست به شفتا رمسيس، ولم يحفر على جدران المعابد:
حبيبتي..
حينما يعود جيشنا إلى الوطن مظفرا بالنصر
سأعود أنا إليك حبيبتي متوجا بالشوق
فأنت "صاحبتي الجميلة، ومحبوبتي التي لا مثيل لها، جميلة جميلات الدنيا، ملكة الفتنة والجمال، جميلة المحيا، وسيدة الدلتا والصعيد"
ويبدأ الجيش في المسير، لتهب هذه الأبخرة البخورية "البلسمية – الراتينجية – العودية"، شديدة الحسية والترف والقوة خارجة من المعبد لتدفع هذا الجيش دائما إلى حيث ينتظرهم المجد.
تفوح من حول أعناقهم ما قلدتهم به الزوجات من عقود الفل والورود.
وينبعث من أنوف خيولهم رائحة تشق المدى لتسابق الرياح بعبق "السرو" رمز التفاؤل والحياة
لا أعلم كم مكث الجيش في سيره..
وكم استغرقت هذه الرحلة..
ولكنهم في النهاية قد عادوا نهارا..
ينقشون على جدران معبد "أبو سمبل" رسوم النصر والمجد.
أما رمسيس فلقد عاد ليبني لمحبوبته نفرتاري معبدا خاصا "حتحور"، مواجها لأبي سمبل، ولينقش هذه العبارة على جدرانه:
"من أجل أحب زوجاتي قمت ببناء هذا المعبد"
وفي النهاية يجلس إلى جوارها في أبي سمبل مخاطبا شمس النهار
"ألا فلتشرقي أيتها الشمس، ولتنيري وجه محبوبتي"

This fragrance should have been marketed towards men, the clove, cinnamon and frankincense notes make it quite masculine

A hybrid between Tom Ford's Amber Absolute and John Varvatos Oud. Absolutely amazing. Wish they would bring this one back.

Beautiful, classy, hot, dry and reeking sexily of very dominant frankincense. Intensely aromatic and to me, perfectly unisex BUT ONLY for those of any gender who like their resins heavy and on the almost-bitter, very punchy side, rather than milder and sweeter. Gorgeous spicing redolent of only the best stalls in the market, with the sourer notes held well in balance. Much more heavily 'oriental' in feel than even some of the other warmer or spicier end of Tom Ford's offerings. Projection and longevity both rock solid. It has real charisma.

I heard its legend and sought it out via some pretty unsavoury corners of eBay; dodging several clearly fake bottles now selling for astronomical prices I got hold of a small and genuine decant. No disappointment whatsoever: I can smell very clearly why it got so famous and I'm as sad as anyone that it got discontinued. However: don't lose hope, because the one thing this ISN'T, which its reputation might suggested to me that it was, is "unique" or "like nothing else". It's actually pretty much like several other frankincense-dominant hits like Avignon or Black Cashmere or Profvmvm Roma Olibanum. To me, most of all, it smells like an almost-twin of Atelier des Ors' Larmes du Desert - which is even more spare and rugged and outdoorsy, and also expensive, but still in production. So if you're mourning Sahara Noir and can't find anything like it, try those... and if you ever get to pick up remaindered, partially used or very cheap (but genuine) Sahara Noir, do jump on the chance. But I can't feel it would be worth fetishising and dedicating loads of money or time to hunt out at vintage-premium prices. Other shimmering plutocrats' frankincense palaces can be found.

Epic and ultra-sexy. I have no idea how anyone can call this a woman’s perfume. And it’s fragrances like this that keep my favorites in constant rotation, LOL. Just when I think I’ve found 5 solid favs, along comes a scent that blows the doors off what I thought was protected and immovable.

In my opinion, Ford’s best perfume.

The opening is such a blast of Christmas Mass incense. It's my scent of the day for Christmas Eve, and has sent me on my way in the most festive of moods!

Why has this been discontinued!? Easily one of the best TF fragrances. I suspect sales were not great due to the “For Women” marketing as this is a truly unisex fragrance (if anything leaning masculine). I know most men would not have the guts to buy a women’s fragrance even if it was the best thing they had ever smelt. If this was a private blend it would be one of the best selling.

Incense and a massive labdanum accord combine with cinnamon, clove and orange to create something almost Christmas-like (as the reviewer below points out)

Dusty, smokey and drier than sand on a hot desert day. There also seems to be some oud. Very little florals to speak of, but there does seem to be a bit of rose de mai in there along with a fresh, non-indolic jasmine. Frankincense, also

Having received a very odd decant of SN recently (not SN), I went on a mission to rediscover the real thing in its entirety.

Sahara noir is a spicey, deep golden Frankincense fragrance. It is dry yet waxy. It is rich, yet by no means dense, there is light and air.
I get plenty of cinnamon spice to begin, green cypress and a bitter orange, smoke, combined to give me quite a yuletide feel in fact. as it dried down, it heads pretty much straight to the heart and base notes side by side.

it is not a sweet amber (labdanum, vanilla, benzoin), this is not amber centred. it is not straight up incense either (or is it - I am today reading about Frankincense, to gather that the facets i perceive in this, are pretty much those of Frankincense).

the greens cut through the balsams and provide a balance to me, allowing the incense to shine through without being too smokey or engulfed in ambery sweetness. there is nothing sharp. what makes this so enjoyable for me is that none of the green, wood, resin, incense, bitter orange, spice, "amber" domineer.

Though no way as sweet or as fleeting as Penhaligon's Elixir, there is that yuletide thing going on - i can't smell ginger ale in this thankfully. I am not smelling the sweet herbal amber, to which others are comparing this, of Ambre Sultan. There isn't the the creamy, clove, dark brown, almost nutty aura of DK Black Cashmere (of which other comparisons have been made).

I would not say I am particularly a Tom Ford fan, but I find this scent really very compelling and is my favourite incense fragrance so far. (I am yet to test Avignon.)

SN captures its components together within an enveloping meditative elixir.

longevity and projection are above average. it wears off skin after about 7 hours, which is fine by me. Amber Sultan stays on my skin for 24 hours for example, a longevity I find a bit disconcerting. So not a monster on me, but unless I am going wild with my 28 La Pausa, I only ever do one or two sprays of any perfume.

I sold two unopened bottles of this stuff last year, purely because of my indifference to the Tom Ford fragrance hype and formed a picture based on the reviews on here and I have to say, I now regret not hanging onto them. this stuff is captivating.
note to self: must sniff some real Frankincense.

I wish I could smell what the rest of you are describing. Sadly, I'm only getting subtle cedar and beeswax. Love TF but CDG's Avignon and Guerlain's Encens Mythique remain my favorite incense scents, for now...

Where do I start? I am reminded of my time in Jordan! The heatwaves over the sand and the palms failing to shield you from the unforgiving sun. There's the smell of dates, hummus and goat cheese mixed with tobacco and sweat. So anyway, this is beyond glorious. I just sprayed some on, generously mind you, and layered it with a shot of Black Orchid and Diptyque Oud Palao. I smell like a Catholic church, dirty hippie and Jordanian woman combined, but I don't care. It is Friday night in hot, HUMID Tampa Bay area in Florida, and in 30 mins, this blend of olfactory overload awesomeness is going to hit the streets of St Pete. :-)

I can’t get past the frankincense. 12 years of Catholic schools came back to haunt me. (Back in the old days when the nuns would, out of nowhere, smack you in the back of the head if they didn’t like your hair.) Talk about scents evoking memories.
I’ve been on the hunt for a rich, spicy fragrance, this isn’t it for me.

Truly magnificent.
Exquisite.
Perfection....

Magick in a bottle.....

I’m certain there is a genie in there....
Granting wish after wish.

It takes you to far away places...

Impossible to describe...
That’s how you know it’s excellent

Sahara Noir is the most glorious incense perfume I have ever come across. Catholic midnight mass meets sensuous amber and magic occurs. I wish with all my heart this had not been discontinued. As it is, I am saving every drop in my golden bottle for those special occasions when I am in desperate need of balance and inner peace. This is medicine for the soul.

