Fragrance comparison

Alpha vs Complex 2020

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 50 ratings analysed

3 wins

Alpha

G Parfums

3.7520 votes

Rank #46,627 LeatherMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

27%scent match

Clearly different

Complex 2020

Boadicea the Victorious

3.3030 votes

Rank #21,744 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Alpha takes 3 of 5 categories.

Alpha
Choose it for a leather and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Complex 2020
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Alpha3/5

Complex 20202/5

Ratings & consensus: Alpha
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Alpha
Sillage & projection: Complex 2020
Value for money: Alpha
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Complex 2020

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AlphaG Parfums

Complex 2020Boadicea the Victorious

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.75/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 19%Had 9%Want 72%

3.30/ 5 · 30 votes

Have 57%Had 14%Want 29%

Category winnerAlphaRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

30%Love

45%Like

0%Ok

20%Dislike

5%Hate

20 votes · too few to score

30%Love

27%Like

10%Ok

10%Dislike

23%Hate

30 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity89

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage79

♥ Love / hate58

Category winners

LongevityAlpha

SillageComplex 2020

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price value20

Category winnerAlphaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

musky91%

animalic83%

smoky74%

woody65%

amber56%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

amber84%

herbal77%

oud69%

leather61%

Scent match27%Clearly different · both leather and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

LeatherCivetCastoreumMuskAgarwood (Oud)BirchSaffronPeru BalsamOlibanumPatchouliTonka BeanAmber

No top / heart / base split published

Top

SageBasil

Heart

OlibanumViolet

Base

LeatherAgarwood (Oud)Musk

InformationalShared notesLeather, Musk, Agarwood (Oud) and Olibanum. Durations are only published for Alpha, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Spring40

Summer40

Fall90

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

Men90

Unisex10

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#46,627

PerfumerOleg Grabchuk

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#21,744

PerfumerJohn Stephen

Launched—

Reviews8

Category winnerComplex 2020Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Alpha by G Parfums is an unapologetic, smoky leather fragrance built around raw birch tar, castoreum, and warm saffron. It smells dense. You get a bold opening of tannery leather and sharp resin before a dark heart of oud and animalic musk emerges. Oleg Grabchuk designed this blend for cold weather, open outdoor air, …

Reviews →

Boadicea the Victorious Complex 2020 opens with an aggressive surge of bruised sage and bitter basil before setting into a dense wall of raw leather and heavy oud. John Stephen built this composition around an earthy core of olibanum incense and dry violet leaf. It projects aggressively from skin during damp autumn ev…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Alpha or Complex 2020?

Alpha takes 3 of 5 categories. Alpha is rated 3.75/5 from 20 votes; Complex 2020 is rated 3.30/5 from 30 votes. Choose Alpha for a leather and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Complex 2020 for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Alpha or Complex 2020?

Alpha lasts longest (Alpha 89/100, Complex 2020 86/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Alpha or Complex 2020?

Projection is very close: Complex 2020 79/100, Alpha 77/100 for sillage.

Do Alpha and Complex 2020 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 27% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share leather and amber accords. Common notes include Leather, Musk, Agarwood (Oud) and Olibanum.

Is Alpha or Complex 2020 better for summer or winter?

Alpha suits evening wear; Complex 2020 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Alpha and Complex 2020?

Alpha features Leather, Civet, Castoreum, Musk and Agarwood (Oud). Complex 2020 has top notes of Sage and Basil, heart notes of Olibanum and Violet, a base of Leather, Agarwood (Oud) and Musk.