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FRAGRANXE
Fragrance comparison

Cryptic vs Bastion 23

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

Updated 1 ratings analysed
Some overlap
Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bastion 23 takes 1 of 1 categories.

  • Cryptic

    Choose it for a amber and iris character. Best in summer, evening wear.

  • Bastion 23

    Choose it for a sweet and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Cryptic0/1
Bastion 231/1
Ratings & consensus
Not scored
Community sentiment
Not scored
Longevity
Not scored
Sillage & projection
Not scored
Value for money
Not scored
Versatility
Not scored
Note pyramid (duration)
Not scored
Fragranxe ranking
Bastion 23

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance
CrypticCranford
Bastion 23MABRA PARFUMS
Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split
—/ 5 · 0 votes
Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%
4.00/ 5 · 1 votes
Have 50%Had 0%Want 50%
Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

Not enough votes yet

0%Love
100%Like
0%Ok
0%Dislike
0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores
⏱ LongevityN/A
〰 SillageN/A
♥ Love / hateN/A
⏱ Longevity100
〰 Sillage100
♥ Love / hate75
Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it
¤ Price valueN/A
¤ Price value25
Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both
amber100%
iris92%
powdery84%
sweet77%
white floral69%
soft spicy61%
sweet100%
woody92%
white floral84%
citrus77%
vanilla69%
powdery61%
Scent match37%Some overlap · both sweet, white floral and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared
Top15-30 mins
Pink PepperAngelica Root
Heart2-4 hrs
IrisOrange BlossomTonka Bean
Base6-8+ hrs
AmberOudWhite Musk
Top
Orange BlossomSweet OrangePalo SantoCocoaMuskPlum
Heart
Tonka BeanVanillaJasmineCedarHoneyIris
Base
Oud
InformationalShared notesIris, Orange Blossom, Tonka Bean and Oud. Durations are only published for Cryptic, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season
Spring0
Summer100
Fall100
Winter100
Day50
Night100
Spring100
Summer100
Fall100
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes
Men100
Unisex0
Women0
Men0
Unisex100
Women0
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#79,329

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#66,143

PerfumerBrahim Mohamed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBastion 23Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cryptic by Cranford opens with a sharp burst of pink pepper and herbaceous angelica root, giving it an earthy, brisk kick right out of the nozzle. Within twenty minutes, the sharpness softens into a smooth, powdery iris blended with sweet orange blossom and warm tonka bean. The base settles into a cozy combination of …

Reviews →

Perfumer Brahim Mohamed constructs Bastion 23 around a heavy contrast between bright florals and dark resins. The opening hits skin with sweet orange blossom, dark cocoa powder, and juicy plum, while palo santo adds an immediate smoky undercurrent. It feels thick and warm with a distinctly oriental style right out of …

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

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Do Cryptic and Bastion 23 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, white floral and powdery accords. Common notes include Iris, Orange Blossom, Tonka Bean and Oud.

Is Cryptic or Bastion 23 better for summer or winter?

Cryptic suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cryptic and Bastion 23?

Cryptic has top notes of Pink Pepper and Angelica Root, heart notes of Iris, Orange Blossom and Tonka Bean, a base of Amber, Oud and White Musk. Bastion 23 has top notes of Orange Blossom, Sweet Orange, Palo Santo and Cocoa, heart notes of Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Jasmine and Cedar, a base of Oud.

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