Fragrance comparison

Ancient Currents vs Black Pepper & Sandalwood

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

Updated 23 Oct 2026 322 ratings analysed

Ancient Currents

House of Noya

3.679 votes

Rank #57,924 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

44%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Black Pepper & Sandalwood

Acca Kappa

3.69313 votes

Rank #5,092 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood takes 4 of 4 categories.

Ancient Currents
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Ancient Currents0/4

Black Pepper & Sandalwood4/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Sillage & projection: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Value for money: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Black Pepper & Sandalwood

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Ancient CurrentsHouse of Noya

Black Pepper & SandalwoodAcca Kappa

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.67/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 27%Had 4%Want 69%

3.69/ 5 · 313 votes

Have 39%Had 16%Want 45%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

22%Love

33%Like

33%Ok

11%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

35%Love

43%Like

9%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

230 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityBlack Pepper & Sandalwood

SillageBlack Pepper & Sandalwood

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value34

¤ Price value61

Category winnerBlack Pepper & SandalwoodBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

woody92%

marine84%

earthy77%

warm spicy69%

patchouli61%

warm spicy100%

fresh spicy83%

woody65%

aromatic48%

powdery30%

Scent match44%Some overlap · both warm spicy, woody and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

BergamotSaffronelemi

Heart2-4 hrs

Sea NotesOakmoss

Base6-8+ hrs

PatchouliCedarwoodHaitian Vetiver

Top

ClovesSaffronNutmegelemiBalsam FirArtemisiaBergamot

Heart

Black PepperDamask RoseCinnamonAgarwood (Oud)

Base

SandalwoodVirginian CedarPatchouliBlack MuskHaitian VetiverCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Saffron, elemi and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Ancient Currents, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer67

Fall100

Winter50

Day100

Night92

Spring45

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men55

Unisex45

Women0

Casual 33%Work 30%Date 23%Party 15%

Men37

Unisex57

Women7

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#57,924

PerfumerPaul Guerlain

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#5,092

PerfumerLuca Maffei

Launched—

Reviews44

Category winnerBlack Pepper & SandalwoodHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ancient Currents by House of Noya takes the concept of river water and flips it on its head. Instead of sweet melon or laundry detergent, you get a rush of cold bergamot and warm saffron meeting realistic salty sea notes. Perfumer Paul Guerlain grounds that brisk aquatic blast with damp oakmoss, smoky Haitian vetiver,…

Reviews →

Black Pepper & Sandalwood by Acca Kappa is a Woody Spicy fragrance for women and men. Black Pepper & Sandalwood was launched in 2014. The nose behind this fragrance is Luca Maffei. Top notes are Cloves, Saffron, Nutmeg, elemi, Balsam Fir, Artemisia and Bergamot; middle notes are Black Pepper, Damask Rose, Cinnamon and…

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, Ancient Currents or Black Pepper & Sandalwood?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood takes 4 of 4 categories. Ancient Currents is rated 3.67/5 from 9 votes; Black Pepper & Sandalwood is rated 3.69/5 from 313 votes. Choose Ancient Currents for a aromatic and woody character. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Black Pepper & Sandalwood for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Ancient Currents or Black Pepper & Sandalwood?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood lasts longest (Black Pepper & Sandalwood 70/100, Ancient Currents 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Ancient Currents or Black Pepper & Sandalwood?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood projects furthest (Black Pepper & Sandalwood 59/100, Ancient Currents 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Ancient Currents and Black Pepper & Sandalwood smell similar?

Some overlap: a 44% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Saffron, elemi and Patchouli.

Is Ancient Currents or Black Pepper & Sandalwood better for summer or winter?

Ancient Currents suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ancient Currents and Black Pepper & Sandalwood?

Ancient Currents has top notes of Bergamot, Saffron and elemi, heart notes of Sea Notes and Oakmoss, a base of Patchouli, Cedarwood and Haitian Vetiver. Black Pepper & Sandalwood has top notes of Cloves, Saffron, Nutmeg and elemi, heart notes of Black Pepper, Damask Rose, Cinnamon and Agarwood (Oud), a base of Sandalwood, Virginian Cedar, Patchouli and Black Musk.