Tom Ford said: "Middle Eastern culture has an extraordinary appreciation for the luxurious, emotional and memorable qualities of fragrance; perfume is worn there in a way that feels very familiar to me"

Palestinian lady here.
I agree Mr. Ford. thank you. When it comes to western companies creating Arab scents I usually tend to stay away. The westernized oud note in those is not pure. but this, this is a Masterpiece!You have created the perfect Middle Eastern perfume. The incense here is amazing! Amber is also present. Its a bit expensive but in my opinion worth every penny.

Edit: I do smell a incense in this that reminds me of a church or a mosque. Very beautiful!

exceptional! I wore this and immediately was reminded of the original Black Cashmere by Donna Karan. Though SN has less of the clove that BC has. This is what the inner sanctum of an ancient Egyptian temple would smell like to me.

This is a dry, smoky incense scent. After a medicinal green opening, It's mostly a frankincense, cedar, cypress, balsam and beeswax scent. Sahara Noir is not a sweet incense or a clean, meditative incense. It smells like resinous unguents rubbed onto warm skin. The incense/woods/beeswax and the scent's projection are wonderful, but unfortunately the medicinal herbal scent ruins it a bit for me, and the sour note of oud. I'm not sure if the medicinal herb smell is the calamus or the papyrus, as I'm not sure what these materials smell like. It smells a bit like stale basil and oregano, and persists through most of Sahara's timeline. Similar to the notes that ruin Diptyque L'Eau Trois for me. I find Sahara to be a true unisex scent.

Sahara Noir is an olfactory interpretation of hot desert experience.

Close your eyes, use your imagination, dream your little dream... And then you can find yourself right there, in the desert. The air is warm and dry, sand dunes all around, uninterrupted sunlight up above your head - and in calm weather, a Fata Morgana can be seen. And caravans of camels carrying incense, Egyptian balsam, amber, benzoin & spices, of course.

You can smell it, you can feel it, you can touch it - sandstorms, pebbles, shiny brown desert varnish. And maybe a hospitable oasis with an artesian aquifer is hidden out there, surrounded by date palms and calamus palms.

With Sahara Noir, this beautiful dream may never come to an end.

It's been since last Fall that I wore this, and I never liked it as much as today.
I thought I liked Ambre Sultan or TF Amber Absolute better, but now I see the beauty and complexity of SN ,as never before.
It's more than a great incense fragrance, or it is one of those great incense fragrances that add so much more.
Like Amouage Memoir Man.
Sahara Noir is like a blend of Montale Full Incense and Tom Ford Amber Absolute, ruffly.
Then you have the great green notes here and the beeswax. I see so many twists and turns in this now. The florals appear in and out. It smells like an old attic, with old books, the papyrus perhaps.

Upon application of this wonderful smoky perfume, I had to know what it reminded me of..... got it! Andy Tauer's L'air du desert Marocain but this has more smoky notes and a tad less of the dry amber. Very unique for a T F fragrance who usually stays away from smoky scents. Bring back a great smoky perfume Mr Ford, or bring Sahara Noir back PLEASE. So as far as this being Tom's best scent..... hmm.... that's a HUGE statement as the man's a fukn genius. Oud wood, Noir de Noir, Amber absolute and the list goes on and on are stunning perfumes
I've tried every single private blend ever made except Bois Rouge which is very hard to find! Keep the great ones coming Tom. You don't need to use words like FUCKING fabulous to get my interest or attention
My favourite house, Tom Ford!

Sahara Noir is easily Tom Ford's best scent. And not just in his favourite category, the oriental.

With a ludicrous marketing campaign Sahara Noir was doomed to fail from the beginning, so thank heavens for the vintage market! What was going through their heads when this was brought out, I can't even come to imagine.

This is an incense (frankincense) scent through and through. In fact I waited for ages before writing this review until I could get to try some true incense (the type that is burned, usually in a church) before reviewing this scent. There is little else going on here - it's frankincense from beginning to end and hence the progression is minimal, if it’s even there. Incense, medicinal, meditative and to me the sort of gift a wise man would be carrying on the way to Bethlehem.

Projection and longevity are both nuclear, which makes it a shame that this scent is now discontinued.

For those looking for incense, this should be your starting point and it may well be where you end up staying. It's just a shame this house can't produce anything quite as good and keep it on the shelves.

I just received my sample that I ordered from eBay - granted, I've only had it on for about 5 minutes, but I think I may have to cough up the $150+ for a full bottle of this!

This is gorgeous, a smoky and spicy experience that really transports you to another place and time. I can see how this would be deadly in hot weather, but perfect for cool autumn and winter evenings. My nose is not extremely sophisticated, but the strongest notes I detect are the incense, cinnamon, and cedar.

Sahara Noir opens with a burst of fleeting bitter orange, along with a slightly acrid, dark calamus and Labdanum. Cypress is mentioned in the notes but I dont detect it individually. The heart to me is a rich, dark, vibrant Incense blending with a dry beeswax and papyrus. The incense papyrus blend in this is reminiscent to me of L'Artisan Timbuktu. The base is again a rich blend of balsamic amber, benzoin, and resinous labdanum with some woody nuances from the cedar and oud notes. In summation, I would call this a Balsamic Incense n amber frag.

Projection is strong for the initial hours and being EDP concentration, longevity is excellent as well. 3-4 sprays lasts 10 plus hours on me.

Sahara Noir has been discontinued which I think is a shame. Now this was officially marketed for Women which I think was a little weird. Now dont get me wrong, I personally feel all frags are unisex free to be worn by anybody but this is a composition that is not going to appeal to all women. None of the women among my family or friends, although they liked it on me for the most part, could see themselves wearing it. The Consensus by and large was it was more on the masculine side and because of this, I think Tom Ford would have been better served putting this in the Private Blend Line.

In closing, I would say Sahara Noir is a genuine classic. If you like fragrances like Lutens Ambre Sultan, Tom ford Amber Absolute, Dior's Mitzah ( another discontinued gem) MFK's Grand Soir or the above mentioned Timbuktu,do yourself a favour and do check this out. I am really glad I have it and really enjoy wearing it in cooler weather or for nights out

I sampled this one a few years ago while sniffing Tom Ford Private Blend fragrances and loved it! So much that I brought home a full bottle. Sahara Noir is a terrific incense fragrance is that is warm, dry, and has that sandy-desert feel to it, for sure. I basically get incense, myrrh, oud/woods and a wonderful blend to support the composition. I do sense amber but it's not a fragrance that becomes amber dominant in the dry-down. Instead, this one remains an interestingly mysterious incense scent, which is appropriately named.

Sahara Noir projects well above average and lasts a long time on my skin; 12-hours and counting in most cases. Sahara Noir is similar is some ways to Comme des Garcons Avignon, but only for a moment or two. Then they are two vastly different incense fragrances. Avignon is cool, crisp, clean and ethereal while Sahara Noir is warm, dry, sultry and a little naughty. Sahara Noir is a fragrance one wears while sinning while Avignon is something one wears while confessing their sins.

I envision myself wearing Sahara Noir while enjoying an interlude with Sister Mary Elizabeth (my 6th grade teacher) and Miss Hall (my 3rd grade teacher) who are both wearing Avignon. Needless to say, they are both down on the knees confessing their sins to me. (Lol) There is oud in this fragrance, but don't let that scare you as it plays only a supporting role; it is an elegant and smooth oud much like how Creed uses oud in Royal Oud...certainly not sweet or medicinal.

IMO, Sahara Noir is 75% masculine and I don't feel that most women, in general, would enjoy wearing this one. Most of the sales clerks I asked did not like it, but one absolutely loved it. To me, physically and mentally strong women such as Xena: Princess Warrior can rock this one. Then again, the same can be said about men wearing this fragrance as meek, weak and mild-manner men need not apply it to their skin. Finally, while I do love Avignon, I love Sahara Noir even more. To me, it is a much more interesting and better performing fragrance. It's certainly worth a try.

