Fragrance comparison

African Gold vs Karma

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 32 ratings analysed

3 wins

African Gold

Pure Gold Perfumes

4.2512 votes

Rank #33,113 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

66%scent match

Closely related

Karma

Testament London

4.4020 votes

Rank #30,196 Warm SpicyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

African Gold takes 3 of 5 categories.

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

African Gold3/5

Karma2/5

Ratings & consensus: Karma
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: Karma

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

African GoldPure Gold Perfumes

KarmaTestament London

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 15%Had 0%Want 85%

4.40/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 23%Had 5%Want 72%

Category winnerKarmaRating 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

75%Love

10%Like

5%Ok

0%Dislike

10%Hate

20 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity89

〰 Sillage94

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityAfrican Gold

SillageAfrican Gold

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value47

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%

vanilla92%

sweet84%

cinnamon77%

amber69%

fruity61%

Scent match66%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

CinnamonTobaccoGingerCoriander

Heart

VanillaClovesAniseWoody NotesCacao Pod

Base

Dried FruitsBenzoinAmberAgarwood (Oud)

InformationalShared notesGinger, Anise, Coriander and Cloves. 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

Spring64

Summer9

Fall91

Winter100

Day10

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

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

Men6

Unisex88

Women6

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,113

PerfumerJimmy Anton Studer

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#30,196

PerfumerChris Maurice

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerKarmaHigher 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 →

Karma by Testament London starts with a dry cinnamon and ginger spark before warming into a dark tobacco leaf. It settles on skin with a thick vanilla, amber, and light oud foundation that suits cold November nights and heavy wool coats.

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 Karma?

African Gold takes 3 of 5 categories. African Gold is rated 4.25/5 from 12 votes; Karma is rated 4.40/5 from 20 votes. Choose African Gold for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Karma for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, African Gold or Karma?

African Gold lasts longest (African Gold 89/100, Karma 76/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, African Gold or Karma?

African Gold projects furthest (African Gold 94/100, Karma 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Do African Gold and Karma smell similar?

Closely related: a 66% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, sweet and vanilla accords. Common notes include Ginger, Anise, Coriander and Cloves.

Is African Gold or Karma better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in African Gold and Karma?

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. Karma has top notes of Cinnamon, Tobacco, Ginger and Coriander, heart notes of Vanilla, Cloves, Anise and Woody Notes, a base of Dried Fruits, Benzoin, Amber and Agarwood (Oud).