Fragrance comparison

Believe Me Not vs Écrin de Fumée

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 1,518 ratings analysed

Believe Me Not

Hidden Desire

5.003 votes

Rank #41,420 WhiskeyHoney

Full profile Similar & dupes

38%scent match

Some overlap

Écrin de Fumée

Serge Lutens

4.171,515 votes

Rank #25,026 WoodyCacao

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Believe Me Not
Choose it for a whiskey and honey character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Écrin de Fumée
Choose it for a woody and cacao character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Believe Me Not2/4

Écrin de Fumée2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Écrin de Fumée
Sillage & projection: Believe Me Not
Value for money: Believe Me Not
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Écrin de Fumée

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Believe Me NotHidden Desire

Écrin de FuméeSerge Lutens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

5.00/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 8%Had 0%Want 92%

4.17/ 5 · 1,515 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

47%Love

35%Like

10%Ok

6%Dislike

2%Hate

1,515 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate100

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityÉcrin de Fumée

SillageBelieve Me Not

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value50

Category winnerBelieve Me NotBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

whiskey100%

honey88%

woody77%

smoky65%

sweet53%

warm spicy42%

woody100%

cacao88%

smoky77%

tobacco65%

warm spicy53%

rum42%

Scent match38%Some overlap · both woody, smoky and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

WhiskeySmokeRum

Heart

TobaccoVetiverBlack Currant

Base

HoneyAmbergrisAgarwood (Oud)

Notes

CacaoRumSmokeTobaccoWoody Notes

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesSmoke, Rum and Tobacco. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer20

Fall100

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Spring24

Summer12

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men20

Unisex80

Women0

Men41

Unisex53

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#41,420

PerfumerMiguel Matos

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#25,026

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerÉcrin de FuméeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Believe Me Not by Hidden Desire opens with an unapologetic splash of peaty whiskey, dark rum, and campfire smoke that instantly sets a warm, relaxed mood. As the initial boozy burst settles, dry tobacco leaf and tart black currant join the mix, keeping the scent lively rather than heavy. The drydown reveals thick gold…

Reviews →

Serge Lutens introduces a dark, woody mood in Écrin de Fumée. This unisex scent combines dry tobacco leaf and roasted cacao beans with a warm, rum soaked opening. It sits close to the skin on winter nights, offering a cozy but smoky shadow that suits drinkers of black coffee and lovers of dark wool coats.

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 Me Not or Écrin de Fumée?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Believe Me Not is rated 5.00/5 from 3 votes; Écrin de Fumée is rated 4.17/5 from 1,515 votes. Choose Believe Me Not for a whiskey and honey character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Écrin de Fumée for a woody and cacao character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Believe Me Not or Écrin de Fumée?

Écrin de Fumée lasts longest (Écrin de Fumée 71/100, Believe Me Not 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Believe Me Not or Écrin de Fumée?

Believe Me Not projects furthest (Believe Me Not 67/100, Écrin de Fumée 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Believe Me Not and Écrin de Fumée smell similar?

Some overlap: a 38% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, smoky and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Smoke, Rum and Tobacco.

Is Believe Me Not or Écrin de Fumée better for summer or winter?

Believe Me Not suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Believe Me Not and Écrin de Fumée?

Believe Me Not has top notes of Whiskey, Smoke and Rum, heart notes of Tobacco, Vetiver and Black Currant, a base of Honey, Ambergris and Agarwood (Oud). Écrin de Fumée features Cacao, Rum, Smoke, Tobacco and Woody Notes.