I adore the smoky, church incense of this and was lucky to get my hands on a bottle. It is such a shame that it was discontinued - I think partly marketing this as a female fragrance (and one in a gold flacon) was the death knell for it. The longevity and sillage are remarkable, and it garners a lot of compliments. I typically spray it conservatively on top of M7 and invariably get asked what I am wearing. Of the other incense fragrances on the mainstream market, like Ensens Satin or Incense & Cedrat, nothing can hold a torch to this.

WoW.......reminds me of Middle East (Saudi Arabia),villas,desert,tents,luxury & shit load of money

I'm going to be the dissenter here and absolutely disagree that this leans heavily masculine. I spray it on and wear it, and cannot imagine this scent on a man. It is smokey and dense, but also very sweet throughout. It may not be "girly", but it doesn't have to be to favor the female end. I guess unisex isn't unreasonable, but to my nose, there are far more masculine leaning scents that are marketed as unisex.

It is very, very memorable. I just wonder how long until we have to pay $300 for a bottle of this. I dread that day!

Do you know that smell that sticks to your clothes and hair after a weekend camping and sitting around a fire? That's exactly how Sahara Noir smells when putting it on - smokey, incense, and full of ash. Sure, it is masculine as heck, but I don't want to put myself through that until the top notes finally fade away.

Gorgeous incense balsamic woody scent, but I have to toot the horn of rouge bunny rouge Embers that one is better in this category. This one is slightly dusty church smelling in a way it may be the beeswax, whereas Embers is more clean peppery fresh. If you love this, please try Embers.

This is very heavy on the resin, cedar and labdanum. Church incense softened but despite listing rose, not sweet (especially in the beginning which is pure smoke and labdanum) and not uplifting as many incense perfumes are for me. This one is church incense, yes but a church that's been abandoned, the scent is still there many years later, a memory of something better. Sturdy, dry and humourless, like a beautiful face that just can't crack a smile under any circumstance.

Such a majestic piece, with a well chosen name. I can actually feel the heat and sunshine and dryness, it is so dry. Beautiful and unique creation. Smoke and woods, all black, dry, dark but at the same time hot... not just warm, hot.

Arabian oil company al aneeq do a copy of this called oud sahara. It's about 4 pounds on amazon. Worth a try for oil lovers

Just sprayed it
Rich, thick and oily frankincense
Resinous and balsamic
Animalic
Must be labdanum and castoreum
From a distance it is more ethereal
Up close it is thick incense smoke
No sweetness at the top
Dark and Gothic
It's not quite how I remembered it
It has sparkles of genius
The wafts of the skin are dreamy:
Close your eyes and you are transported back in time to midnight mass on Christmas day 800 a.D.
Charles Magne has just been crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
You are an illiterate peasant, have no idea of the significance of what you have just witnessed, but know deep down in your soul that the air you are breathing, that perfumed smoke is godly
You are transcending your physical self
Reaching eternal peace from within...
And then SNAP!
You are back in 2016, sitting on the sofa in the lounge next to a bottle of Tom Ford Sahara Noir
Nothing has changed, but you have, you have traveled far and wide all through the hidden genie in the bottle next to you, which you release sparingly with a single puff
You are back in reality and life is normal again, inside you still feel the warmth of Sahara Noir which crackles away on your skin like the distant embers of a fire dying out
You smile.

In fact now you're all talking about it I'm gonna have a squirt because it's so calming I sometimes forget what a masterpiece it is.

CHURCH! That's all you need to know.

@konga It is discontinued from 2015.

Labdanum is huge on this one. Tons of amber and incense as well which create a very dry, oriental/arabic scent. It really conveys the impression of being in the desert smelling the sandy air.
There are also some sweet spices, it shares some similarities with L'air du desert marocain, this is a bit sweeter and more feminine though.

As I have had this fragrance for a while now, I wanted to share with you my killer combination. This has garnered so many compliments I almost feel like I should create my own bottle to sell!

I combine:

Tom Ford - Sahara Noir
Le Labo - Vanille 44
Prada - La Femme (2016)

The result is a balsamic, sweet, woody concoction. Well-balanced. Simply stunning. The KEY is Sahara Noir.

If you can't get your hands on Vanille 44, try Tender Romance.

Kurkdijan's Absolue Pour Le Soir has NO SIMILARITY. Please stop with that. Two very different kinds of balsamic. APLS is much more sour. Actually sold it recently as it wouldn't blend well with anything.

Sahara Noir is a softer balsamic.

@Sophia, you definitely own totally something else. None of your description - ingredients, projection, longevity or accords are from Sahara Noir.

This is amazing and I only love it more every time I wear it. I cannot figure out why is was in the market such a short period of time. I find it far more masculine and just a great scent

Simple and yet beautiful composition around a dominant central labdanum theme. As it happens, labdanum is one of my favourite notes and in Sahara Noir it manages to thrill me from the moment it is sprayed until the time I can no longer detect it on skin (which is to say more than 24 hours later).

I don't understand why it is so rare to come across perfumes such as this when without exaggeration, the recipe has been known since the dawn of time. Even now Sahara Noir is not available to all the sale points of Tom Ford perfumes, it is thus a kind of rarity among his mainstream titles. Apparently people are still intimidated by such "archaic" scents and this fear alone is what usually confines them in the "niche".

Don't buy that "for women" either! There is nothing exclusively feminine about it. Sahara Noir is drier and more powerful than any powerhouse frag aimed for men but I admit it, this is a smart marketing move; to sell something traditionally masculine to the female consumers is a fashion statement by itself.

This scent reminds me of the lines from the song "Desert Rose" by Sting: "I dream of [fire] in the desert sand", "I dream of flames", "shadows play", "this fire burns", ok, I scrambled it a bit, but the line that well defines me: "no sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this" Haha. Just kidding.
Dunno if you've ever been to a desert safari, but late at night in front of a bonfire is the exact picture captured in this scent (at least to me). The dry, warm weather, fire and sands, darkness and shadows, burnt wood and smoke. When you keep staring at the flames in that silence and nothingness with only stars above your head, it just makes you wonder about how small we really are. It has some spiritual effect like no other experience.
I don't really know who the nose of this masterpiece is, but I must say he/she is a real magician. And Tom Ford's taste, flawless as usual.

6/10

Sahara Noir: a type of marble quarried in Tunisia and transported to be used in many churches throughout Europe. Nothing to do with the Sahara Desert. The effect: evocative of religious ceremonies and rituals stemming from the time Song of Solomon was written, evidently Tom Ford researched at length the types of botanicals and resins described in the gardens at the time (aloe being substituted by rosewood). He used those very same botanicals for this creation.

These include frankincense and myrrh, cedar, beeswax, various fruits including raisin and pomegranate, cypress (not sure about the mandrake :D ). How are those incorporated into a fragrance?

At first, a harsh, burning incense note reminiscent of a freshly lit incense stick (you can't help but have a sniff of the smoke, even though your eyes start to water). I get a very dry cedar or sandalwood. Under that is the sweet piney frankincense and the mellow, creamy beeswax. I'm not getting any food or citrus either, but as the fragrance wears on (and the lasting power isn't great but the first hour is enormous sillage and you will sniff yourself!) it kind of poops out into a sizzling pile of dead lilies on the piano which you forgot to dump after last weekend's party.

My thought on this: you will smell like an ancient eastern woman (or man) of stature, when animals were sacrificed to Isis or to Jehovah and incense burned in the temples and kings and queens were carried in litters with 1,000 goats and 50 bulls. There would have been rich gardens and soils containing corn, dates and plenty of merchants and crafters making fine jewelry and silken cloth. You may cause others cronoclasm, and perfume haters a headache but I doubt you'll do anything other than ADORE Sahara Noir. (This is based on a purchased decant and I will be buying a bottle!)

It's hard to put words on how lovely this is. I've never been a church goer, so I can't compare it to that. But I have tested many other incense fragrances, and they have all fallen short. This on the other hand is just right. To me this is more than just a fragrance. It's something almost spiritual about it. I've had a decant for years, but now that it's rumoured to be discontinued I bought a bottle of eBay. This is just too good to be without.

= MONTALE FULL ENCENSE

This is a real copy of Black Cashmere by DNKY. Both of them are unique and quite strong to make people feel you meters away in a ball room.

