Fragrance comparison

Black Pepper & Cedarwood vs Black Santal

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 85 ratings analysed

1 wins

Black Pepper & Cedarwood

Zara

3.2284 votes

Rank #12,843 WoodyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

61%scent match

Closely related

Black Santal

Akbari

5.001 votes

Rank #61,529 PowderyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Pepper & Cedarwood takes 1 of 1 categories.

Black Pepper & Cedarwood
Choose it for a woody and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Black Santal
Choose it for a powdery and woody character.

Black Pepper & Cedarwood1/1

Black Santal0/1

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: Black Pepper & Cedarwood

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Black Pepper & CedarwoodZara

Black SantalAkbari

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.22/ 5 · 84 votes

Have 47%Had 11%Want 42%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 20%Had 0%Want 80%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

36%Love

44%Like

3%Ok

15%Dislike

1%Hate

72 votes

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity57

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate70

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value70

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

fresh spicy83%

warm spicy65%

powdery48%

aromatic30%

powdery100%

woody92%

musky84%

fresh spicy77%

warm spicy69%

amber61%

Scent match61%Closely related · both woody, fresh spicy and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Black Pepper

Heart

Rose

Base

Cedar

Top

Black PepperCumin

Heart

IrisSaffronRose

Base

MuskSandalwoodAmberCedar

InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Rose and Cedar. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer52

Fall0

Winter85

Day–

Night–

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men72

Unisex28

Women0

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#12,843

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews14

Overall rank#61,529

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBlack Pepper & CedarwoodHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Black Pepper & Cedarwood by Zara is an austere, bone-dry woody fragrance that cuts out the typical designer sweetness in favor of a raw, lumberyard-style cedar wood and crackling black pepper. Designed for those who appreciate the dry, pencil-shaving feel of cedar wood, this minimalist release offers a clean, masculin…

Reviews →

Black Santal by Akbari is a dry, powdery sandalwood scent with a spicy edge. Black pepper and cumin give the opening a warm, slightly savory bite, then iris turns it smooth and cosmetic, with saffron and rose adding a soft, tinted warmth. In the dry down, musk, amber and cedar keep it woody, musky and quietly sensual …

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, Black Pepper & Cedarwood or Black Santal?

Black Pepper & Cedarwood takes 1 of 1 categories. Black Pepper & Cedarwood is rated 3.22/5 from 84 votes; Black Santal is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Black Pepper & Cedarwood for a woody and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring. Choose Black Santal for a powdery and woody character.

Do Black Pepper & Cedarwood and Black Santal smell similar?

Closely related: a 61% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, fresh spicy and powdery accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Rose and Cedar.

What are the notes in Black Pepper & Cedarwood and Black Santal?

Black Pepper & Cedarwood has top notes of Black Pepper, heart notes of Rose, a base of Cedar. Black Santal has top notes of Black Pepper and Cumin, heart notes of Iris, Saffron and Rose, a base of Musk, Sandalwood, Amber and Cedar.