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kilian Dark Lord
kilian

Dark Lord

Floral
Jasmine
White Floral
Woody
Earthy
Warm Spicy
Spicy
EDP · 2018 · unisex

Kilian is known for its niche approach to fragrance, creating sophisticated scents that balance accessibility with complexity. Dark Lord fits squarely in the house's wheelhouse of refined, unconventional compositions that challenge rather than comfort.

Dark Lord opens with a sharp, spiced attack of bergamot, cloves, and Sichuan pepper before settling into a woody-leather character dominated by birch and davana. The heart adds an unexpected sweetness through rum and jasmine sambac, preventing the fragrance from becoming austere. The base is dense and earthy, built on cypriol oil, oakmoss, and patchouli with cedar and vetiver creating a dry, almost smoky finish. This is a chypre with real teeth, leaning heavily into leather and wood rather than floral prettiness.

Dark Lord appeals to those seeking a serious, gender-neutral fragrance that wears more like a personal statement than a crowd-pleaser. It's best suited for cooler months and evening wear, where its brooding intensity can breathe without competing with bright sunlight. If you're drawn to The Dark Poet, The Mystic, and The Maverick, this fragrance will likely resonate.

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Price Comparison0 retailers · updated daily
Size
Updated 464m ago
RetailerSize Price $/ml ↑
VenbaFragranceBestFree ship10ml$74.99$7.50Buy
DecantX✓ PartnerFree ship5ml$37.79$7.56Buy
ScentSplit1ml$7.99$7.99Buy
VenbaFragranceFree ship5ml$44.99$9.00Buy
VenbaFragranceFree ship1ml$9.99$9.99Buy

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Main Accordsreported by community
Floral
18%
Jasmine
50%
White Floral
18%
Woody
100%
Earthy
60%
Warm Spicy
26%
Spicy
80%
Leather
100%
Smoky
90%
Fragrance Notesbrand verified
Top · 0–30 min
Bergamot
Bergamot
A sun-ripened Italian citrus with a brightness that goes beyond lemon, simultaneously tart, floral, and slightly spicy. It's the defining note of Earl Grey tea and the backbone of countless fresh colognes. Perfumers love it as an opener because it lifts the entire composition without overpowering what follows.
Cloves
Cloves
Pepper
Pepper
The most essential spice note in perfumery, encompassing the dry, woody heat of black pepper and its many relatives. Pepper adds edge, lift, and a masculine vitality to fragrances without sweetness. It is the note that stops a composition from feeling comfortable and safe, adding a confident, assertive character.
Sichuan Pepper
Sichuan Pepper
Unique among peppers for its numbing, slightly citrusy effect, Sichuan pepper creates an almost electric freshness alongside its spice. In perfumery this translates to a vibrant, tingly quality that feels simultaneously warm and cool. A contemporary note increasingly used in masculine and unisex compositions for its dynamism.
Heart · 30 min – 3 hrs
Birch
Birch
Tarry, smoky, and distinctly medicinal, birch tar (used in classic leather fragrances) has an almost petroleum-like quality that creates unmistakable leather accords. Birch leaf, by contrast, is clean and green. Birch tar is not for the timid: it's the note that makes old-school Russian Leather fragrances smell like what they are.
Davana
Davana
A curious and highly individual note from an Indian herb, davana has a fruity, slightly winey quality with honey-like sweetness and a faint medicinal edge. Unusually, davana smells different on different skin types, making it one of perfumery's most personalized notes. Used in oriental and woody fragrances for its warm, amber-like complexity.
Jasmine Sambac
Jasmine Sambac
The smaller-flowered Asian variety of jasmine used to scent traditional jasmine tea, with a sweeter, more honeyed, and slightly fruity character compared to Jasminum grandiflorum. Jasmine sambac has a lighter, more transparent quality with a tea-like freshness alongside its floral richness. It is the defining jasmine of South and Southeast Asian perfumery.
Rum
Rum
Sweet, slightly smoky, and warm, the distilled essence of sugarcane adds a tropical, slightly boozy warmth to orientals and leather fragrances. It has a brown-sugar, molasses quality with a gentle spirit-like shimmer. Often found alongside tobacco and wood notes to create warm, convivial compositions.
Base · 3–12 hrs
Amber
Amber
A warm, resinous accord rather than a single ingredient, amber is typically built from labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla to create a rich, honeyed, almost solar warmth. It's the quintessential base-note family, adding a comforting richness that makes fragrances feel complete. The difference between a fragrance feeling cold and feeling alive.
Cedar
Cedar
Cypriol Oil Or Nagarmotha
Cypriol Oil Or Nagarmotha
Leather
Leather
One of perfumery's most complex accords, smoky, animalic, and slightly woody, evoking tanned hide, polished saddles, or fine gloves depending on the recipe. Leather adds sophistication and edge simultaneously, and is deeply associated with masculinity in Western perfumery (though the best leather fragrances transcend gender entirely).
Oakmoss
Oakmoss
The defining ingredient of classic chypre perfumery, damp, forest-floor earthy with a faint bitterness and incredible complexity. Real oakmoss is now heavily restricted by IFRA regulations, which is why vintage chypres smell so different from modern ones. When present, it creates a raw, outdoorsy anchor that no synthetic fully replicates.
Patchouli
Patchouli
Dense, earthy, and darkly sweet, patchouli is the scent of damp soil and dried herbs with an almost chocolatey richness. It polarizes people because in high concentrations it's overwhelming, but as a supporting note it adds depth and longevity that almost nothing else can match. The backbone of countless oriental and chypre fragrances.
Vetiver
Vetiver
Earthy, smoky, and complex, vetiver root is extracted from a grass native to India and has a scent that is simultaneously rooty, woody, and slightly lemony. It's one of perfumery's great base notes: tenacious, unisex, and endlessly adaptable. A fragrance built around vetiver feels grounded and deeply confident.
Who Wears ThisScent DNA matches
🖤
The Dark PoetBest match93% match
You don't wear fragrance. You inhabit it.

