Opens soapy, complex and clean, dries down dirtier, allowing a different combination of factors to evolve on your skin in a unique manner. This one is for personal enjoyment of perfumery, and certainly signature-worthy. Polarizing in nature, many do not actually like this fragrance.
Additionally, there are a few "iterations" of this fragrance, with the rumors claiming that the new purple caps are not as dense or animalic as the black caps, and this may be true to some users. However, this does not mean "better" or "worse". Black is more base heavy and the purple is more top/heart/base balanced. I could not smell a difference until about 4 hours in, where the black finally distinguishes itself by producing a youthful nostalgia note that the purple did not project as much by that time. To the credit of black cap, it seems to project slightly more, which may indeed make the purple better for signature wear. The purple is "everything at once" and the black is top, then heart, then base in succession.
Reformulation (IFRA voluntary compliance led by profit-seeking and corporate greed for ingredient cost savings under the guise of safety) is potentially less responsible than batch variation and age. The purple caps are actually fantastic, there is no real difference until the drydown, where purple is less dirty, and in fact more balanced, possibly less performance, but still a 6-8 hour experience. So if you are looking to recreate the vintage, this difference may be due to batch variation and age/oxidation (masceration) of ingredients leading to the top notes being more muted in older bottles, which would emphasize the base notes more in older bottles. Undeniably, black is a better performer and more base heavy, possibly painted with a nostalgia... and purple is cleaner, more approachable, and more nuanced, with a balance that allows a connoisseur to analyze it as a study object of perfumery.
One way I imagine it is that two separate and completely different supermodels can both be a 10/10 in appearance, despite being slightly different. At a certain level, beautiful is beautiful, and everything else is preference.
The purple cap is the preference for some, and I think both the black and purple iterations are so similar that it is not worth chasing vintage, especially for extortionate fees. One day, the purple will be aged vintage as well. With that said, if you prefer pre IFRA variation, happy hunting. I will say, after going on a year long mission, the hype for vintage is not warranted, and new Roja batches are not only more obtainable, but equally enjoyable. I also confirmed this with a major fragrance YouTuber who had both and sold the black cap but kept the purple.
