Fragrance comparison

Cleopatra vs Iris Ardent

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 45 ratings analysed

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #57,817 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

21%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Iris Ardent

Molinard

3.4043 votes

Rank #21,560 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Iris Ardent takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Iris Ardent
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Cleopatra1/4

Iris Ardent3/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CleopatraKesma

Iris ArdentMolinard

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

3.40/ 5 · 43 votes

Have 21%Had 3%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

21%Love

35%Like

21%Ok

9%Dislike

14%Hate

43 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage49

♥ Love / hate60

Category winners

LongevityIris Ardent

SillageCleopatra

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value52

Category winnerIris ArdentBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

woody100%

aromatic92%

leather84%

iris77%

earthy69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match21%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

Top

JuniperCypressAngelicaMandarin

Heart

IrisIncenseViolet LeavesPepper

Base

LeatherVetiverAmberMusk

InformationalShared notesPepper, Leather, Vetiver and Incense. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Spring100

Summer25

Fall88

Winter81

Day100

Night90

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men35

Unisex35

Women30

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#57,817

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#21,560

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Category winnerIris ArdentHigher 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 →

Molinard Iris Ardent puts a smoky, aromatic spin on classic iris root. Opening with a sharp burst of fresh cypress, bitter juniper berry, and juicy mandarin, the fragrance quickly settles into a rich core of powdery violet leaves and frankincense. As it warms on the skin, smooth suede leather, earthy vetiver, and clea…

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, Cleopatra or Iris Ardent?

Iris Ardent takes 3 of 4 categories. Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes; Iris Ardent is rated 3.40/5 from 43 votes. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Iris Ardent for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Cleopatra or Iris Ardent?

They last about the same: Iris Ardent 62/100, Cleopatra 60/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Cleopatra or Iris Ardent?

Projection is very close: Cleopatra 50/100, Iris Ardent 49/100 for sillage.

Do Cleopatra and Iris Ardent smell similar?

Clearly different: a 21% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Pepper, Leather, Vetiver and Incense.

Is Cleopatra or Iris Ardent better for summer or winter?

Cleopatra suits evening wear; Iris Ardent suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cleopatra and Iris Ardent?

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. Iris Ardent has top notes of Juniper, Cypress, Angelica and Mandarin, heart notes of Iris, Incense, Violet Leaves and Pepper, a base of Leather, Vetiver, Amber and Musk.