Fragrance comparison

Cleopatra vs Forbidden

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 115 ratings analysed

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #50,909 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Forbidden

House of Matriarch

4.15113 votes

Rank #28,857 EarthyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Forbidden takes 3 of 4 categories.

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

Cleopatra1/4

Forbidden3/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CleopatraKesma

ForbiddenHouse of Matriarch

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

4.15/ 5 · 113 votes

Have 17%Had 5%Want 78%

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

50%Love

33%Like

4%Ok

12%Dislike

3%Hate

113 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityForbidden

SillageForbidden

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value46

Category winnerCleopatraBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

earthy100%

woody92%

aromatic84%

tuberose77%

white floral69%

green61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both woody, green 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

Top20-30 mins

WormwoodcannabisAbsintheLantana leaves

Heart3-4 hrs

TuberoseBoletus edulisCypriol Oil or NagarmothaPapyrusTurnera Diffusa (Damiana)Pepper

Base8-10+ hrs

Soil TincturePrecious WoodsLeather

InformationalShared notesPepper, Tuberose, Wormwood and Leather. Durations are only published for Forbidden, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Spring80

Summer28

Fall100

Winter64

Day90

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men12

Unisex59

Women29

Casual 38%Date 32%Work 17%Party 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#50,909

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#28,857

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerForbiddenHigher 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 by House of Matriarch smells like walking into a shadowed forest after heavy rain while carrying crushed green herbs and sweet white flowers. The opening strikes with a sharp bitter burst of wormwood, absinthe, and aromatic cannabis leaves. Give it ten minutes. The initial sting calms quickly as creamy tuber…

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, Cleopatra or Forbidden?

Forbidden takes 3 of 4 categories. Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes; Forbidden is rated 4.15/5 from 113 votes. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Forbidden for a earthy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Cleopatra or Forbidden?

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

Which projects more, Cleopatra or Forbidden?

Forbidden projects furthest (Forbidden 53/100, Cleopatra 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cleopatra and Forbidden smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, green and white floral accords. Common notes include Pepper, Tuberose, Wormwood and Leather.

Is Cleopatra or Forbidden better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Cleopatra and Forbidden?

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 has top notes of Wormwood, cannabis, Absinthe and Lantana leaves, heart notes of Tuberose, Boletus edulis, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha and Papyrus, a base of Soil Tincture, Precious Woods and Leather.