It comes out of the gate very firey and smokey at first spray with a bitter orange sweetness that reminds me of a watered down (not in a bad way) Versace Oud Noir mixed with Terre De Hermes. It's a beautiful opening.

Settles within 15 minutes into a melange of resins and incense and cypress tree notes. I am not getting very much oud out of it but that's okay because the blend does come off as complex and resinous and the barest hint of gourmand around the edges. I also detect an absinthe-anise note that isn't listed but that may be the way the patchouli mixes with the other notes. It's nice.

Into the dry-down it reminds me of a sweeter, less agressive Tom Ford Man Extreme and to my nose smells of old incense that has been burned hours ago and has settled into the open pore woods of some exotic Cafè. I now get the hi ts of cinnamon and the beeswax comes through beautifully. I swear I detect silver frankincense and a touch of ylang-ylang which is a welcome balance to the beeswax's earthy waxy scent.

This is a masterpiece and could have easily been part of the private blend line.

Scent 9/10
Sillage 5/10 I expected more from a Tom Ford but it's great for indoors and smaller group settings.
Projection 5/10 same comment as how I feel about it's sillage. Becomes a skin scent after two hours on me.
Longevity 7/10. Not as potent as Tom Ford Man Extreme but has great lasting power all the same.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely.

This smells exactly like the incense used in Catholic churches - exactly. It is rather strong on first application but does settle nicely for the rest of the day. I was horrified when I found out it had been discontinued, however, Armani Prive Bois D'Encens is very similar and I'll be purchasing a bottle seconds after my last spray of Sahara Noir.

Catholic Mass, 10000%

And it is DIVINE

Sahara Noir is the lust child of Tabu, Samsara and the original Poison from a ménage à trois in the 80's.

This is so similar to incense that it drives my mother crazy . think of it as heavy smoke first and then creamy toward the end .

Not much I can say that has not already been said by my peers, but one thing I do know for sure is it certainly grows on you. My first time putting it on I hated it merely because the smokiness at the start tends to be overpowering if you are not expecting it .

After you sit with it for a while it turns into this delicious dreaming goddess almost Gourmand scent you tend to get addicted to . and I believe that's what happened to me . I bought a full bottle from a tester. They got me.

One of my favorites and absolutely unisex despite what others have written. Very good layering scent as well, forms a perfect foundation for other fragrances, especially spicy or sweet ones. Luckily for me I don't detect too much amber as people have compared this one to SL ambre sultan which I find too spicy for my liking. This reminds me more of armani prive bois d'encens on my skin especially in the opening.

It might not be listed but I get a lot of beautiful, well blended frankincense which seems to be the entire base of this fragrance. The other notes are simply complimentary. Sweetness starts to form in the drydown as the scent warms up on the skin. But this isn't a sticky, amber sweetness that I actually detest. This is a pleasant, meditative woodsy sweetness with a very subtle hint of cinnamon and vanilla.

This is a very voluptuous fragrance- heavy bodied, plush and warm. It's also smoky, seductive and sexy but still retaining a lightness to it. I don't understand why this was discontinued, perhaps to the western nose this is way too much or reminiscent of Sunday mass.

A must try for any incense lover.

Right up my alley. Unisex, for sure. Reminds me a great deal of Serge Luten's Fille en Aiguilles, which smells like a balsam fir with resins and incense. This fragrance has the same coniferous tree scent mixed with a dry, earthy resin. There's a very light sweet smell in the base. Now that I smell them side by side, they aren't exactly the same but in the same "family" of smells. They could be siblings. This would be perfect year-round, is quite potent (1-2 sprays max) and lasts forever. I can see why this was discontinued as it has a very niche feel and was marketed at women. I think it would have been better suited as a masculine or unisex.

I love it best when worn with a sweet gourmand such as Bonbon.

Just a touch of Sahara to 'dirty up' the sweets!

With Bonbon Couture to be precise. It's richer caramel, with smokiness, rather than fruitiness, and Sahara adds a nice 'unhygienic' edge to it.

Years ago, twenty years ago in fact, I traveled to Venice and in a little perfume shop I found Etro's Messe de Minuit. I had been curious about it and really wanted to buy it but in the heat of July, the incence of Messe de Minuit was a bit too much for me. It felt more like "Interview with the Grand Inquisitor". Waaaaay to churchy. So I passed, but always regretted it.

So 2 years ago, I finally bought Messe de Minuit, but with the reformulation, it now smells like Pez-candy-with-incense.

(Yes, I'm getting to the Sahara Noir part)
Today I received my bottle of Sahara Noir. I ordered it online, never having tried it before hand. Wow! It brings back the memory of that July in Venice and of that very churchy original Messe de Minuit.

Since my tastes have changed over the years, I am in Heaven!
So happy to have bought Sahara Noir

Fragrance Review For Sahara Noir Tom Ford

Top Notes: Bitter Orange Calamus Cypress Labdanum

Middle Notes: Jasmine Rose Incense Papyrus Beeswax Cinnamon

Base Notes: Labdanum Benzoin Vanilla Cedar Amber Oud Resins

Another Tom Ford masterpiece. This time it's an Oriental. I'm a big fan of Oriental fragrances and the accords of cypress and papyrus drew my attention. I also wondered whether or not the oud would be heavy or similar to other ouds I've enjoyed. This is a Western version of an Oriental. At the first whiff I thought: unisex. This is not as much an oud as I thought it would be. What it is turns out to be a richly layered benzoin and amber combination with woodsy notes. This does evoke the Sahara. I smell a camel caravan carrying perfume oil, spices and incense/frankincense. It's a procession of camels and courtiers of the Queen of Sheba who is on her way to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon who will eventually hand over the Ark of the Covenant to her people. This is an exotic and golden fragrance. It smells like gold that has been melted into myrrh. If you love incense the incense here is by far the biggest note. Another golden color comes from the honey or beeswax note. The result is oily, balsamic, like a true Oriental scent from the Middle East but the variety of scents give it a very wearable Western perfume vibe. There's rose and jasmine, beautifully feminine and floral, there's cypress and two notes of labdanum so it's still quite floral and flowery enough for women to wear. Citrus, Resins and vanilla give it that Shalimar touch so if you like Shalimar you should like this. A very well made modern Oriental. Bravo Tom Ford.

Un parfum unisexe vue qu'il contient du Oud surtout, y'a aussi des notes d’Amber, incense, de cannelle, rose et vanille qui ressort un peu plus que les autres, on sent qu'il est plutôt féminin mais reste acceptable pour le porter autant qu'homme, il dure bien, un peu fort au début mais change aussi vite vers un coté plus mystère et sénior... le mélange de bois de cèdre, patchouli et le cuire lui donne plus de noblesse aussi

Definitely not for everyone, but those who appreciate incense, myrrh, cedar, frankincense and incense will love this one. It smells like a Catholic Church during Christmas. Smokey, medicinal, and ancient. I find this one extremely masculine and wearable by only a small fraction of females, depsite being marketed as a female fragrance - probably the reason why this amazing fragrance crashed and burned. Sadly it's been discontinued, but fortunately Incense Pure by Sonoma Scent Studio smells almost identical, if not even richer.

I loved this scent enough to buy. (Okay, I buy a lot of perfume...and there goes my pension and my 401s), but I love it enough to deviate from my Serge Lutens and a host of others). As I read the reviews, I'm puzzled by the "gender" discussions; Sahara really seems to polarize on whether it's "female" or "male." As a middle-aged woman, this imho is a unisex perfume (I think they all are)--but personally, I see it as more feminine because incense and the 60s 70s blur with my associations of women then that smelled like headshops--all amber, patch, incense scents, and to my "scent memories"--sophisticated. This is a really well done frankincense-amber-incense-cedar/oudish vanilla. I love the rose that beats throughout this until the end of day. Looking at the (purported) ingredients, I do not smell as much of the bitter orange, or perhaps it's just beautifully blended with the cedar-wood aspects. The ingredient list seems fairly "true" in this review. This is a well-crafted and balanced perfume, that walks a tighrope between bitter-astringent-dry, and warm-sweet-smooth. Might be a bit much in the summer/day, but I love it enough to keep in permanent rotation for all the other times. Wouldn't wear to a business meeting, but definitely would wear to a date (and pretty much everywhere else including grocery shopping).

this big hairy dude can be simply used as a base for any other colognes to just turn them into masculine,even the sweet chicks ! as an individual its a rouge woody smokey olibanum for a classic guy !!!

