Fragrance comparison

Aperture vs Al Bashiq

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 271 ratings analysed

Aperture

Ulrich Lang

4.3094 votes

Rank #10,998 MuskyAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

18%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Al Bashiq

Nabeel

4.14177 votes

Rank #3,886 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Al Bashiq takes 4 of 7 categories.

Aperture
Choose it for a musky and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Al Bashiq
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Aperture3/7

Al Bashiq4/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ApertureUlrich Lang

Al BashiqNabeel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.30/ 5 · 94 votes

Have 27%Had 6%Want 66%

4.14/ 5 · 177 votes

Have 88%Had 12%Want 0%

Category winnerApertureRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

60%Love

26%Like

1%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

94 votes

56%Love

23%Like

7%Ok

8%Dislike

6%Hate

177 votes

Category winnerApertureMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityAl Bashiq

SillageAl Bashiq

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value34

¤ Price value78

Category winnerAl BashiqBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

musky100%

aldehydic92%

fresh84%

amber77%

white floral69%

animalic61%

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

aromatic77%

balsamic69%

leather61%

Scent match18%Clearly different · both amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

AldehydesPink PepperBlack PepperWhite Pepper

Heart2-4 hrs

TobaccoLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineCedar

Base6-8+ hrs

AmbergrisMuskVetiverAmber

Top

LeatherIncenseCypressStyraxSaffronCardamomLavenderArtemisia

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)MyrrhBalsamic NotesEarthy NotesGuaiac WoodOlibanumLabdanumCedar

Base

VetiverAmberTobaccoTolu BalsamBenzoinPatchouliSweet NotesAmbergris

InformationalShared notesTobacco, Cedar, Ambergris and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Aperture, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring83

Summer24

Fall100

Winter72

Day100

Night64

Spring32

Summer14

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerApertureMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men34

Unisex66

Women0

Work 33%Casual 31%Date 25%Party 11%

Men82

Unisex13

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,998

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews15

Overall rank#3,886

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews19

Category winnerAl BashiqHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Aperture by Ulrich Lang is a cool, aromatic woody scent that captures the crisp chill of a photography darkroom. The fragrance opens with an icy prickle of white pepper, black pepper, and pink pepper suspended in airy aldehydes. As the initial sharp burst settles on warm skin, dry cedar and sweet pipe tobacco take cen…

Reviews →

Al Bashiq by Nabeel delivers a heavy dose of leather, dark resins, and bitter almond. It is a bold, cold weather scent that cuts through freezing air, pairing best with heavy wool coats or leather jackets during winter nights.

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, Aperture or Al Bashiq?

Al Bashiq takes 4 of 7 categories. Aperture is rated 4.30/5 from 94 votes; Al Bashiq is rated 4.14/5 from 177 votes. Choose Aperture for a musky and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Al Bashiq for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Aperture or Al Bashiq?

Al Bashiq lasts longest (Al Bashiq 82/100, Aperture 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Aperture or Al Bashiq?

Al Bashiq projects furthest (Al Bashiq 75/100, Aperture 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Aperture and Al Bashiq smell similar?

Clearly different: a 18% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber accords. Common notes include Tobacco, Cedar, Ambergris and Vetiver.

Is Aperture or Al Bashiq better for summer or winter?

For summer, Aperture is the stronger pick. For winter, Al Bashiq is the stronger pick. Aperture suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Aperture and Al Bashiq?

Aperture has top notes of Aldehydes, Pink Pepper, Black Pepper and White Pepper, heart notes of Tobacco, Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine and Cedar, a base of Ambergris, Musk, Vetiver and Amber. Al Bashiq has top notes of Leather, Incense, Cypress and Styrax, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Myrrh, Balsamic Notes and Earthy Notes, a base of Vetiver, Amber, Tobacco and Tolu Balsam.