Dark, animalic, smoky, resinous. Challenging, polarizing, completely unforgettable.

🌙
The Mystic84% match
You wear what others can't place — and that's exactly the point.

Warm incense, dry resins, airy woods, smoke with softness. Never obvious.

🎲
The Maverick83% match
You do what works for you. That's always been enough.

Fresh, bold, abstract, dry. Metallic notes, experimental musks, architectural woods with presence.

Based on this fragrance's accord profile · Find your Scent DNA →
Community
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Rate this fragrance
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Most Popular with this Scent DNA Type?
🖤
The Dark Poet
You don't wear fragrance. You inhabit it.
Dark, animalic, smoky, resinous. Challenging, polarizing, completely unforgettable.
Discover your type →
Scent Profile
Floral18%Jasmine50%White Floral18%Woody100%Earthy60%
Fragrance Family
Chypre
EDP
Decants Available
5
listings in stock
1ml$7.99/ml1ml$9.99/ml5ml$7.56/ml5ml$9.00/ml

kilian Dark Lord— Prices, Coupons & Buying Guide

Best price today: Dark Lord is $7.99. Without a coupon the lowest price is $7.99. Gush tracks 47+ retailers updated every 2 hours.

Are grey market retailers authentic?

Yes. Jomashop, FragranceNet, and MaxAroma sell 100% authentic kilian fragrances through unofficial distribution channels. The fragrance is identical to department store stock. Grey market refers to the supply chain, not product quality. The price difference comes entirely from the distribution channel.

Frequently asked questions

Cheapest price for kilian Dark Lord? +
$7.99 at ScentSplit. Gush compares 47+ retailers updated every 2 hours.
What does kilian Dark Lord smell like? +
Kilian is known for its niche approach to fragrance, creating sophisticated scents that balance accessibility with complexity. Dark Lord fits squarely in the house's wheelhouse of refined, unconventional compositions that challenge rather than comfort. Dark Lord opens with a sharp, spiced attack of bergamot, cloves, and Sichuan pepper before settling into a woody-leather character dominated by birch and davana. The heart adds an unexpected sweetness through rum and jasmine sambac, preventing the fragrance from becoming austere. The base is dense and earthy, built on cypriol oil, oakmoss, and patchouli with cedar and vetiver creating a dry, almost smoky finish. This is a chypre with real teeth, leaning heavily into leather and wood rather than floral prettiness. Dark Lord appeals to those seeking a serious, gender-neutral fragrance that wears more like a personal statement than a crowd-pleaser. It's best suited for cooler months and evening wear, where its brooding intensity can breathe without competing with bright sunlight. If you're drawn to The Dark Poet, The Mystic, and The Maverick, this fragrance will likely resonate.
What are the notes in kilian Dark Lord? +
Top: Bergamot, Cloves, Pepper, Sichuan Pepper. Heart: Birch, Davana, Jasmine Sambac, Rum. Base: Amber, Cedar, Cypriol Oil Or Nagarmotha, Leather, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Vetiver.
What fragrance family is Dark Lord? +
kilian Dark Lord belongs to the Chypre fragrance family. It is an EDP.
What other fragrances smell like kilian Dark Lord? +
Based on shared notes, Lattafa Al Dur Al Maknoon (Amber, Leather, Birch, Bergamot), Lattafa Al Dur Al Maknoon Silver (Amber, Leather, Birch, Bergamot), Alexandria Fragrances Arabian Forest (Cedar, Oakmoss, Birch, Bergamot), Carolina Herrera CH Pink Limited Edition Love for women (Amber, Cedar, Jasmine Sambac, Bergamot), Bvlgari Chill & Sole for women (Amber, Cedar, Jasmine Sambac, Bergamot) may smell similar to Dark Lord.
What is a grey market fragrance retailer? +
Grey market retailers sell authentic fragrances sourced through unofficial distribution -- typically excess inventory from authorized distributors. The product is real and identical to retail. FragranceNet (est. 1997), Jomashop, and MaxAroma are well-established with millions of verified reviews.

Gush earns a commission on purchases at no cost to you · Prices update every 2 hours · Coupon success rates based on affiliate feed data · Grey market = authentic, unofficial supply chain