Fragrance comparison

Black Pepper & Sandalwood vs Kiawah

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 355 ratings analysed

4 wins

Black Pepper & Sandalwood

Acca Kappa

3.69313 votes

Rank #5,042 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

Kiawah

Fulton & Roark · 2023

5.0042 votes

Rank #31,796 AromaticMarine

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood takes 4 of 5 categories.

Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.
Kiawah
Choose it for a aromatic and marine character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Black Pepper & Sandalwood4/5

Kiawah1/5

Ratings & consensus: Kiawah
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Sillage & projection: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Value for money: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
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

KiawahFulton & Roark

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.69/ 5 · 313 votes

Have 39%Had 16%Want 45%

5.00/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 100%Had 0%Want 0%

Category winnerKiawahRating 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

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage44

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityBlack Pepper & Sandalwood

SillageBlack Pepper & Sandalwood

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value61

¤ Price value35

Category winnerBlack Pepper & SandalwoodBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

fresh spicy83%

woody65%

aromatic48%

powdery30%

aromatic100%

marine92%

citrus84%

woody77%

amber69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both warm spicy, aromatic and woody

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

LemonMarine notes

Heart2-4 hrs

CedarBalsam Fir

Base4-6 hrs

AmberCloves

InformationalShared notesCloves, Balsam Fir and Virginian Cedar. Durations are only published for Kiawah, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring45

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer50

Fall50

Winter50

Day100

Night28

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men37

Unisex57

Women7

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Casual 42%Work 35%Date 15%Party 8%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#5,042

PerfumerLuca Maffei

Launched—

Reviews44

Overall rank#31,796

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2023

Reviews0

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 →

Fulton & Roark Kiawah captures the raw scent of coastal Carolina barrier islands. The opening hits immediately with cold ocean tides and sharp lemon rind. You notice a brisk marine spray. Within twenty minutes, the salty splash recedes into a dry canopy of Virginia cedar and aromatic balsam fir needles. It smells like…

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 Kiawah?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood takes 4 of 5 categories. Black Pepper & Sandalwood is rated 3.69/5 from 313 votes; Kiawah is rated 5.00/5 from 42 votes. Choose Black Pepper & Sandalwood for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Kiawah for a aromatic and marine character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Kiawah?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood lasts longest (Black Pepper & Sandalwood 70/100, Kiawah 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Kiawah?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood projects furthest (Black Pepper & Sandalwood 59/100, Kiawah 44/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Pepper & Sandalwood and Kiawah smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, aromatic and woody accords. Common notes include Cloves, Balsam Fir and Virginian Cedar.

Is Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Kiawah better for summer or winter?

Kiawah suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Pepper & Sandalwood and Kiawah?

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. Kiawah has top notes of Lemon and Marine notes, heart notes of Cedar and Balsam Fir, a base of Amber and Cloves.