Fragrance comparison

Black Pepper & Sandalwood vs Smuggler's Notch

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 338 ratings analysed

5 wins

Black Pepper & Sandalwood

Acca Kappa

3.69313 votes

Rank #5,042 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

38%scent match

Some overlap

Smuggler's Notch

Folkwinds

3.2025 votes

Rank #22,674 GreenWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood takes 5 of 7 categories.

Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Smuggler's Notch
Choose it for a green and woody character. Wins on longevity and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Black Pepper & Sandalwood5/7

Smuggler's Notch2/7

Ratings & consensus: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Community sentiment: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Longevity: Smuggler's Notch
Sillage & projection: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Value for money: Black Pepper & Sandalwood
Versatility: Smuggler's Notch
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

Smuggler's NotchFolkwinds

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.69/ 5 · 313 votes

Have 39%Had 16%Want 45%

3.20/ 5 · 25 votes

Have 9%Had 9%Want 83%

Category winnerBlack Pepper & SandalwoodRating 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

36%Love

16%Like

4%Ok

20%Dislike

24%Hate

25 votes

Category winnerBlack Pepper & SandalwoodMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate55

Category winners

LongevitySmuggler's Notch

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%

green100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

musky77%

aromatic69%

fruity61%

Scent match38%Some overlap · both fresh spicy, woody and aromatic

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

Notes

HayFlouveNatural MuskAppleOakAgarwood (Oud)ClovesTobaccoSandalwoodPine tarBalsam FirCassis

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesCloves, Balsam Fir, Agarwood (Oud) and Sandalwood. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring45

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring20

Summer10

Fall100

Winter80

Day88

Night100

Category winnerSmuggler's NotchMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men37

Unisex57

Women7

Men58

Unisex33

Women8

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#5,042

PerfumerLuca Maffei

Launched—

Reviews44

Overall rank#22,674

PerfumerJono Bornstein

Launched—

Reviews11

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 →

Smuggler's Notch by Folkwinds opens with a sharp flash of tart apple and bruised green flouve grass before heavy forest resin takes control. Perfumer Jono Bornstein pairs crisp orchard fruit with dark pine tar, wet hay, and earthy agarwood, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of northern Vermont woods after autumn rain…

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 Smuggler's Notch?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood takes 5 of 7 categories. Black Pepper & Sandalwood is rated 3.69/5 from 313 votes; Smuggler's Notch is rated 3.20/5 from 25 votes. Choose Black Pepper & Sandalwood for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Smuggler's Notch for a green and woody character. Wins on longevity and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Smuggler's Notch?

Smuggler's Notch lasts longest (Smuggler's Notch 77/100, Black Pepper & Sandalwood 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Smuggler's Notch?

Black Pepper & Sandalwood projects furthest (Black Pepper & Sandalwood 59/100, Smuggler's Notch 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Pepper & Sandalwood and Smuggler's Notch smell similar?

Some overlap: a 38% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy, woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Cloves, Balsam Fir, Agarwood (Oud) and Sandalwood.

Is Black Pepper & Sandalwood or Smuggler's Notch better for summer or winter?

For summer, Smuggler's Notch is the stronger pick. For winter, Black Pepper & Sandalwood is the stronger pick. Smuggler's Notch suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Pepper & Sandalwood and Smuggler's Notch?

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. Smuggler's Notch features Hay, Flouve, Natural Musk, Apple and Oak.