Fragrance comparison

Balu vs Cacao Nectar

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 11 ratings analysed

1 wins

Balu

Gabar

3.2010 votes

Rank #23,117 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

Cacao Nectar

Scent & Fire

5.001 votes

Rank #50,106 VanillaSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Balu takes 1 of 1 categories.

Balu
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cacao Nectar
Choose it for a vanilla and sweet character. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Balu1/1

Cacao Nectar0/1

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BaluGabar

Cacao NectarScent & Fire

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.20/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 8%Had 1%Want 90%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 29%Had 0%Want 71%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

0%Like

20%Ok

20%Dislike

20%Hate

10 votes · too few to score

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage43

♥ Love / hate55

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value33

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

sweet90%

cacao80%

soft spicy70%

vanilla60%

warm spicy50%

vanilla100%

sweet92%

fruity84%

citrus77%

floral69%

musky61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both fruity, sweet and vanilla

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

BlackcurrantDates

Heart2-4 hrs

CocoaCondensed MilkMolasses

Base6-8+ hrs

VanillaTonka Bean

Top

Mandarin OrangeWhite ApricotBlackcurrant

Heart

Indian SandalwoodNeroliHoneyCocoa

Base

Bourbon VanillaTonka BeanAmbretteCoconutCashmere Wood

InformationalShared notesBlackcurrant, Cocoa, Vanilla and Tonka Bean. Durations are only published for Balu, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring25

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day39

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 40%Casual 30%Party 20%Work 10%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,117

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#50,106

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBaluHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Balu by Gabar delivers a dense, unapologetic gourmand profile rooted in Southeast Asian dessert traditions. The opening strikes with tart blackcurrant and sticky, caramelised dates. It smells pungent and thick at first. Give it five minutes to settle on warm skin. Soon, rich cocoa powder and sweetened condensed milk t…

Reviews →

Cacao Nectar by Scent & Fire is a fruity gourmand floral that leans creamy and sun-warm. It opens bright with mandarin, white apricot, and blackcurrant, then turns into a chocolatey honeyed heart softened by neroli and sandalwood. The dry down is all comfort, bourbon vanilla and tonka with a musky ambrette feel, plus …

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, Balu or Cacao Nectar?

Balu takes 1 of 1 categories. Balu is rated 3.20/5 from 10 votes; Cacao Nectar is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Balu for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cacao Nectar for a vanilla and sweet character. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Do Balu and Cacao Nectar smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, sweet and vanilla accords. Common notes include Blackcurrant, Cocoa, Vanilla and Tonka Bean.

Is Balu or Cacao Nectar better for summer or winter?

Balu suits evening wear; Cacao Nectar suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Balu and Cacao Nectar?

Balu has top notes of Blackcurrant and Dates, heart notes of Cocoa, Condensed Milk and Molasses, a base of Vanilla and Tonka Bean. Cacao Nectar has top notes of Mandarin Orange, White Apricot and Blackcurrant, heart notes of Indian Sandalwood, Neroli, Honey and Cocoa, a base of Bourbon Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Ambrette and Coconut.