Fragrance comparison

A*Men Pure Havane vs Back to Black

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 24 Oct 2026 14,988 ratings analysed

5 wins

A*Men Pure Havane

Mugler

4.467,404 votes

Rank #599 SweetHoney

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

Back to Black

By Kilian

3.967,584 votes

Rank #989 SweetHoney

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

A*Men Pure Havane takes 5 of 7 categories.

A*Men Pure Havane
Choose it for a sweet and honey character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Back to Black
Choose it for a sweet and honey character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

A*Men Pure Havane5/7

Back to Black2/7

Ratings & consensus: A*Men Pure Havane
Community sentiment: A*Men Pure Havane
Longevity: Back to Black
Sillage & projection: Back to Black
Value for money: A*Men Pure Havane
Versatility: A*Men Pure Havane
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: A*Men Pure Havane

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

A*Men Pure HavaneMugler

Back to BlackBy Kilian

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.46/ 5 · 7,404 votes

Have 78%Had 22%Want 0%

3.96/ 5 · 7,584 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

Category winnerA*Men Pure HavaneRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

62%Love

30%Like

3%Ok

6%Dislike

0%Hate

7,404 votes

44%Love

33%Like

6%Ok

15%Dislike

2%Hate

6,340 votes

Category winnerA*Men Pure HavaneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityBack to Black

SillageBack to Black

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value53

¤ Price value38

Category winnerA*Men Pure HavaneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

honey92%

tobacco84%

vanilla77%

amber69%

warm spicy61%

sweet100%

honey92%

tobacco84%

amber77%

fruity69%

cherry61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both sweet, honey and tobacco

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top20-30 mins

White HoneyTobacco

Heart3-4 hrs

VanilleCacaoPatchouli

Base6-8+ hrs

AmberFrench labdanumStyrax

Notes

White HoneyTobaccoCherryVanillaRaspberryAlmondGingerbreadTonka BeanAmberNutmegBenzoinChamomile

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesWhite Honey, Tobacco and Amber. Durations are only published for A*Men Pure Havane, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring27

Summer11

Fall0

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Spring24

Summer13

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerA*Men Pure HavaneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men78

Unisex20

Women3

Date 39%Party 33%Casual 18%Work 9%

Men22

Unisex57

Women21

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#599

PerfumerJacques Huclier

Launched—

Reviews210

Overall rank#989

PerfumerCalice Becker

Launched—

Reviews517

Category winnerA*Men Pure HavaneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mugler A*Men Pure Havane takes the earthy patchouli skeleton of the 1996 pillar and drenches it in decadent warmth. You get hit immediately by sticky white honey poured over cured cigar leaf. It smells remarkably like opening a cedar humidor packed with cherry-dipped tobacco. Do not overspray this. Within twenty minut…

Reviews →

Back to Black by By Kilian offers a rich, honey-drenched tobacco experience that balances gourmand sweetness with woody depth. It is a dense, unapologetic scent tailored for chilly evenings and formal winter gatherings, where its narcotic, warm character can fully project without overwhelming the wearer. This complex …

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, A*Men Pure Havane or Back to Black?

A*Men Pure Havane takes 5 of 7 categories. A*Men Pure Havane is rated 4.46/5 from 7,404 votes; Back to Black is rated 3.96/5 from 7,584 votes. Choose A*Men Pure Havane for a sweet and honey character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Back to Black for a sweet and honey character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, A*Men Pure Havane or Back to Black?

Back to Black lasts longest (Back to Black 81/100, A*Men Pure Havane 74/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, A*Men Pure Havane or Back to Black?

Projection is very close: Back to Black 68/100, A*Men Pure Havane 66/100 for sillage.

Do A*Men Pure Havane and Back to Black smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, honey and tobacco accords. Common notes include White Honey, Tobacco and Amber.

Is A*Men Pure Havane or Back to Black better for summer or winter?

For summer, Back to Black is the stronger pick. For winter, A*Men Pure Havane is the stronger pick. A*Men Pure Havane suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in A*Men Pure Havane and Back to Black?

A*Men Pure Havane has top notes of White Honey and Tobacco, heart notes of Vanille, Cacao and Patchouli, a base of Amber, French labdanum and Styrax. Back to Black features White Honey, Tobacco, Cherry, Vanilla and Raspberry.