Fragrance comparison

Aperture vs Oud

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 254 ratings analysed

5 wins

Aperture

Ulrich Lang

4.3094 votes

Rank #10,998 MuskyAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

16%scent match

Clearly different

Oud

The Spirit of Dubai

4.22160 votes

Rank #24,039 WoodyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Aperture takes 5 of 7 categories.

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

Aperture5/7

Oud2/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ApertureUlrich Lang

OudThe Spirit of Dubai

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.30/ 5 · 94 votes

Have 27%Had 6%Want 66%

4.22/ 5 · 160 votes

Have 79%Had 21%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

59%Love

21%Like

9%Ok

4%Dislike

6%Hate

160 votes

Category winnerApertureMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityOud

SillageOud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value34

¤ Price value25

Category winnerApertureBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

musky100%

aldehydic92%

fresh84%

amber77%

white floral69%

animalic61%

woody100%

oud92%

warm spicy84%

amber77%

sweet69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match16%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

SaffronPineappleLimePineBlack PepperDamask RoseIncenseCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)JasmineGuaiac WoodResinsOlibanumRed RoseRoseEarthy Notes

Base

Indian OudPatchouliSandalwoodLeatherCedarWoodsy NotesAmbergrisTobacco

InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Tobacco, Jasmine and Cedar. 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

Spring47

Summer33

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%

Men69

Unisex25

Women6

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,998

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews15

Overall rank#24,039

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerApertureHigher 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 →

The Spirit of Dubai Oud opens with a sharp burst of bitter lime, pungent saffron, and prickly black pepper before dropping straight into dense Indian agarwood. The wood here smells raw and medicinal at first, heavily saturated with dark leather, smoky incense, and dry cypriol oil. As the initial sharpness burns off, s…

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 Oud?

Aperture takes 5 of 7 categories. Aperture is rated 4.30/5 from 94 votes; Oud is rated 4.22/5 from 160 votes. Choose Aperture for a musky and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Oud for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Aperture or Oud?

Oud lasts longest (Oud 86/100, Aperture 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Aperture or Oud?

Oud projects furthest (Oud 78/100, Aperture 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Aperture and Oud smell similar?

Clearly different: a 16% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Tobacco, Jasmine and Cedar.

Is Aperture or Oud better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Aperture and Oud?

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. Oud has top notes of Saffron, Pineapple, Lime and Pine, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Jasmine, Guaiac Wood and Resins, a base of Indian Oud, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Leather.