Update: Many incense fragrances are linear, like Hinoki, Full Incense etc. What draws me back to Sahara Noir is the complexity. It is more a amber or Labdanum frag, but the ashen incense is there. So high marks for complexity, it doesn't get borring.

My bottle of Sahara Noir arrived.
So here is my biggest surprise... I was expecting a churchy Incense, but what I get is 90% Tom Ford "Amber Absolute" for the opening, then the frankincense tries to push through and show itself, and does eventually more so than Amber Absolute; which is a beautiful, high quality Labdanum scent.
I heard "Sahara Noir" called an Ambered Incense, I think it would be more accurate to call it a slightly smoky, incensy amber.
The opening is perhaps most masculine or strong. The labdanum and incense are beautiful, but raw, stark, woody notes, then the soft vanela beautifully blends in with nice green notes, such as papyrus, calamus, cypress, to lighten up the smoke, hints of Rose and beeswax. A beautiful fragrance, I will be looking for deals to stock up...

I totally agree that this was a remaking of TF's Amber Absolute with the frankincense amped up a notch.
But now "Amber Absolute" was relaunched, and this sadly discontinued. I like this better than TF Amber Absolute, it's more versatile, and I like the frankincense. Time to stock up now, as I think the prices will be climbing. A great buy at under $100/ 50ml.

I discovered CdG "Avignon", one of the churchy Incense frags that started many fine variations, such as Sahara Noir by Perfumer Rodrigo Floris- Roux; "Avignon", is very novel, as it closely replicates the Catholic Incense, but it lacks aromatic freshness, depth, and longevity. So I studied the alternatives as I like dominant Incense fragrances. I looked at Montale's " Full Incence", but Sahara Noir sounded the best. One pro fragrance blogger, (Kafkaesque) said it's a remaking of Tom Ford's discontinued Amber Absolute, now relaunched, which I love. Sahara Noir is allso compared to my favorite spicy amber, "Ambre Sultan".

TF Amber Absolute allso has a frankincense/ Amber duet, but the Amber is dominant. With Sahara Noir, the frankincense and Labdanum are about 50/50. Sahara Noir gets more smoky as it progresses.

I am a Christian who has become a fragrance enthusiast and interested in Incense in the Bible. In Exodus 30:34 God gave Moses the reciepe for the sacred Incense to be used in the Temple worship. It had four notes, Galbanum, Frakincense, Labdanum resin, and one unknown ingredient. So Frakincense is the oldest religious Incense note in history perhaps.
The perfumer R Roux, had this in mind. He wanted this fragrance to be built around Frankincense, the other notes were inspired from the Bible also. He said he read the old testament book, "Song of Solomon". He tried incorporating the botanical essences mentioned in that book of love, such as rose, papyrus, cedar, etc...

The gold bottle is for one, I read, representing, Amber.
The name Sahara Noir, Flores-Roux mentioned, "is funnily allso the name of black marble used in the construction of Saint Peter Basilica in Rome". He said, "funnily", I think meaning it was a coincidence that the name, " Sahara Noir" which is to represent, North African and Middle Eastern ingredients, was also the name of a black marble.

So I get mostly a great high quality woody, Amber/ Labdanum with a nice aromatic frankincense note, the other notes are nice nuances that you have to look for a bit, in the dry down today, the rose and beeswax began to emerge, from the midst of the golden labdanum.
I enjoy the complexity of Sahara Noir, it takes time to discover the hidden nuances and accords.

PS, This is very much like a great honeyed amber frag by MFK, Absolue Pour Le Soir, at about 1/2 the price.

Rating: 9.25/10

God bless you. John 3:16.

So sad I didn't get a bottle of this before it was retired.
At first it smelled like being in a church or barn. It was stange but still alluring.
When it dried down it was sexy and mysterious. So spicy and unique. Great night time scent.
Darrrrnnn.

Resin. Resin everywhere... Definitely not a parfume you can wear anywhere, anytime. Plus I used to pour parfumes on myself like water, even Black Orchid. But not this one. Only one spray wondering whether that's too much :D

For those in the u.k this is still available on Amazon for £60 for 50ml I've just ordered a back up bottle

So, I bought this for my sister who is trying to find a good replacement for her Lush "Icon" and I decided to try it out before I hand it over, because that's just what siblings do...

Anyway, at first I wasn't impressed. It seemed very one-dimensionally cedar to me. Top notes were non-existant. Then this thing jumped straight into the middle and base notes. Very woody, the cedar and oud and papyrus are very noticeble, then there's the sweeter layer of labdanum, cinnamon, and beeswax with just the tiniest hint of rose and jasmine.

Can't pick up any vanilla -thank god, because I'm allergic- nor any amber. The "smokey incense" to me smells more like an incense stick before you burn it, so the resin and benzoin are very non-invasive, which usually isn't the case. I might be in love with this perfumer's command of balance!

Very nice, very sneaky perfume. She's mysterious! Like old books and treasure chests...

Also, this should be listed as unisex in my opinion. It's not strongly leaning one way or the other.

I'm in love. Sahara Noir be mine forever. I love incense, smoke, and orientals overall, this has the full package. Enter a Catholic church at the height of Mass, the air is thick with exquisitely scented incense, there is a holy atmosphere, close your eyes and feel spiritual. This fragrance transcends the everyday and takes you to a higher place, whatever you want that to be.

Genevieves really? I can't see it on TF online site and almost no stores have it so I thought it was discontinued...

This is my second review, but I am so sorry that this is discontinued. I have always found Sahara Noir very feminine. It is a matter of body chemistry. On me people get honey, cinnamon, incense. Someone even told me it smells like candies, which is weird 'cause not even TM Angel smells like candies on me. My BF adores it and finds it soooo sexy. That's why I need looots of back-ups.

@tdwctdwc thanks for reading my review and sharing info...Highly appreciated.

Its sad when a demise of a great scent has nothing to do with the scent itself and everything to do with how it was marketed. Tom Fords Sahara Noir is such a victim. There are rumors that it has been discontinued and it has been pulled from Macy's Flagship store in NYC so this may be true but when you smell it its hard to understand why this gem is being kicked to the curb. Well...until you realize a few things.

First, who at Tom Ford decided this should be marketed towards women only? Men wearing Iris based frags is one thing but the idea that most women would want to smell like this is pushing it. It is far from a sexy type of fragrance and I can't see an occasion where a women may want to smell like this. It's just way too masculine.

The name describes the smell perfectly. That, the team at Tom Ford got right. It's a dark scent and is as dry as the Sahara. Which leads me to another strange choice by the house which was putting this fragrance in a golden bottle. Was that supposed to represent the blazing sun or something? Or is it simply using a color which represents the brand which seems to be gold, black and white? There are a few men who would buy a scent marketed towards women if they like the smell and can get away with it but that tends to be a verrrrrrry small minority of men and putting a scent men could like in a tasseled golden bottle doesn't help. So the bottle while interesting is just way too feminine.

So Sahara Noir ended up being too masculine smelling for women but packaged too "pretty" to attract the more adventurous type of guy. Who was going to buy this fragrance? It was set up for failure out the gate. To me that's a shame because as a designer fragrance it is a top shelf fall scent. It has "special occasion pickup" and "night out frag" written all over it.

This is no question a scent inspired by Middle Eastern perfumery and It's blended beautifully also. Orientals are awesome to me but I really like an oriental which doesn't rely on being overly sweet and this is that type of scent. If u are a fan of dark resinous frags that doesn't rely on OUD this is a homerun try for you. One thing about it though is because it leans on the classier side of things its not as in your face as some may hope. If u hoped this would be a beastly scent you may be disappointed depending on your skin type. While it lasts on my skin for 6-7 hours before dying it doesn't project tooo strong after the first hour which is fine for me. This is a fragrance which if done too strong may offend and be too overbearing. It was a wise choice to play this scent more close to the skin. It may have been reformulated though so maybe this has been tamed but either way it may be one of the best designer incense based frags ever made.

