Black XS Be a Legend Iggy Pop

The Verdict

When Paco Rabanne tapped Iggy Pop to front a limited edition fragrance in 2014, the result was exactly what you would hope from a collaboration with the Godfather of Punk: something sweet, leathery, a little confrontational, and undeniably sexy. Black XS Be a Legend Iggy Pop, composed by Fabrice Pellegrin and Olivier Cresp, takes the existing Black XS DNA and pushes it in a warmer, more gourmand direction with honey, cinnamon, and leather working in concert. It is not subtle. It is not safe. One Fragrantica commenter called it "one of the most bizarre celebrity endorsed perfumes of all time" before adding, "I think I like it."

What It Smells Like

The opening is a distinctive combination of Lemon and Cinnamon -- two notes that create an odd sweet-sour tension right from the first spray. The lemon provides a brief citrus brightness, but the cinnamon quickly asserts dominance, giving the opening a warm, almost baked quality. It reads less like a cologne and more like walking past a bakery that also sells leather goods.

The heart is where this fragrance earns its personality. Rich, dark Honey meets creamy Orange Blossom, creating a sweet floral-gourmand combination that is both seductive and a little unrefined. The honey is not the polite, golden-nectar variety. It is raw and forward, with an almost animalic quality that gives the composition its edge. Reviewers note that about an hour in, you get "leather and honey with a bit of lemon in the background," which is the fragrance at its most compelling.

The base deepens the leather connection. Labdanum brings resinous warmth, Leather itself adds a smoky, slightly dirty quality, and Cypriol (nagarmotha) contributes a dark, woody-musty undertone that keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. The overall effect is distinctly masculine but walks right up to the line -- several reviewers note that the sweetness makes it lean more feminine than you might expect from the Black XS name.

When to Wear It

This is a fall and winter fragrance designed for after dark. The community votes favor evening (22% night versus 14% day), and the heavy honey-leather combination would be suffocating in warm weather. It works for nightlife, dates, and any situation where you want to project a little danger. Leave it at home for job interviews.

Longevity & Projection

Performance is solid for a limited edition EDT. Community members report 6-8 hours of wear time with good projection for the first few hours before it settles into a sweet leather skin scent. One Amazon reviewer noted it was "still faintly detectable the next day," which is impressive for a non-EDP concentration. Three sprays on pulse points provides a strong presence without being overwhelming.

The Community Says

With 135 votes and a 4.06 average on Fragrantica, Black XS Iggy Pop earns respectable approval: 41% love it, 39% like it, with only 14% expressing dissatisfaction. Fans describe it as "very unique -- sexy gourmand" and praise how the cinnamon, honey, and leather notes mesh together. Multiple wearers report consistent compliments. The opposition comes from two directions: those who find it too sweet and "more feminine than masculine," and those who preferred the sharper, more aromatic Black XS L'Exces. One neutral review called it "a better composed Black XS that is a little more aromatic and has a touch more leather, but not much different overall." As a limited edition, it is now only available through secondary markets, where prices vary.

Who Should Buy This

If you enjoy sweet-leathery fragrances with personality -- think along the lines of Guerlain Habit Rouge, Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan, or even Kilian Angels' Share -- Black XS Iggy Pop offers a more accessible, younger-skewing take on that territory. It is genuinely fun to wear and has the kind of rock-and-roll energy that most celebrity fragrances promise but few deliver.

Skip it if sweetness in masculine fragrances bothers you, if you need something office-appropriate, or if you already own Black XS L'Exces and find the differences too subtle to justify the hunt.

The Bottom Line

Black XS Be a Legend Iggy Pop is a limited edition that actually deserved to be a permanent release. The honey-cinnamon-leather combination has real character, and it manages to be both a crowd-pleasing sweet scent and something with enough edge to justify the Iggy Pop association. In a market flooded with bland celebrity endorsements, this one earned its name. Finding a bottle now requires some effort, but for fans of sweet masculine warmth, the search is worth it.