Fragrance comparison

African Gold vs Villain

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 19 ratings analysed

4 wins

African Gold

Pure Gold Perfumes

4.2512 votes

Rank #33,082 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

41%scent match

Some overlap

Villain

Pete & Pedro

3.437 votes

Rank #53,609 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

African Gold takes 4 of 4 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.
Villain
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.

African Gold4/4

Villain0/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
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: African Gold

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

African GoldPure Gold Perfumes

VillainPete & Pedro

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 15%Had 0%Want 85%

3.43/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 58%Had 13%Want 29%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

29%Love

29%Like

14%Ok

14%Dislike

14%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity89

〰 Sillage94

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate61

Category winners

LongevityAfrican Gold

SillageAfrican Gold

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value75

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%

amber92%

aromatic84%

citrus77%

vanilla69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match41%Some overlap · both warm spicy, vanilla and amber

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

CorianderNutmegCitrusLemon

Heart

CinnamonGingerSpicesHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodOlibanumVanillaBenzoinVetiverTobaccoAmberTonka

InformationalShared notesGinger, Coriander, Nutmeg 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

Spring33

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

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

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,082

PerfumerJimmy Anton Studer

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#53,609

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerAfrican GoldHigher 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 →

Pete & Pedro Villain opens with a sharp burst of lemon and dry coriander before diving into a thick, spiced core of cinnamon, clove, and golden honey. As the initial heat simmers down, dark pipe tobacco emerges alongside warm benzoin, tonka bean, and sweet vanilla. Woody nuances of sandalwood and vetiver provide an ea…

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 Villain?

African Gold takes 4 of 4 categories. African Gold is rated 4.25/5 from 12 votes; Villain is rated 3.43/5 from 7 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 Villain for a warm spicy and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, African Gold or Villain?

African Gold lasts longest (African Gold 89/100, Villain 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, African Gold or Villain?

African Gold projects furthest (African Gold 94/100, Villain 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do African Gold and Villain smell similar?

Some overlap: a 41% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, vanilla and amber accords. Common notes include Ginger, Coriander, Nutmeg and Vanilla.

Is African Gold or Villain better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in African Gold and Villain?

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. Villain has top notes of Coriander, Nutmeg, Citrus and Lemon, heart notes of Cinnamon, Ginger, Spices and Honey, a base of Sandalwood, Olibanum, Vanilla and Benzoin.