Fragrance comparison

African Gold vs White Widow

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 69 ratings analysed

4 wins

African Gold

Pure Gold Perfumes

4.2512 votes

Rank #33,082 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

White Widow

Synonyme

4.0457 votes

Rank #27,513 VanillaAromatic

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.
White Widow
Choose it for a vanilla and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

African Gold4/5

White Widow1/5

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: White Widow

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

African GoldPure Gold Perfumes

White WidowSynonyme

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 15%Had 0%Want 85%

4.04/ 5 · 57 votes

Have 34%Had 7%Want 59%

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

49%Love

28%Like

5%Ok

12%Dislike

5%Hate

57 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity89

〰 Sillage94

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityAfrican Gold

SillageAfrican Gold

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value62

Category winnerAfrican GoldBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

warm spicy91%

vanilla83%

fruity74%

cacao65%

amber56%

vanilla100%

aromatic92%

warm spicy84%

fresh spicy77%

sweet69%

soft spicy61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both vanilla, warm spicy and sweet

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

TobaccoAniseNutmegCorianderBlack PepperGinger

Heart

cannabisCinnamonCarnationHeliotropeCedar

Base

VanillaTonka BeanOakmossAmberPatchouli

InformationalShared notesGinger, Anise, Coriander and Nutmeg. 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

Spring31

Summer7

Fall100

Winter69

Day100

Night85

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

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

Men18

Unisex67

Women16

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,082

PerfumerJimmy Anton Studer

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#27,513

PerfumerMarc Daniel Heimgartner

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerWhite WidowHigher 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 →

White Widow by Synonyme is a sharp, spice-heavy aromatic that swaps traditional sweetness for a gritty edge of tobacco and black pepper. It opens with a medicinal kick of anise before the heart reveals a dry cedar and herbal cannabis profile. This scent is built for the enthusiast who wants a bold, woody presence with…

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 White Widow?

African Gold takes 4 of 5 categories. African Gold is rated 4.25/5 from 12 votes; White Widow is rated 4.04/5 from 57 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 White Widow for a vanilla and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, African Gold or White Widow?

African Gold lasts longest (African Gold 89/100, White Widow 74/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, African Gold or White Widow?

African Gold projects furthest (African Gold 94/100, White Widow 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do African Gold and White Widow smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, warm spicy and sweet accords. Common notes include Ginger, Anise, Coriander and Nutmeg.

Is African Gold or White Widow better for summer or winter?

African Gold suits evening wear; White Widow suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in African Gold and White Widow?

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. White Widow has top notes of Tobacco, Anise, Nutmeg and Coriander, heart notes of cannabis, Cinnamon, Carnation and Heliotrope, a base of Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Oakmoss and Amber.