Fragrance comparison

Believe Forever vs Oud Noir

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 143 ratings analysed

Believe Forever

Ajmal

3.8832 votes

Rank #37,106 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

52%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Oud Noir

Vertus

4.03111 votes

Rank #7,219 WoodyFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Oud Noir takes 5 of 7 categories.

Believe Forever
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Oud Noir
Choose it for a woody and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Believe Forever2/7

Oud Noir5/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Believe ForeverAjmal

Oud NoirVertus

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.88/ 5 · 32 votes

Have 27%Had 23%Want 49%

4.03/ 5 · 111 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

Category winnerOud NoirRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

38%Love

38%Like

0%Ok

25%Dislike

0%Hate

32 votes

41%Love

37%Like

8%Ok

14%Dislike

1%Hate

111 votes

Category winnerOud NoirMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage74

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityBelieve Forever

SillageOud Noir

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value48

Category winnerBelieve ForeverBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy90%

fresh spicy80%

oud70%

amber60%

rose50%

woody100%

fruity92%

aromatic84%

warm spicy77%

rose69%

oud61%

Scent match52%Some overlap · both woody, warm spicy and oud

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Agarwood (Oud)Guaiac WoodMyrrhBlack PepperCedarSaffronRoseGeraniumGrapefruitPatchouliJasmineBergamot

No top / heart / base split published

Top

PlumAppleSaffronRhubarbLemonGrapefruit

Heart

RoseGeraniumCarnationCedarAmberOrrisCyclamenMagnolia

Base

Agarwood (Oud)Guaiac WoodVetiverVanillaMuskSandalwoodPatchouliCastoreum

InformationalShared notesAgarwood (Oud), Guaiac Wood, Cedar and Saffron. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer10

Fall100

Winter80

Day100

Night100

Spring86

Summer77

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night–

Category winnerOud NoirMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men33

Unisex67

Women0

Men14

Unisex60

Women25

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#37,106

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#7,219

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews17

Category winnerOud NoirHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Believe Forever is a woody, spicy oud scent with a fresh citrus start and a resinous, smoky dry-down. You will likely notice peppery saffron and grapefruit up top, then a rosy, geranium-tinted heart that sits over myrrh, guaiac wood, cedar and patchouli. It reads unisex, but the woods and oud can lean more traditional…

Reviews →

Oud Noir by Vertus offers an unexpected twist on dark wood, mixing a tart fruit opening with a clean, dry woodiness. The scent dodges the typical heavy, syrupy sweetness of most modern oud releases. Instead, it pairs sharp rhubarb and plum against a cedar and saffron backdrop, creating a cool-weather unisex option tha…

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, Believe Forever or Oud Noir?

Oud Noir takes 5 of 7 categories. Believe Forever is rated 3.88/5 from 32 votes; Oud Noir is rated 4.03/5 from 111 votes. Choose Believe Forever for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Oud Noir for a woody and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Believe Forever or Oud Noir?

Believe Forever lasts longest (Believe Forever 81/100, Oud Noir 76/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Believe Forever or Oud Noir?

Projection is very close: Oud Noir 74/100, Believe Forever 73/100 for sillage.

Do Believe Forever and Oud Noir smell similar?

Some overlap: a 52% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and oud accords. Common notes include Agarwood (Oud), Guaiac Wood, Cedar and Saffron.

Is Believe Forever or Oud Noir better for summer or winter?

For summer, Oud Noir is the stronger pick. For winter, Oud Noir is the stronger pick. Believe Forever suits day or night wear; Oud Noir suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Believe Forever and Oud Noir?

Believe Forever features Agarwood (Oud), Guaiac Wood, Myrrh, Black Pepper and Cedar. Oud Noir has top notes of Plum, Apple, Saffron and Rhubarb, heart notes of Rose, Geranium, Carnation and Cedar, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Guaiac Wood, Vetiver and Vanilla.