Fragrance comparison

Arabesque vs Bright Leaf

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

Updated 28 Oct 2026 1,123 ratings analysed

2 wins

Arabesque

The Merchant of Venice

4.361,116 votes

Rank #758 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

Bright Leaf

Murdock London

3.577 votes

Rank #56,603 TobaccoSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Arabesque takes 2 of 3 categories.

Arabesque
Choose it for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Bright Leaf
Choose it for a tobacco and sweet character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Arabesque2/3

Bright Leaf1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ArabesqueThe Merchant of Venice

Bright LeafMurdock London

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.36/ 5 · 1,116 votes

Have 75%Had 25%Want 0%

3.57/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 21%Had 13%Want 67%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

55%Love

32%Like

8%Ok

5%Dislike

1%Hate

1,116 votes

29%Love

43%Like

0%Ok

14%Dislike

14%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate64

Category winners

LongevityArabesque

SillageBright Leaf

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value37

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

warm spicy92%

fruity84%

amber77%

tobacco69%

cinnamon61%

tobacco100%

sweet83%

woody65%

whiskey48%

fruity30%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both sweet, tobacco and fruity

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

PlumTobacco LeafGinger

Heart

CinnamonTonka BeanCedar

Base

BenzoinMuskVetiver

Notes

Tobacco LeafCedar

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesTobacco Leaf and Cedar. Durations are only published for Bright Leaf, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring37

Summer15

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter67

Day92

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men16

Unisex53

Women32

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Work 32%Casual 29%Date 25%Party 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#758

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews111

Overall rank#56,603

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerArabesqueHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Arabesque by The Merchant of Venice is a rich, warm oriental woody perfume built around dark stewed plum, sweet tobacco leaf, and spicy cinnamon. The scent opens with a burst of juicy purple plum spiced with zesty ginger, giving the sweet fruit a bright, lively edge before the deeper heart takes over. As it warms on s…

Reviews →

Murdock London Bright Leaf strips away the sticky sugar found in modern tobacco colognes. It smells like opening a vintage wooden cigar box lined with dried Cuban leaves. The aroma begins with a dry burst of cured tobacco leaf and crisp cedar shavings. A faint splash of peaty whiskey warms the edges within ten minutes…

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, Arabesque or Bright Leaf?

Arabesque takes 2 of 3 categories. Arabesque is rated 4.36/5 from 1,116 votes; Bright Leaf is rated 3.57/5 from 7 votes. Choose Arabesque for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Bright Leaf for a tobacco and sweet character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Arabesque or Bright Leaf?

Arabesque lasts longest (Arabesque 75/100, Bright Leaf 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Arabesque or Bright Leaf?

Projection is very close: Bright Leaf 69/100, Arabesque 67/100 for sillage.

Do Arabesque and Bright Leaf smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, tobacco and fruity accords. Common notes include Tobacco Leaf and Cedar.

Is Arabesque or Bright Leaf better for summer or winter?

Bright Leaf suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Arabesque and Bright Leaf?

Arabesque has top notes of Plum, Tobacco Leaf and Ginger, heart notes of Cinnamon, Tonka Bean and Cedar, a base of Benzoin, Musk and Vetiver. Bright Leaf features Tobacco Leaf and Cedar.