Simply put: A highly underrated, Private Blend worthy designer scent killed by horrible marketing.

8/10- Smells great, performs decently, lacks versatility (I would only wear it in the fall) and isn't a crowd pleaser per se. U would smell unique to most people and you will stand out from a crowd. A lot of people will smell this and just not get it but every now and then a person will walk up to you and praise it for the gem it is.

YouTube Channel- Simply Put Scents

I sprayed a bit of this on myself while sampling Black Orchid. I own a shite-ton of incense scents already, so at the store, I dismissed the possibility of purchasing yet another one.

Yet I had to exist afterwards, smelling this glorious, dry, resinous incense on my wrist, and longing for it. This is a beautiful incense; it affected me very visually, almost giving me visions of deserts.

Since then, the Moon’s heard jackals howling among the deserts of thyme, as Rimbaud said. I hope this is still available.

Update: I finally purchased a bottle, and I'm so glad I did. It was expensive, but I consider it worth the money. Beautiful scent.

Sahara Noir - Finally got around to sampling this fragrance today. Upon application there is a heavy scent of labdanum, cypress, something spicy. Not quite what I expected but it develops into a dry woody incense fragrance. Though I find this exquisite and intriguing I am not quite sure where I would wear this. Sillage is huge and longevity is superb.

This one had potential but... this fragrance has a sour note that destroys it. It would have been amazing without that. That being said, Jo malone Incense & Cedrat is the fragrance that I think smells similar but without the sour note and comes off a bit smoother.

This scent is amazing! I ordered a sample because i didn't want to blind buy it. Honestly at first I didn't know if I hate it or love, it is so bizarre. I had to ask numerous people what they think about it on my skin, some said it's repulsive, others liked it. The frankincence is STRONG in this one! And to anyone from my culture this is something strongly associated with the incense they burn in Orthodox churches. So at first I was not sure: Do I like smelling like church? This type of heavy oriental frags are not my typical go-tos, it is heavy, heady and very unique and engaging, not something everyone would like. However, I couldn't stop sniffing myself wearing this, it is literally hypnotizing. It really reminds me of hot dry desert, exotic oriental spices and is VERY seductive, even perverse. I am not sure this is ok for day wear, but at night..very exciting!!I think I will buy the full size after all, I just can't stop thinking about this frag and its uniqueness. I can see it very well as unisex too.

UPDATE: Now that I have the full size bottle and have worn it a lot lately I have to say that this gem has one downside: it doesn't last as long as I wish and expected it would: it is gone from my skin on the 3rd or 4th hour, on my clothes it performs much better, maybe 10-15 hours? How are you people getting more than 4 hours out of this on your skin, I want to know?! My skin is a bit dry overall, still I wanted this to last longer.. It's a pity, because it is such a beautiful and unique (and pricey too!) fragrance! I noticed that on my clothes and after a few hours it reminds me of DSquared He Wood Rocky Mountain (love this mens frag so much!) - that wet, smoky wood aspect of it. Plus a wee bit of sandalwood trace.

After the first sniff of this I was horrified! It smells just like Rosin. The resin for industrial use. I tried giving it a couple of hours, hoping for some miracle change in the dry down, but to no avail.

This was way too strong for me. Like woodsmoke hitting me in the face full force, only with a sharper punch. I did not like it at all. It seems more like man-perfume to me, which isn't bad, I guess I like more feminine scents for myself.

I got this as a sample, and did not like it. While I love Black Orchid, this totally turned me off. Way too spicy and strong on me. I think it is a man-perfume for sure. Just had too much smoke and incense hitting me in the face from the git-go!

Devin by Aramis to me!

It has been discontinued!! a few different Tom Ford counter reps in different areas confirmed it! Gutted!

Knew I had to have this when I tried it, extremely heavy, spicy. There's no sweetness, vrery strongly woody/incense . No need to spray more than once, the longevity is excellent.

Sahara Noir is one of the most easily wearable incense scents I've come across, since the smoke is balanced out with balsamic notes that are dry and earthy with just enough sweetness to balance out all the smoky dryness. This feels like a stronger version of L'Air du Desert Marocain, and both perfumes give the impression that there is expensive dark chocolate, even though it's all in my imagination. Unfortunately I can't wear this. People keep telling me I smell like a church.

Even though this is marketed as a female fragrance, I think a man can pull this off

i do not think it is discontinued.
just very difficult to find,but the distribution with this brand always makes the stuff had to get hold of.
UPDATE as of 8.16
It is discontinued(he makes them good but not for long)
As to the scent the description is easy,this smells like genuine Frankincense.

Yes, if you are UK-based it is still around, £100 for 50ml is usual but you might get cheaper online...

Ranya - It is still available in the UK. I saw it today in John Lewis. Didn't notice the price I'm afraid.

This reminds me of the clove cigarettes that I used to smoke years ago (even though clove isn't actually listed as a note). It also reminds me of having a fire in the fireplace in the same room as a fir Christmas tree. It's incense but with a smoky dryness to it instead of a rich sandalwood/vanilla note being very prominent. It is absolutely unisex!

I am aware that this description doesn't sound all that appealing in a fragrance because I thought the same thing. Initially I was surprised, blindsided even like when a monster in a horror movie grabs you and you weren't ready for it. (I mean absolutely all of that in a good way.)

I think I might love it! It's a high risk for overdose fragrance which can leave you hating it forever if you overdo it so remember a dab will do ya.

ETA: Olibanum (Frankincense) isn't listed as a note here but that could fall under the ambiguous "incense" note. I do smell it at first but the drydown is much woodier than straight up Olibanum. Mystery resins indeed.

EDIT AGAIN: The description has been updated, I was right about the Frankincense being in there (Orpur not the cheaper kind)

Sahara noir is Christmas mass in a bottle. There's really no other way to describe it. It's smokey,sweet, incense like and oh so amazing. This is a special occasion only perfume. It has that spicy sweetness of ginger ale. A masterpiece from tom ford.

On my skin, Sahara Noir opens as a quite literal interpretation of campfire oud. It stays that way for a bit, then begins to calm. Later stages are very soft on my skin, and develop a bit of a fruity smell. Over all I very much like the scent, but because the smoke is so acrid I'm not sure I'd wear it very much. At home, for pleasure, absolutely! But out... I tend to like my smoke a little softer, rounded, and mysterious, and the smoke here is quite masculine and sharp. I'm sure this is at least in part an issue of skin chemistry. I'd say this is a solid like for me. Fantastic fragrance, but perhaps a bit too ambitious for me to pull off.

"can a man wear this?"
Definitely YES!

Smells like thousand year-old rugs that have been lying in a basement of some old monatesry. Woody, musty, dirty-animalic, hamster cage, and a slight hint of that zesty citrus... this is beautiful!

Sahara in my opinion is the quintessential fragrance out of TF collections. I absolutely ♥♥♥♥♥ the aroma of incense, burning wood. This juice has such an effect which makes you want to smell it all day. Aside the connection to the Catholic church aroma, it has a very distinct strong vib perfect during the late fall throughout the winter months. A complex blend yet simple in aroma...classy and adventurous.
This fragrance has nothing to worry about on Longevity and Silage.
Finally thoughts,
Tom Ford.....Bravo for this creation! Just like the bottle it's pure gold and is PHENOMENAL 10/10

can a man wear this?

So here it is, my next buy. Lawrence's Of Arabia perfume. Twin-sister of old formulation Donna Karan's Black Cashmere. The opening is like lambswool - warm and inviting into it's own world - it might me Sahara, where bedouins smell in animalic way, due to their way of living - as camel nomads who migrate into desert during rainy months, yet it might be Orthodox Church when animalic smells give a way to pure incense and become balmy, oily and woody.
All notes blended into one scent - I can't see them dissolving or separating. More and less solid and the same from start to finish. Very relaxing and natural to my nose fragrance, yet it might be very sensual for special occasion, depends from your fragrance-experiences on the moment you smell Sahara Noir.

