Fragrance comparison

Bleu vs Malabar

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 17 ratings analysed

Bleu

Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

4.502 votes

Rank #56,802 LavenderAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Malabar

Optico Profumo

4.4715 votes

Rank #29,711 VanillaYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Malabar takes 4 of 4 categories.

Bleu
Choose it for a lavender and aromatic character. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Malabar
Choose it for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Bleu0/4

Malabar4/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Malabar
Sillage & projection: Malabar
Value for money: Malabar
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Malabar

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BleuParfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

MalabarOptico Profumo

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 29%Had 6%Want 65%

4.47/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 31%Had 8%Want 60%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

80%Love

0%Like

7%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate87

Category winners

LongevityMalabar

SillageMalabar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value80

Category winnerMalabarBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

lavender100%

aromatic86%

warm spicy72%

vanilla58%

fresh spicy44%

herbal30%

vanilla100%

yellow floral92%

sweet84%

woody77%

aromatic69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both vanilla, aromatic and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

LavenderClovesHeliotropeAnise

Heart2-4 hrs

Tonka Bean

Base6-8 hrs

Vanilla

Top

TangerineClovesCardamom

Heart

Ylang-YlangTonka BeanAbsintheOsmanthusHeliotropeChestnut

Base

VanillaPatchouliAmber

InformationalShared notesCloves, Heliotrope, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Bleu, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall100

Winter0

Day100

Night54

Spring86

Summer57

Fall100

Winter86

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Casual 35%Work 32%Date 24%Party 9%

Men0

Unisex77

Women23

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#56,802

PerfumerChristian Louis

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#29,711

PerfumerNicola Bianchi

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerMalabarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Bleu by Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque flips traditional lavender on its head. Instead of a barbershop soap, you get a warm, herbal cloud wrapped in licorice sweetness. The opening hits with sharp French lavender and spicy star anise, cut immediately by pungent cloves. Within twenty minutes, powdery heliotrope sof…

Reviews →

Malabar by Optico Profumo is a warm, spicy Oriental scent built on a heavy base of vanilla and earthy patchouli. Spiced tangerine and cloves open the fragrance, which slowly shifts into a dense, sweet heart of chestnut and heliotrope. It fits someone looking for a comforting, resinous layer that lingers in cold autumn…

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, Bleu or Malabar?

Malabar takes 4 of 4 categories. Bleu is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes; Malabar is rated 4.47/5 from 15 votes. Choose Bleu for a lavender and aromatic character. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Malabar for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Bleu or Malabar?

Malabar lasts longest (Malabar 85/100, Bleu 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bleu or Malabar?

Malabar projects furthest (Malabar 77/100, Bleu 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bleu and Malabar smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, aromatic and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Cloves, Heliotrope, Tonka Bean and Vanilla.

Is Bleu or Malabar better for summer or winter?

Bleu suits daytime wear; Malabar suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bleu and Malabar?

Bleu has top notes of Lavender, Cloves, Heliotrope and Anise, heart notes of Tonka Bean, a base of Vanilla. Malabar has top notes of Tangerine, Cloves and Cardamom, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Tonka Bean, Absinthe and Osmanthus, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli and Amber.