Fragrance comparison

Ancient Fortress vs Burlwood

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 127 ratings analysed

5 wins

Ancient Fortress

Alghabra Parfums

3.64110 votes

Rank #10,434 GreenLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

Burlwood

House of Matriarch

3.7617 votes

Rank #54,430 WoodyMossy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Ancient Fortress takes 5 of 5 categories.

Ancient Fortress
Choose it for a green and leather character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Burlwood
Choose it for a woody and mossy character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Ancient Fortress5/5

Burlwood0/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Ancient FortressAlghabra Parfums

BurlwoodHouse of Matriarch

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.64/ 5 · 110 votes

Have 30%Had 9%Want 61%

3.76/ 5 · 17 votes

Have 25%Had 6%Want 68%

Category winnerAncient FortressRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

32%Like

15%Ok

12%Dislike

6%Hate

66 votes

41%Love

24%Like

18%Ok

6%Dislike

12%Hate

17 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityAncient Fortress

SillageAncient Fortress

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value59

¤ Price value36

Category winnerAncient FortressBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

green100%

leather92%

aquatic84%

woody77%

animalic69%

aromatic61%

woody100%

mossy83%

earthy65%

green48%

aldehydic30%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both woody and green

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Green LeavesGalbanumAppleNeroliLemon

Heart

LeatherWater NotesJuniper BerriesSeagrassNutmegCloveWhite Tobacco

Base

MuskAmberSandalwoodCedarOakmoss

Top15-30 mins

Green LeavesHerbal Notes

Heart2-4 hrs

BarkSolar NotesArbutus (Madrona, Bearberry tree)

Base6-8+ hrs

OakmossWoody NotesAmber

InformationalShared notesGreen Leaves, Amber and Oakmoss. Durations are only published for Burlwood, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer57

Fall90

Winter48

Day100

Night72

Spring100

Summer86

Fall86

Winter57

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men26

Unisex56

Women18

Men30

Unisex70

Women0

Casual 40%Work 31%Date 20%Party 9%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,434

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews13

Overall rank#54,430

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerAncient FortressHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ancient Fortress by Alghabra Parfums is a Oriental Fougere fragrance for women and men. Ancient Fortress was launched in 2019. Top notes are Green Leaves, Galbanum, Apple, Neroli and Lemon; middle notes are Leather, Water Notes, Juniper Berries, Seagrass, Nutmeg, Clove and White Tobacco; base notes are Musk, Amber, Sa…

Reviews →

House of Matriarch Burlwood captures the raw smell of a sunlit Pacific Northwest forest floor. It opens with crushed green leaves and bitter herbal notes that feel damp and wild. Give it two minutes. The green solvent snap softens quickly into rough tree bark and sweet arbutus sap warmed by solar notes. Real madrona t…

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 Fortress or Burlwood?

Ancient Fortress takes 5 of 5 categories. Ancient Fortress is rated 3.64/5 from 110 votes; Burlwood is rated 3.76/5 from 17 votes. Choose Ancient Fortress for a green and leather character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Burlwood for a woody and mossy character. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Ancient Fortress or Burlwood?

Ancient Fortress lasts longest (Ancient Fortress 80/100, Burlwood 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Ancient Fortress or Burlwood?

Ancient Fortress projects furthest (Ancient Fortress 75/100, Burlwood 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Ancient Fortress and Burlwood smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and green accords. Common notes include Green Leaves, Amber and Oakmoss.

Is Ancient Fortress or Burlwood better for summer or winter?

Ancient Fortress suits daytime wear; Burlwood suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ancient Fortress and Burlwood?

Ancient Fortress has top notes of Green Leaves, Galbanum, Apple and Neroli, heart notes of Leather, Water Notes, Juniper Berries and Seagrass, a base of Musk, Amber, Sandalwood and Cedar. Burlwood has top notes of Green Leaves and Herbal Notes, heart notes of Bark, Solar Notes and Arbutus (Madrona, Bearberry tree), a base of Oakmoss, Woody Notes and Amber.