Fragrance comparison

Cuir Béluga vs Essence Of The Opera

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 3,852 ratings analysed

3 wins

Cuir Béluga

Guerlain

4.353,846 votes

Rank #1,838 VanillaPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

27%scent match

Clearly different

Essence Of The Opera

The Dua Brand

3.676 votes

Rank #54,179 IrisPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cuir Béluga takes 3 of 5 categories.

Cuir Béluga
Choose it for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on longevity, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Essence Of The Opera
Choose it for a iris and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Cuir Béluga3/5

Essence Of The Opera2/5

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Cuir Béluga
Sillage & projection: Essence Of The Opera
Value for money: Essence Of The Opera
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Cuir Béluga
Fragranxe ranking: Cuir Béluga

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Cuir BélugaGuerlain

Essence Of The OperaThe Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.35/ 5 · 3,846 votes

Have 41%Had 10%Want 49%

3.67/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 46%Had 0%Want 54%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

57%Love

29%Like

6%Ok

6%Dislike

1%Hate

3,846 votes

50%Love

17%Like

0%Ok

17%Dislike

17%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate67

Category winners

LongevityCuir Béluga

SillageEssence Of The Opera

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value24

¤ Price value75

Category winnerEssence Of The OperaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

powdery90%

leather80%

amber70%

sweet60%

musky50%

iris100%

powdery90%

woody80%

violet70%

earthy60%

amber50%

Scent match27%Clearly different · both powdery and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

TangerineAldehydes

Heart2 to 3 hours

ImmortellePatchouli

Base6 to 9 hours

VanillaSuedeHeliotropeAmber

Notes

IrisCashmere WoodHeliotropeBenzoinYlang-YlangJasmineCoffeeMossImmortellePatchouliBergamotLabdanum

No top / heart / base split published

Category winnerCuir BélugaLongest dry-down: 6 to 9 hours

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring42

Summer22

Fall100

Winter94

Day100

Night99

Spring50

Summer0

Fall100

Winter50

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex45

Women51

Men50

Unisex25

Women25

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,838

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews204

Overall rank#54,179

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerCuir BélugaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cuir Béluga by Guerlain presents a gentle take on leather, trading pungent smoke for powdery vanilla and soft suede. Created by perfumer Olivier Polge, the scent opens with a brief splash of sweet tangerine paired with clean aldehydes. As the citrus settles, the fragrance introduces immortelle and subtle patchouli, st…

Reviews →

Essence Of The Opera by The Dua Brand is a dense chypre floral extrait built around powdery iris, tart citrus, and a dark, resinous base. The opening brings an instant flash of lemon, bergamot, and aldehydes, sweetened lightly by hints of peach and black currant. Soon after, the scent thickens into an opulent bouquet …

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, Cuir Béluga or Essence Of The Opera?

Cuir Béluga takes 3 of 5 categories. Cuir Béluga is rated 4.35/5 from 3,846 votes; Essence Of The Opera is rated 3.67/5 from 6 votes. Choose Cuir Béluga for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on longevity, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Essence Of The Opera for a iris and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Cuir Béluga or Essence Of The Opera?

They last about the same: Cuir Béluga 69/100, Essence Of The Opera 67/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Cuir Béluga or Essence Of The Opera?

Essence Of The Opera projects furthest (Essence Of The Opera 69/100, Cuir Béluga 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cuir Béluga and Essence Of The Opera smell similar?

Clearly different: a 27% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and amber accords. Common notes include Immortelle, Patchouli and Heliotrope.

Is Cuir Béluga or Essence Of The Opera better for summer or winter?

Cuir Béluga suits day or night wear; Essence Of The Opera suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cuir Béluga and Essence Of The Opera?

Cuir Béluga has top notes of Tangerine and Aldehydes, heart notes of Immortelle and Patchouli, a base of Vanilla, Suede, Heliotrope and Amber. Essence Of The Opera features Iris, Cashmere Wood, Heliotrope, Benzoin and Ylang-Ylang.