Fragrance comparison

Balahe vs Black Code

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 526 ratings analysed

3 wins

Balahe

Leonard

4.23521 votes

Rank #3,674 SweetPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

22%scent match

Clearly different

Black Code

Milestone Perfumes

4.005 votes

Rank #59,926 IrisPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Balahe takes 3 of 4 categories.

Balahe
Choose it for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Black Code
Choose it for a iris and powdery character. Wins on value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Balahe3/4

Black Code1/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BalaheLeonard

Black CodeMilestone Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.23/ 5 · 521 votes

Have 62%Had 38%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 40%Had 0%Want 60%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

47%Love

40%Like

2%Ok

10%Dislike

0%Hate

521 votes

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityBalahe

SillageBalahe

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value51

¤ Price value75

Category winnerBlack CodeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

powdery92%

white floral84%

woody77%

musky69%

fruity61%

iris100%

powdery86%

aromatic72%

earthy58%

aldehydic44%

violet30%

Scent match22%Clearly different · both powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

PlumAldehydesClary SageCorianderAnisePineappleMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart3-4 hrs

TuberoseOrchidOrris RootYlang-YlangIrisRoseJasmineOrange Blossom

Base8-10+ hrs

CivetOpoponaxVanillaSandalwoodMuskVetiver

Top

Bergamot LeafBergamot

Heart

IrisClary SageAldehydesOrris

Base

Tonka BeanVanillaCedar

InformationalShared notesAldehydes, Clary Sage, Bergamot and Iris. Durations are only published for Balahe, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring27

Summer19

Fall0

Winter100

Day53

Night100

Spring40

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men2

Unisex44

Women55

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,674

PerfumerDaniel Moliere

Launched—

Reviews50

Overall rank#59,926

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBalaheHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Balahe by Leonard is a decadent 1983 oriental floral that refuses to whisper. Dark, syrupy plum immediately collides with sharp aldehydes and spicy coriander in the opening. Give it five minutes. Once that initial solvent burst settles, a lush heart of creamy tuberose, powdery iris, and warm ylang-ylang unfolds across…

Reviews →

Black Code by Milestone Perfumes is a masculine woody aromatic built around cool bergamot, powdery iris and a soft tonka-vanilla base. It opens fresh and leafy, then settles into a smoother floral-aromatic heart with orris, clary sage and aldehydes. The overall feel is clean, powdery, slightly earthy and warmly sweet…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Balahe or Black Code?

Balahe takes 3 of 4 categories. Balahe is rated 4.23/5 from 521 votes; Black Code is rated 4.00/5 from 5 votes. Choose Balahe for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Black Code for a iris and powdery character. Wins on value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Balahe or Black Code?

Balahe lasts longest (Balahe 72/100, Black Code 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Balahe or Black Code?

Balahe projects furthest (Balahe 62/100, Black Code 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Balahe and Black Code smell similar?

Clearly different: a 22% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery accords. Common notes include Aldehydes, Clary Sage, Bergamot and Iris.

Is Balahe or Black Code better for summer or winter?

Balahe suits evening wear; Black Code suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Balahe and Black Code?

Balahe has top notes of Plum, Aldehydes, Clary Sage and Coriander, heart notes of Tuberose, Orchid, Orris Root and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Civet, Opoponax, Vanilla and Sandalwood. Black Code has top notes of Bergamot Leaf and Bergamot, heart notes of Iris, Clary Sage, Aldehydes and Orris, a base of Tonka Bean, Vanilla and Cedar.