Fragrance comparison

African Gold vs Havana Paradise

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 26 ratings analysed

4 wins

African Gold

Pure Gold Perfumes

4.2512 votes

Rank #33,082 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

62%scent match

Closely related

Havana Paradise

Karakash Perfume

4.2114 votes

Rank #32,967 Warm SpicySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

African Gold takes 4 of 5 categories.

African Gold
Choose it for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Havana Paradise
Choose it for a warm spicy and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

African Gold4/5

Havana Paradise1/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

African GoldPure Gold Perfumes

Havana ParadiseKarakash Perfume

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 15%Had 0%Want 85%

4.21/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 25%Had 2%Want 73%

Category winnerAfrican GoldRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

42%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

57%Love

21%Like

14%Ok

0%Dislike

7%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity89

〰 Sillage94

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityAfrican Gold

SillageAfrican Gold

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value64

Category winnerAfrican GoldBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

warm spicy91%

vanilla83%

fruity74%

cacao65%

amber56%

warm spicy100%

sweet88%

amber77%

vanilla65%

tobacco53%

woody42%

Scent match62%Closely related · both warm spicy, sweet and vanilla

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

GingerTobacco LeafAniseCoriander

Heart3-4 hrs

DatesTobacco BlossomClovesNutmegDried PlumFigWood Resin

Base8-12 hrs

Cacao PodVanillaTobaccoTonka BeanBenzoinHoneyCedar

Top

TobaccoClovesGingerDried Fruits

Heart

Tonka BeanCacao PodVanilla

Base

Woody NotesBenzoinHoneyLabdanum

InformationalShared notesGinger, Cloves, Cacao Pod and Vanilla. Durations are only published for African Gold, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer50

Fall75

Winter100

Day35

Night100

Spring80

Summer30

Fall90

Winter100

Day60

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Date 40%Party 31%Casual 19%Work 10%

Men67

Unisex25

Women8

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,082

PerfumerJimmy Anton Studer

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#32,967

PerfumerJean-Michel Santorini

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerHavana ParadiseHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

African Gold by Pure Gold Perfumes delivers a dark, honeyed wallop of spice from the very first spray. Do not overspray this. The opening strikes with sharp ginger, licorice-tinged anise, and coarse coriander seed before unrolling a sticky feast of dried dates and dark stewed plum. Tobacco blossom and grated nutmeg bu…

Reviews →

Havana Paradise by Karakash Perfume offers a heavy dose of sweet, warm tobacco wrapped in culinary spices and rich resins. Jean-Michel Santorini designed this unisex scent to sit comfortably in freezing weather, projecting a cozy aura of vanilla, honey, and dry fruits. It serves as a dense, warming statement piece for…

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, African Gold or Havana Paradise?

African Gold takes 4 of 5 categories. African Gold is rated 4.25/5 from 12 votes; Havana Paradise is rated 4.21/5 from 14 votes. Choose African Gold for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Havana Paradise for a warm spicy and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, African Gold or Havana Paradise?

African Gold lasts longest (African Gold 89/100, Havana Paradise 82/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, African Gold or Havana Paradise?

African Gold projects furthest (African Gold 94/100, Havana Paradise 78/100), based on community performance votes.

Do African Gold and Havana Paradise smell similar?

Closely related: a 62% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, sweet and vanilla accords. Common notes include Ginger, Cloves, Cacao Pod and Vanilla.

Is African Gold or Havana Paradise better for summer or winter?

African Gold suits evening wear; Havana Paradise suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in African Gold and Havana Paradise?

African Gold has top notes of Ginger, Tobacco Leaf, Anise and Coriander, heart notes of Dates, Tobacco Blossom, Cloves and Nutmeg, a base of Cacao Pod, Vanilla, Tobacco and Tonka Bean. Havana Paradise has top notes of Tobacco, Cloves, Ginger and Dried Fruits, heart notes of Tonka Bean, Cacao Pod and Vanilla, a base of Woody Notes, Benzoin, Honey and Labdanum.