Fragrance comparison

Bourbon vs Cleopatra

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 9 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bourbon

L'Aromatica Perfume

3.867 votes

Rank #42,808 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #58,019 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bourbon takes 3 of 4 categories.

Bourbon
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Best in winter, evening wear.

Bourbon3/4

Cleopatra0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BourbonL'Aromatica Perfume

CleopatraKesma

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 21%Had 3%Want 76%

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

14%Love

57%Like

29%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

50%Love

50%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

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityBourbon

SillageBourbon

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy86%

tobacco72%

vanilla58%

sweet44%

amber30%

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

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

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

ClovesCedarTobaccoBourbon VanillaCognacResinsWoody Notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

InformationalShared notesCloves. Durations are only published for Bourbon, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring25

Summer25

Fall100

Winter100

Day25

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men33

Unisex67

Women0

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#42,808

PerfumerLoreto Remsing

Launched—

Reviews3

Overall rank#58,019

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBourbonHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Bourbon by L'Aromatica Perfume opens with an authentic splash of aged cognac, spiced cloves, and sweet pipe tobacco that immediately calls to mind the interior of a charred oak aging barrel. As the initial boozy kick softens on your skin, creamy bourbon vanilla emerges alongside aromatic cedar, smoothing out the rusti…

Reviews →

Cleopatra by Kesma is a dense, unapologetic oriental floral from 1983. It opens with a punch of cloves and cinnamon before settling into a rich, resinous heart of tuberose, ylang-ylang, and honey. This is a cold-weather classic that leans heavily on its base of incense, leather, and oakmoss for a deep, vintage footpri…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Bourbon or Cleopatra?

Bourbon takes 3 of 4 categories. Bourbon is rated 3.86/5 from 7 votes; Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes. Choose Bourbon for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Bourbon or Cleopatra?

Bourbon lasts longest (Bourbon 68/100, Cleopatra 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bourbon or Cleopatra?

Bourbon projects furthest (Bourbon 54/100, Cleopatra 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bourbon and Cleopatra smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and amber accords. Common notes include Cloves.

Is Bourbon or Cleopatra better for summer or winter?

Bourbon suits evening wear; Cleopatra suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bourbon and Cleopatra?

Bourbon features Cloves, Cedar, Tobacco, Bourbon Vanilla and Cognac. Cleopatra has top notes of Bergamot, Cinnamon, Galbanum and Pepper, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Narcissus, a base of Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum and Wormwood.