A soft veil of smoke slowly settles over the darkness. Cinnamon and black pepper sharpens the silhouette, dry wisps of elemi and incense unfold, rosemary anchors. Leather, woods and earthy tones seep in with silent depth. By the end, a restrained warmth lingers like an afterglow. All Black reveals without showing.
Best This is Him by Zadig & Voltaire Alternatives & Similar Perfumes
This is Him by Zadig & Voltaire is an oriental woody fragrance combining spicy black pepper and crisp grapefruit with a smoky touch of incense. Its warm base of sandalwood and sweet vanilla creates a smooth, slightly gourmand finish. Those drawn to aromatic spice balanced with creamy woods and a hint of citrus will find this scent distinctive for its confident yet approachable character.
701 Eau de Cyprès by Bon Parfumeur £55.00
- Key notes:
- black pepper
- eucalyptus
- grapefruit
- incense
- nutmeg
- Aromagroups:
- aromatic
- spicy
- transparent
A fresh herbaceous blend with a sunny grapefruit at the center of the composition.
Bon Parfumeur open olfactive dimensions and invite you to add your own story. Try 701 if you like cool spices such as cardamom, sunny citrus nuances and refreshing greenness of eucalyptus.
Perfumer: Benoist Lapouza.
Hey Bitch! by Ourte £115.00
- Key notes:
- black pepper
- labdanum
- leather
- orris (iris root)
- sandalwood
- vanilla
- Aromagroups:
- edible
- leather
- woody
“Hey Bitch! You smell fucking good.” In Perfume World, that’s what we call a result. Hey Bitch! raises eyebrows with its dissonance between buttery, blowsy orange blossom and tough, bitter leather. Tangy rhubarb at the top snaps its fingers in your face, before dissolving into a blur of suedey iris and milky sandalwood. The dance between bitter and sweet keeps you on your toes throughout, conjuring hints of…what? Photocopier ink? Coffee? For sure it conjures ambered black leather, Bitch!
All Black by Insenf £125.00
- Key notes:
- black pepper
- castoreum
- gaiac / guaiac wood
- incense
- rosemary
- tobacco
- Aromagroups:
- aromatic
- leather
Berbera by Nissaba £150.00
- Key notes:
- black pepper
- elemi
- incense
- myrrh
- pink pepper
- smoke
- Aromagroups:
- spicy
- woody
The finest gum extracts from Somaliland — frankincense, myrrh and opoponax — combine in this resinous and sophisticated scent. Berbera is a powerful woody amber suitable for layering, as is common in the Middle East, as well as a standalone manifesto. Opoponax brings nuances of leather and old wood, myrrh swirls in a cola note, and frankincense soars high and dry. A charred-around-the-edges fragrance to uplift your soul and deepen your mystique.
Beso de Fuego by Beso Beach £145.00
- Key notes:
- black pepper
- frankincense
- incense
- smoke
- Aromagroups:
- leather
- woody
This is an after-dark jasmine that smoulders, thanks to shadow-dwelling frankincense spiced up with Guatemalan cardamom and Madagascar black pepper. The charm of the char continues with cedarwood and cypress.
Perfumer: Alberto Morillas
Black Pepper by Comme Des Garcons £120.00
- Key notes:
- akigalawood
- black pepper
- cedarwood
- incense
- tonka beans
- Aromagroups:
- spicy
- woody
An electric collision of molecules: the effervescence of spicy pepper seeds suspended within darkness. Dry, fizzing Madagascan pepper cracks open against fiery cedarwood. Rich Akigalawood (upcycled patchouli with a peppery/woody profile) blends in blazing harmony with the caramel powderiness of tonka bean. A musky accord softens any sharp edges.
Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu
Hermann a Mes Cotes Me Paraissait Une Ombre by Etat Libre d'Orange £155.00
- Key notes:
- ambroxan
- black pepper
- incense
- petrichor
- Aromagroups:
- leather
- spicy
- transparent
- woody
This is a fragrance that disrupts from within. After a disarmingly fresh opening of blackest pepper and greenest galbanum, Hermann takes a dark turn into incense and wet’n’dirty rose. The result is a transparent, woody leather.
Play Black by Comme Des Garcons £95.00
- Key notes:
- birch tar
- black pepper
- black tea
- incense
- leather
- thyme
- Aromagroups:
- leather
- spicy
This EdT plays it dark but bright. A spiky black pepper opening commands attention, before being volumised by an ebony chorus of black tea, birch tar and incense. Tree moss and violet lend a perfumed earthiness.
Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu
Vi et Armis by Beaufort £125.00
- Key notes:
- birch tar
- black pepper
- black tea
- incense
- opium
- oud
- smoke
- Aromagroups:
- spicy
- woody
Formerly known as East India the perfume is back with the new name: Vi et Armis (Latin for 'by force and arms', the motto of the East India company)
The olfactory references in the perfume are exploring Britain’s complex relationship with other nations and its dominance of international sea trade across the centuries, this heady, narcotic scent challenges as much as it beguiles.
Using imported and exported goods of the East India Company as its key notes, this addictive fragrance recalls the words of George Bernard Shaw: “Emotional excitement reaches men through Tea, Tobacco, Opium, Whisky and religion”
Paradoxical and challenging, we imagine the roots of our island nation steeped in contradictions.
Moonmilk by Stora Skuggan £130.00
- Key notes:
- black pepper
- black tea
- sandalwood
- Aromagroups:
- woody
In his Descriptio Montis Fracti sive Montis Pilati from 1555, the famous Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner chronicles his journey into the caves of the Alps. “At night, the moon shines into the cave so brightly the light itself seems to take form, like a mist. It gathers in the ceiling and makes the limestone stalactites glitter and gleam, dripping tears of white liquid into puddles on the rock floor that never dries. Moonmilk.”
This EdP lives up to that sublime description with a dance between conflicting textures that titillates the nose. The black tea and lime opening establishes an expectation for further crispness to come. The switcheroo comes with the appearance of Mysore sandalwood, its milky incense soft like a lover’s touch on the skin. All the elements resolve in a fresh and tender leather.
About This is Him by Zadig & Voltaire
- How does This is Him differ from the fragrances on this page?
- This is Him combines spicy black pepper and grapefruit with creamy sandalwood and vanilla, creating a balanced oriental woody scent. Many fragrances here emphasise smoky, leathery, or resinous aspects more strongly or introduce fresher or more herbal notes, resulting in varied interpretations of the original’s spicy woody profile.
- What notes are most characteristic of This is Him?
- Black pepper, grapefruit, incense, sandalwood, and vanilla define This is Him. The interplay of spicy, citrus, smoky, creamy, and sweet elements gives it a distinctive, warm oriental woody character.
- Which fragrances on this page have the strongest smoky character?
- All Black, Berbera, Beso de Fuego, Play Black, Vi et Armis, and Nanban prominently feature smoky notes such as incense, birch tar, and smoke, making them the darkest and most resinous options compared to the more balanced or fresher scents.