Not what I was hoping for. Hard to believe that this is for women. Very masculine smell. I don't mind some unisex, but this one is very much towards men and not women. To each their own though. Wish I could enjoy it as some others do. :(

Magical masterpiece. I feel myself like Liberian girl from MJ song. Goes on top of my very small collection with few others beloved perfumes. It's strong. And I feel strong wearing it.
I want to call it "Beautiful Beast".

I have finally found what I have been looking for in a oudie, smokey, slightly sweet, smooth, creamy, tobaccoie, vanilla, leathery fragrance. The Frankincense takes this to an altogether different level of uniqueness. You can't judge this for the first 30 minutes. This is just awesome how this develops on your skin. I love my Black Orchid just as much but in a completely different way. This is so unique and wearable.

Bought this scent for my husband a couple years ago after testing it and being absolutely sure it was a men scent. I am exposed to it at least twice a week - that's about how often my husband wears it - and it has never even crossed my mind that TF Sahara Noir can be a women's scent. Would never think of wearing it myself though I love oriental scents. It is too strong, too dry, too masculine, too powerful and just too much for me.

As for the fragrance it is a 'like' but not a 'love'. It is definitely a very different and interesting one, it has deepness and darkness which I like. But I cannot say it is a comforting one, it's too sharp, dry and edgy to be comforting. The longevity and sillage are excellent!

This is the most perfect re-creation of myrrh and frankincense burning in a swinging (metal) thurible that's being walked through a cathedral imaginable. Other houses have achieved this effect, but this iteration is superlative. Although one may not imagine this rich scent as a perfume, it warms beautifully on the skin and it mesmerizes. It is a masterpiece.

I tested this scent today and I love it! If you like incense you too will love this perfume.I get the incense, wood shavings, amber and oud. It's warm and comforting and very easy to wear I have to get a bottle of this!

A must for every incense lover.

Usually i find Tom Ford to be much too high about prices, but this one rocks and has the longevity.
I also own Absolue pour le soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian and i disagree that they are the same fragrances. They share the same structure and concept but do not smell the same.

Superb.

At first I was disgusted. I was hit by an absurdly sour foul odor. It's just too strong. Two minutes later I was in love. Five more minutes and it was in my shopping cart.

This smells like a church.
I've never felt comfortable in churches but I've been fascinated by the smell of frankincense my entire life.
This is such a symbolic scent that it's really hard for me to imagine a social event suiting this perfume (except probably Christmas Eve. Here in Eastern Europe there is a tradition to burn frankincense on that night in order to purify the home from all evil.) But I would still wear it, even if it's only to sleep in it.

It's magical.
Precious discovery.

While I don't like this as much as some other incense frags (Timbuktu, L'air du Desert Morocain), it's still enjoyable. This perfume transports me to a warm forest where the path is dappled with sun and the fragrant smell of cedar radiates from the needles on the ground.

Lighter than my faves, but wonderfully wearable.

My wife claims that it smells like the inside of a hamster cage. I would probably agree with that on initial spray. I really struggle to distinguish between notes in this, but that is not to say that I don't find it mesmerising and, to say that I wasn't keen on first sniff, I keep going back for more. (Kind of like something one shouldn't be looking at or doing but struggle not to.)

As for being 'for women', as many have said before, this is definitely baring on unisex if not masculine. Dry and dirty - I love it!

I tried this because, after some reading, seemed to be nearest to the discontinued Amber Absolute.

At first, not even close. Like a blast of sand-gritty desert air, it stays warm and dry; where AA is dank and sweet, this scent is dry and peppery. There is an incense/smoky quality of the two that really assimilates them after some time.

Initially I quickly dismissed it but after a few wears I've enjoyed it. I still think Amber Absolute is much freakier, and that this is DEFINITELY a man's fragrance, not a woman's, not even unisex; it's very masculine IMO. 8/10 for me, it like it more now than I initially did.

I want to get this perfume. But. Really high persistence? help
Men can use?

fearsome. that is the word that for me keeps coming to me about this fragrance. the fascinating trick here is that the cinnamon makes the frankincense read "hot" as opposed to its usual coolness epitomized in amouages almost menthol epic. a unique "nuttiness" and also some sort of almost gasoline like quality. searingly dry but there is a sheerness to it also. i appreciate it but dont find particularly emotionally appealing for me

Reminds me a bit of furniture polish or a wooden box that used to have cigars in it.

I think it should now be obligatory every man own a bottle.... ;)

If I didn't already have a bottle, I would definitely buy one after reading the review below...!!

OMW this is a scent for sadists. I imagine that when the powers that be who controls this world we're living in get together for their occult parties - the air must smell like this. (Eyes Wide Shut)

This is for the dark evil sinners of this world ie. corrupt bankers, priests, judges, monarchs etc.

However if you want to shock your girl and give her a night to remember in bed with some kinky/dark role playing then this is the scent to wear. This scent will forever implant the memory of you dominating her in all kinds of dirty ways.

Only to be used for harsh/rough sexual encounters.

NOT A BLIND BUY...

Starts off really heavy and smokey like embers left burning in a BBQ pit on the beach at dusk, or maybe gun powder from 4th of July fireworks. Really really strange. Then the incense and black peppers kicks in making it even stronger. Man, this is powerful stuff, not for the faint of heart. It finally softens down to a waxy honey, bitter oud, amber and really dry cinnamon (not the red hots candy sweet kind but like a dried out cinnamon stick). I don't get any kind of rose, flowers, citrus or vanilla in this at all. Extremely masculine to me, but maybe a woman with the right attitude can pull this one off. I have to say, it is like nothing else I have ever experienced. Its so off putting it intrigues the hell out of me. I may have to splurge and get a bottle.

Not sure if my nose is off but this smelled like Devin to me at least in the opening. Although, my olfactory senses may have been out of whack as I was on a smell fest the evening I sampled this.

My friend riffjim4069 I consider CDG Avignon second rated in comparison to Sahara Noir ( I have both of them). No doubt that Sahara Noir is a devine scent but you said it yourself it is hugely underrated. Why is that? I will make a guess. Since the limbic brain of Catholic and Orthodox Christians has connected the particular scent to the church and the limbic brain of Arabs ( according to the review of our friend xliMilx) has connected it to women that have just given birth it is difficult for those huge market groups to see it as a sexy perfume. After all who wants to have sex with mother Teresa or a woman that gave birth yesterday? For those lucky ( it seems few) that this perfume does not evoke such memories, no doubt it will be a sexy sinner's scent.

Beware of what you wish for it may come true. I was always on the look out for the most incensey perfume available and when I came across Sahara Noir I could not believe my nose. I almost cannot tell the difference between this particular perfume and the aroma of one of the most popular orthodox church incenses that is constructed of olibanum and myrrh. Now that I found it , do I really want to actually wear it? Am I saint enough for so solemn a scent ?

This is a nice but not terribly unique incense fragrance. It's a huge blast of frankincense with some amber. On the plus side, it smells very natural. Surprisingly it isn't very strong after the first hour, dropping to a skin scent. I think there are a number of better choices out there at similar price points. It reminds me of Mecca Balsam most of all but also worth trying are Cardinal and the CdGs incense series.

This to my nose opens with an acute odor of clean motor oil. I'm also getting some amber and moss and some fresh sappy ever-green needles but that motor oil smell never really recedes. It is balsamic and spicy but not in a way that appeals to me. It does remind me somewhat of Ambre Fetiche and Ambre Sultan but I find both of these incense amber frags to be quite a bit more wearable than SN. While I appreciate the quality and complexity that goes into Tom Ford frags, my luck with this house is proving to be crap-shoot. *Sigh*

Mmm. Gorgeous, rich, smoky oriental. When this is on my wrist I'm taken away to the middle east, lying on silk sheets on a hot bedouin night. I can almost smell the desert winds. Sweet cinnamon, wisps of incense and hot, dark amber are the notes most prominent to my nose.

It lasts all afternoon right through til nightfall and it projects about six feet. Well, it's Tom Ford after all! It's definitely unisex. It would smell beautiful on a man And would make a perfect his 'n' hers fragrance for black tie events or winter nights in the city.

