Fragrance comparison

Abjar vs Forbidden 5

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 86 ratings analysed

3 wins

Abjar

The Spirit of Dubai

4.4986 votes

Rank #25,326 WoodyLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

Forbidden 5

The Dua Brand

—0 votes

Rank #70,720 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Abjar takes 3 of 4 categories.

Abjar
Choose it for a woody and leather character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Forbidden 5
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on value for money.

Abjar3/4

Forbidden 51/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Abjar
Sillage & projection: Abjar
Value for money: Forbidden 5
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Abjar

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AbjarThe Spirit of Dubai

Forbidden 5The Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.49/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 25%Had 0%Want 75%

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

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage84

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityAbjar

SillageAbjar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value28

¤ Price value75

Category winnerForbidden 5Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

leather92%

amber84%

smoky77%

animalic69%

aromatic61%

woody100%

citrus92%

fresh spicy84%

amber77%

white floral69%

aromatic61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both woody, amber and aromatic

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

Notes

AldehydesOakmossOrange BlossomBlack CurrantGuaiac WoodTonka BeanHeliotropeGrapefruitPetitgrainPatchouliBergamotTuberose

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesAldehydes and Guaiac Wood. Durations are only published for Forbidden 5, 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

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#25,326

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#70,720

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerAbjarHigher 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 →

Forbidden 5 by The Dua Brand is a dense leather and oriental woody fragrance designed for men and women. The opening delivers a crisp flash of aldehydes, bright bergamot, grapefruit, and sweet orange, quickly shadowed by green galbanum and petitgrain. As the bright citrus elements settle, a lavish floral bouquet of Ma…

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 lasts longer, Abjar or Forbidden 5?

Abjar lasts longest (Abjar 91/100, Forbidden 5 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Abjar or Forbidden 5?

Abjar projects furthest (Abjar 84/100, Forbidden 5 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Abjar and Forbidden 5 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and aromatic accords. Common notes include Aldehydes and Guaiac Wood.

What are the notes in Abjar and Forbidden 5?

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). Forbidden 5 features Aldehydes, Oakmoss, Orange Blossom, Black Currant and Guaiac Wood.