Fragrance comparison

Abjar vs Cartago

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 87 ratings analysed

Abjar

The Spirit of Dubai

4.4986 votes

Rank #23,872 WoodyLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

14%scent match

Clearly different

1 wins

Cartago

Max Deville · 1988

5.001 votes

Rank #21,407 White FloralRose

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cartago takes 1 of 1 categories.

Abjar
Choose it for a woody and leather character. Best in winter.
Cartago
Choose it for a white floral and rose character. Wins on fragranxe ranking.

Abjar0/1

Cartago1/1

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Not scored
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Cartago

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AbjarThe Spirit of Dubai

CartagoMax Deville

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.49/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 33%Had 33%Want 33%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

72%Love

13%Like

7%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

86 votes

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage84

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value28

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

leather92%

amber84%

smoky77%

animalic69%

aromatic61%

white floral84%

rose77%

woody53%

fresh46%

powdery30%

Scent match14%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CypressPineClary SageNutmegStyraxAldehydesLavenderPepper

Heart

LeatherEarthy NotesBirch LeafIncenseIndian OudResinsWoody NotesGuaiac Wood

Base

CastoreumCivetTobaccoAgarwood (Oud)AmberTolu BalsamSandalwoodBenzoin

Top

BergamotMandarin OrangeLemonLavenderSage

Heart

RoseJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyIrisGeraniumCinnamonGingerCardamom

Base

LabdanumAmberPatchouliMusk

InformationalShared notesLavender and Amber. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer25

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men74

Unisex20

Women6

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,872

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#21,407

PerfumerNot listed

Launched1988

Reviews5

Category winnerCartagoHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Abjar by The Spirit of Dubai opens with a sharp burst of aromatic cypress, pine needles, and spicy nutmeg before settling into a dense heart of birch leaf and natural leather. As the composition warms on skin, smoky incense, Indian oud, and rich labdanum take control, giving the fragrance a dark resinous texture. The …

Reviews →

Cartago reads as a soft floral amber with peach and lilac up top, a rosy white-floral heart, and a warm base of amber, patchouli, labdanum and musk. It feels more classic than modern, with a bouquet-like character and only mild sweetness. If you enjoy traditional floral perfumes with a warm, slightly powdery finish, t…

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, Abjar or Cartago?

Cartago takes 1 of 1 categories. Abjar is rated 4.49/5 from 86 votes; Cartago is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Abjar for a woody and leather character. Best in winter. Choose Cartago for a white floral and rose character. Wins on fragranxe ranking.

Do Abjar and Cartago smell similar?

Clearly different: a 14% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Lavender and Amber.

What are the notes in Abjar and Cartago?

Abjar has top notes of Cypress, Pine, Clary Sage and Nutmeg, heart notes of Leather, Earthy Notes, Birch Leaf and Incense, a base of Castoreum, Civet, Tobacco and Agarwood (Oud). Cartago has top notes of Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Lemon and Lavender, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley and Iris, a base of Labdanum, Amber, Patchouli and Musk.