This, in my humble opinion is a perfect oriental fragrance. Excellently blended scent of sweetly spicy accords, perfectly capturing the feel of a desert night. I love it.

This is undoubtedly hot, young summer love around a campfire at night...lots of kisses/dancing/lovemaking...and lots of smores :)

Although my wife simply said "nope" this scent amazes me every time I wear it. I am amazed how it smells, especially when reading the notes. How does all that smell like this. I can only describe what I get, as a piece of wood warmed and possibly scorched by the desert sun, fading into something creamy. Sadly, like anything else I review with oud, it turns cherry coke on me after the heart breaks free of the wonderful desert heat.

Beautiful unisex beast. Closest thing to Norma Kamali's historic Incense that I've ever found. Not for the faint of heart. Confident men and sultry, sexy women only. Total winner for Tom Ford....again.

This is devine. I can't call it sexy because I cannot relate this perfume in that way.
This is insence in it's most purest form.
But where can I wear this?
That's my biggest question. I have no idea.

Sahara Noir is a beautiful perfume, but unfortunately not wearable, at least by the orthodox people, because it reminds them the smell of orthodox churches.
All you can smell in the beginning is a bold but rounded incense, so intense but in the same time melting in the air like an ethereal veil. Sahara Noir has a big silage and a tremendous lasting power. At the end, after all the slow transformations of the scent, the incense is mixed with vanilla and flowers and honey and all the gifts of the earth, a mixture destined to drive you to heaven. Superb, refined, sophisticated but, what a pity,for me impossible to wear.

Incenso, incenso, incenso, incenso, incenso.
Potente e intensissimo. Assoluto e totalizzante, tanto che copre tutte le altre note. Puro e semplice incenso da cattedrale.

Profumo monocorde e monotematico, senza sfaccettature nè evoluzione.
Pesante monolite.
Chi ama l'incenso lo adorerà.

An olfactory DISASTER. It's like the very best part of 02 L`Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer (which is brilliant) laced with a misty cloud of hot piss in 90 degree weather, and then stached in a closet for a decade. This scent is a trainwreck, a laughable attempt to bilk TF worshipers of their hard earned scratch. It does not evolve into anything that is remotely wearable. I cannot believe the positive reviews and all of the praise this scent is getting, it blows my mind.
I suppose if you have 150 quid lying about to squander for 1.7oz, then go for it. I love Tuscan Leather and a few other TF concoctions, but Sahara Noir is complete rubbish. The very small portion of this scent that is tolerable, has been perfected in 02 L`Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer.

Only Oscar the Grouch could appreciate this, in fact he may be wearing it now!

Overall: 9.5/10
Here's Why:
The history behind this enchanting fragrance only elevates its stature. What an incredible incense perfume.
Smoky resin and incense backed by cedar and vanilla.
its incredibly well blended.
not subtle at all, this is a statement parfum.
The cinnamon is rarely detectable, but adds just enough warmth to the vanilla that it rounds out to a spicy fragrance.
The cedar and agarwood are lovely in the drydown, this scent is a great one.
lasts 10-14 hrs, and is detectable in a 3-6 ft circle for the majority of that.
plays very well with others and blends excellently with any of the tom ford line.

Journey into something oriental. The incense is truly a masterpiece in here, I love the spices as well.
Feels seductive and just natural on everyone I think.
Too bad I get a lot of opinions that it smells like church (well, somewhat true, given the incense). That is why it is not quite suitable for everyday use (at least to me).
Quite a shame, as there is some magnetic warmth to it.

The same fragrance of Diptyque L'Eau Trois (1975)

Wish Tom Ford relese 100 ml bottle for this 24 carat GOLD masterpiece.

Is a copy of L'Eau Trois Diptyque

The Short Version: smells like the idea of Cleopatra. Seductive, powerful, potentially dangerous. Also... um, sandy and smoky.

The Long Version: >>>

Sahara Noir could have been made by Guerlain, it's so decadent. You know how Shalimar takes vanilla and runs with it? And Samsara takes sandalwood and runs with it? Sahara Noir takes incense and USAIN BOLTs with it. It is such a thorough, unabashed frankincense, and it makes me think of how Guerlain does (or did?) perfume.

Sure, it has that characteristic Tom Ford LOUDNESS - it really just has no scruples about being an attention seeker, sashaying into rooms and expecting to be noticed - but I was wholly unprepared for how RICH this fragrance is. She's loud, but she really has something to say! I love it! I had ignored it before, as I found the bottle to be too gaudily gold, but having experienced it now... honestly there would have been no other way to package this. It IS gold and extravagant and eccentric and too much and showoff-y and WONDERFUL.

You can say many things about Tom Ford. But they make perfume like it hasn't been made in a long, long time. I've grown SO weary of not-perfume perfumes, with watchwords like 'light', 'airy'... made for people who don't actually want to feel like they're wearing perfume. Tom Ford doesn't make 'scents'. He makes PERFUME with a capital FUME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111one

________________________________________________

I don't know what's happening to me. Once a strictly clean-powdery-virginal floral girl, worshipping at the altars of Chanel and Estée Lauder, I'm now all over the map with these damn oriental exotic sexiness elixirs!

SCENT: sensuous, and slightly dangerous-smelling. Think of a cobra in the sand. Not for you if you're going for cute/playful/flirty.

SILLAGE: monstrous. And the nozzle is very... shall we say, generous? One spray is enough for you and your whole neighbourhood. Not for you if you're going for 'modest'.

LONGEVITY: standard. Just 6-7 hours on me. It kind of falls off a cliff after that. But I'm so intoxicated with it that I don't mind reapplying. It's probably designed for a few hours of evening debauchery. Clings to fabric for AEONS though. But it smells better on skin.

WEARABILITY: I really don't know. I can't pick an 'ideal' situation for this perfume... so of course, that means I'm wearing it on a random Tuesday afternoon, and it is aaaahbsolutely
faaaaahbulous,
daaaaahling.
Entirely over-the-top, but in the best way.

FULL-BOTTLE-WORTHY? I'd say no, not if you're a sensible person who realizes that there's never really a *need* to smell like Cleopatra. But you're on Fragrantica, so like me, you're probably not that sensible about perfume... in which case... um yeah get it. What are priorities anyway? Enabler? ... Me?


Now, if you'll excuse me, my chariot awaits.

My wife bought me this for Christmas after we got to sample it in a duty-free at an airport, and fell in love with it.

I agree with other posters that it certainly strikes me as more masculine in profile, but I guess that doesn't really matter, just odd that they would market it as feminine.

I LOVE this scent.

I won't waste too much time, my impressions is heavy incense (Frankincense) especially off the top, and then it calms down after a half hour to a very complex and piqued woodsy and exotic incense that seems to last a very long time on skin and clothes.

I will say that despite all the strong incense and wood, smoke or tobacco are NOT present.

I am shocked no one cried "sandalwood!" yet, because the combination of woods and balsamic certainly remind me of a sandalwood based perfume like S.Luten's Santal Majascule.

Very worth the purchase IMO. An extravagant Tom Ford scent that really stood out to me in contrast to the other 7 or so of his I tested in store.

Oh my........
I was given a bottle of this for my birthday and absolutely hated it after the first spray but thought I would give it a chance.
1 hr in and the initial overpowering opening has died down revealing a woodsy undertone that is warming up but still retaining a bitterness, could have done with a touch of sweetness, oh well I can always layer this one with a floral and see what happens.
Not sure yet if this is a keeper only time will tell....

Quick update 2hrs in and the bitterness has almost gone now developing into a elegant sophisticated scent, love what this has turned into now.

I was in my local department store on Christmas Eve and sprayed a sample of this. I'd initially been considering buying black orchid on my next payday and wanted to try another sample, however there were no bottles left on the shelf so I thought I'd give this one a try.

My goodness, I was completely blown away! I liked it initially in store but on my walk home in the frosty air it smelt amazing, my son kept asking to smell my wrist and said "mummy you smell like beautiful incense". I haven't smelt many perfumes that kept me thinking about them, this one was very different and as soon as I got home I purchased a bottle.

This is one that I shall make sure stays in my collection!