Fragrance comparison

Cleopatra vs Forbidden 5

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 2 ratings analysed

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #54,368 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Forbidden 5

The Dua Brand

—0 votes

Rank #70,720 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Forbidden 5 takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Forbidden 5
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money.

Cleopatra1/4

Forbidden 53/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Forbidden 5
Sillage & projection: Forbidden 5
Value for money: Forbidden 5
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Cleopatra

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CleopatraKesma

Forbidden 5The Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 25%Had 0%Want 75%

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

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityForbidden 5

SillageForbidden 5

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value75

Category winnerForbidden 5Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

woody100%

citrus92%

fresh spicy84%

amber77%

white floral69%

aromatic61%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both woody, amber and white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

Notes

AldehydesOakmossOrange BlossomBlack CurrantGuaiac WoodTonka BeanHeliotropeGrapefruitPetitgrainPatchouliBergamotTuberose

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Orange Blossom, Heliotrope and Tuberose. Durations are only published for Forbidden 5, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#54,368

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#70,720

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerCleopatraHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Forbidden 5 by The Dua Brand is a dense leather and oriental woody fragrance designed for men and women. The opening delivers a crisp flash of aldehydes, bright bergamot, grapefruit, and sweet orange, quickly shadowed by green galbanum and petitgrain. As the bright citrus elements settle, a lavish floral bouquet of Ma…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

PontevecchioNobile 1942RUNNER-UP vs

Exceptional Florence BridgeThe Dua BrandWINNER

1 person compared this today

The Most WantedAzzaroWINNER vs

ChromeAzzaroRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

JeansMahoganyRUNNER-UP vs

Viva La Juicy So IntenseJuicy CoutureWINNER

1 person compared this today

Bad Boy Cobalt Parfum ElectriqueCarolina HerreraWINNER vs

Shiyaaka Shadow Khadlaj Perfumes for menKhadlaj PerfumesRUNNER-UP

2 people compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which lasts longer, Cleopatra or Forbidden 5?

Forbidden 5 lasts longest (Forbidden 5 70/100, Cleopatra 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cleopatra or Forbidden 5?

Forbidden 5 projects furthest (Forbidden 5 63/100, Cleopatra 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cleopatra and Forbidden 5 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and white floral accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Orange Blossom, Heliotrope and Tuberose.

Is Cleopatra or Forbidden 5 better for summer or winter?

Cleopatra suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cleopatra and Forbidden 5?

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. Forbidden 5 features Aldehydes, Oakmoss, Orange Blossom, Black Currant and Guaiac Wood.