Fragrance comparison

Black Pepper & Sandalwood vs Kardigan Bleu

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 316 ratings analysed

Black Pepper & Sandalwood

Acca Kappa

3.69313 votes

Rank #4,979 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

54%scent match

Some overlap

Kardigan Bleu

L'Orientale Fragrances

4.333 votes

Rank #36,909 WoodyFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

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

Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Kardigan Bleu
Choose it for a woody and floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Black Pepper & Sandalwood2/4

Kardigan Bleu2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Sillage & projection: Kardigan Bleu
Value for money: Kardigan Bleu
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Black Pepper & Sandalwood

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Black Pepper & SandalwoodAcca Kappa

Kardigan BleuL'Orientale Fragrances

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.69/ 5 · 313 votes

Have 39%Had 16%Want 45%

4.33/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 14%Had 5%Want 81%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

43%Like

9%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

230 votes

67%Love

0%Like

33%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage88

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityBlack Pepper & Sandalwood

SillageKardigan Bleu

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value61

¤ Price value75

Category winnerKardigan BleuBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

fresh spicy83%

woody65%

aromatic48%

powdery30%

woody100%

floral92%

aromatic84%

fresh spicy77%

citrus69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match54%Some overlap · both woody, warm spicy and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

ClovesSaffronNutmegelemiBalsam FirArtemisiaBergamot

Heart

Black PepperDamask RoseCinnamonAgarwood (Oud)

Base

SandalwoodVirginian CedarPatchouliBlack MuskHaitian VetiverCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha

Top15-30 mins

Indonesian NutmegPink PepperBergamotelemiPear

Heart2-4 hrs

MagnoliaClovesRoseFlax

Base8-12 hrs

Haitian VetiverCashmere WoodSandalwoodAmber

InformationalShared notesCloves, elemi, Bergamot and Damask Rose. Durations are only published for Kardigan Bleu, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring45

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring33

Summer33

Fall100

Winter67

Day65

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men37

Unisex57

Women7

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Date 34%Party 29%Casual 23%Work 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#4,979

PerfumerLuca Maffei

Launched—

Reviews44

Overall rank#36,909

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerBlack Pepper & SandalwoodHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Black Pepper & Sandalwood by Acca Kappa is a Woody Spicy fragrance for women and men. Black Pepper & Sandalwood was launched in 2014. The nose behind this fragrance is Luca Maffei. Top notes are Cloves, Saffron, Nutmeg, elemi, Balsam Fir, Artemisia and Bergamot; middle notes are Black Pepper, Damask Rose, Cinnamon and…

Reviews →

Do not let the blue bottle fool you. Kardigan Bleu by L'Orientale Fragrances is not an aquatic shower gel scent. Instead, it unleashes a dense, spicy blast of Indonesian nutmeg, pink pepper, and juicy green pear. Within fifteen minutes, a velvety dark rose emerges alongside creamy magnolia and pungent cloves. The wood…

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 & Sandalwood or Kardigan Bleu?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Black Pepper & Sandalwood is rated 3.69/5 from 313 votes; Kardigan Bleu is rated 4.33/5 from 3 votes. Choose Black Pepper & Sandalwood for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Kardigan Bleu for a woody and floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Kardigan Bleu?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood lasts longest (Black Pepper & Sandalwood 70/100, Kardigan Bleu 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Kardigan Bleu?

Kardigan Bleu projects furthest (Kardigan Bleu 88/100, Black Pepper & Sandalwood 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Pepper & Sandalwood and Kardigan Bleu smell similar?

Some overlap: a 54% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Cloves, elemi, Bergamot and Damask Rose.

Is Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Kardigan Bleu better for summer or winter?

Kardigan Bleu suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Pepper & Sandalwood and Kardigan Bleu?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood has top notes of Cloves, Saffron, Nutmeg and elemi, heart notes of Black Pepper, Damask Rose, Cinnamon and Agarwood (Oud), a base of Sandalwood, Virginian Cedar, Patchouli and Black Musk. Kardigan Bleu has top notes of Indonesian Nutmeg, Pink Pepper, Bergamot and elemi, heart notes of Magnolia, Cloves, Rose and Flax, a base of Haitian Vetiver, Cashmere Wood, Sandalwood and Amber.