Fragrance comparison

Abjar vs Forteresse

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 86 ratings analysed

2 wins

Abjar

The Spirit of Dubai

4.4986 votes

Rank #25,104 WoodyLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

Forteresse

Manzana Paris

—0 votes

Rank #77,724 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Abjar takes 2 of 2 categories.

Abjar
Choose it for a woody and leather character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Forteresse
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Abjar2/2

Forteresse0/2

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Abjar
Value for money: Not scored
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

ForteresseManzana Paris

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.49/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 17%Had 0%Want 83%

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

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageAbjar

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%

woody100%

warm spicy92%

rose84%

patchouli77%

amber69%

oud61%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both woody and amber

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

Rose

Heart2 to 4 hours

PatchouliAgarwood (Oud)CedarSandalwood

Base4 to 7 hours

LabdanumSaffron

InformationalShared notesAgarwood (Oud) and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Forteresse, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring61

Summer25

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

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#25,104

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#77,724

PerfumerMarc Antoine

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 →

Forteresse by Manzana Paris presents a structured woody chypre profile built around classical eastern and western elements. The scent opens directly with a distinct rose note that carries a subtle metallic floral crispness. Soon after, the heart unfolds a substantial woody framework where earthy patchouli meets smoky …

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 projects more, Abjar or Forteresse?

Abjar projects furthest (Abjar 84/100, Forteresse 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Abjar and Forteresse smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and amber accords. Common notes include Agarwood (Oud) and Sandalwood.

Is Abjar or Forteresse better for summer or winter?

Forteresse suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Abjar and Forteresse?

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). Forteresse has top notes of Rose, heart notes of Patchouli, Agarwood (Oud), Cedar and Sandalwood, a base of Labdanum and Saffron.