Fragrance comparison

An Air Of Despair vs Taaj Al Raas

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 100 ratings analysed

An Air Of Despair

Imaginary Authors

3.5382 votes

Rank #14,999 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

56%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Taaj Al Raas

Ajmal

3.9018 votes

Rank #21,229 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Taaj Al Raas takes 4 of 5 categories.

An Air Of Despair
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Taaj Al Raas
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

An Air Of Despair1/5

Taaj Al Raas4/5

Ratings & consensus: Taaj Al Raas
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Taaj Al Raas
Sillage & projection: Taaj Al Raas
Value for money: Taaj Al Raas
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: An Air Of Despair

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

An Air Of DespairImaginary Authors

Taaj Al RaasAjmal

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.53/ 5 · 82 votes

Have 18%Had 6%Want 76%

3.90/ 5 · 18 votes

Have 25%Had 0%Want 75%

Category winnerTaaj Al RaasRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

32%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

30%Dislike

1%Hate

74 votes

50%Love

38%Like

0%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityTaaj Al Raas

SillageTaaj Al Raas

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value42

¤ Price value75

Category winnerTaaj Al RaasBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy88%

musky77%

powdery65%

metallic53%

leather42%

amber100%

woody90%

fresh spicy80%

warm spicy70%

musky60%

powdery50%

Scent match56%Closely related · both woody, warm spicy and musky

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SaffronCedarMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

CuminOlibanumSaffron

Heart

PatchouliGuaiac WoodCedar

Base

AmberMusk

InformationalShared notesSaffron, Cedar and Musk. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring43

Summer29

Fall100

Winter61

Day100

Night–

Spring60

Summer40

Fall100

Winter80

Day50

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex20

Women40

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#14,999

PerfumerJosh Meyer

Launched—

Reviews21

Overall rank#21,229

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerAn Air Of DespairHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

An Air Of Despair is a dry, cedar-led scent with saffron adding a leathery, slightly metallic warmth and musk keeping it clean rather than fluffy. It opens sharp for some wearers, then settles into a smooth, comforting woodiness that can feel cozy, austere, and quietly distinctive. This suits someone who enjoys minima…

Reviews →

Taaj Al Raas is a spicy amber-wood scent built around cumin and saffron up top, with a resinous, incense-like feel from olibanum. The heart turns drier and woodier with patchouli, guaiac and cedar, then settles into a musky amber base. It reads warm, earthy and slightly animalic at times, best suited to cooler weather…

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, An Air Of Despair or Taaj Al Raas?

Taaj Al Raas takes 4 of 5 categories. An Air Of Despair is rated 3.53/5 from 82 votes; Taaj Al Raas is rated 3.90/5 from 18 votes. Choose An Air Of Despair for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Taaj Al Raas for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, An Air Of Despair or Taaj Al Raas?

Taaj Al Raas lasts longest (Taaj Al Raas 72/100, An Air Of Despair 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, An Air Of Despair or Taaj Al Raas?

Taaj Al Raas projects furthest (Taaj Al Raas 67/100, An Air Of Despair 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do An Air Of Despair and Taaj Al Raas smell similar?

Closely related: a 56% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and musky accords. Common notes include Saffron, Cedar and Musk.

Is An Air Of Despair or Taaj Al Raas better for summer or winter?

An Air Of Despair suits daytime wear; Taaj Al Raas suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in An Air Of Despair and Taaj Al Raas?

An Air Of Despair features Saffron, Cedar and Musk. Taaj Al Raas has top notes of Cumin, Olibanum and Saffron, heart notes of Patchouli, Guaiac Wood and Cedar, a base of Amber and Musk.