Fragrance comparison

Au Fil du Temps vs Malabar

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 20 ratings analysed

Au Fil du Temps

Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

3.005 votes

Rank #64,058 VanillaPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Malabar

Optico Profumo

4.4715 votes

Rank #29,711 VanillaYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Malabar takes 4 of 4 categories.

Au Fil du Temps
Choose it for a vanilla and powdery character. Best in fall, evening wear.
Malabar
Choose it for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Au Fil du Temps0/4

Malabar4/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Au Fil du TempsParfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

MalabarOptico Profumo

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 12%Had 24%Want 64%

4.47/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 31%Had 8%Want 60%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

40%Like

20%Ok

40%Dislike

0%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

80%Love

0%Like

7%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate87

Category winners

LongevityMalabar

SillageMalabar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value80

Category winnerMalabarBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

powdery86%

warm spicy72%

amber58%

sweet44%

almond30%

vanilla100%

yellow floral92%

sweet84%

woody77%

aromatic69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both vanilla, warm spicy and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

HeliotropeClovesAnise

Heart2-4 hrs

Tonka BeanVanilla

Base6-8+ hrs

Woody Notes

Top

TangerineClovesCardamom

Heart

Ylang-YlangTonka BeanAbsintheOsmanthusHeliotropeChestnut

Base

VanillaPatchouliAmber

InformationalShared notesHeliotrope, Cloves, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Au Fil du Temps, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Spring86

Summer57

Fall100

Winter86

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 38%Casual 30%Work 22%Party 10%

Men0

Unisex77

Women23

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#64,058

PerfumerChristian Louis

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#29,711

PerfumerNicola Bianchi

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerMalabarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Au Fil du Temps by Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque opens with an immediate dusting of powdery heliotrope, pungent cloves, and sweet anise seeds. The opening has a slight medicinal prickle that softens within minutes. Warm tonka bean and creamy vanilla take over the heart, wrapping the wearer in a comforting cloud t…

Reviews →

Malabar by Optico Profumo is a warm, spicy Oriental scent built on a heavy base of vanilla and earthy patchouli. Spiced tangerine and cloves open the fragrance, which slowly shifts into a dense, sweet heart of chestnut and heliotrope. It fits someone looking for a comforting, resinous layer that lingers in cold autumn…

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, Au Fil du Temps or Malabar?

Malabar takes 4 of 4 categories. Au Fil du Temps is rated 3.00/5 from 5 votes; Malabar is rated 4.47/5 from 15 votes. Choose Au Fil du Temps for a vanilla and powdery character. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Malabar for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Au Fil du Temps or Malabar?

Malabar lasts longest (Malabar 85/100, Au Fil du Temps 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Au Fil du Temps or Malabar?

Malabar projects furthest (Malabar 77/100, Au Fil du Temps 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Au Fil du Temps and Malabar smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, warm spicy and sweet accords. Common notes include Heliotrope, Cloves, Tonka Bean and Vanilla.

Is Au Fil du Temps or Malabar better for summer or winter?

Au Fil du Temps suits evening wear; Malabar suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Au Fil du Temps and Malabar?

Au Fil du Temps has top notes of Heliotrope, Cloves and Anise, heart notes of Tonka Bean and Vanilla, a base of Woody Notes. Malabar has top notes of Tangerine, Cloves and Cardamom, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Tonka Bean, Absinthe and Osmanthus, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli and Amber.