Fragrance comparison

Cuir Béluga vs Malabar

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 3,861 ratings analysed

Cuir Béluga

Guerlain

4.353,846 votes

Rank #1,838 VanillaPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Malabar

Optico Profumo

4.4715 votes

Rank #30,863 VanillaYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Malabar takes 3 of 5 categories.

Cuir Béluga
Choose it for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Malabar
Choose it for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Cuir Béluga2/5

Malabar3/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Cuir BélugaGuerlain

MalabarOptico Profumo

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.35/ 5 · 3,846 votes

Have 41%Had 10%Want 49%

4.47/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 31%Had 8%Want 60%

Category winnerCuir BélugaRating 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

80%Love

0%Like

7%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate87

Category winners

LongevityMalabar

SillageMalabar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value24

¤ Price value80

Category winnerMalabarBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

powdery90%

leather80%

amber70%

sweet60%

musky50%

vanilla100%

yellow floral92%

sweet84%

woody77%

aromatic69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both vanilla and sweet

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

Top

TangerineClovesCardamom

Heart

Ylang-YlangTonka BeanAbsintheOsmanthusHeliotropeChestnut

Base

VanillaPatchouliAmber

InformationalShared notesTangerine, Patchouli, Vanilla and Heliotrope. Durations are only published for Cuir Béluga, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring42

Summer22

Fall100

Winter94

Day100

Night99

Spring86

Summer57

Fall100

Winter86

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex45

Women51

Men0

Unisex77

Women23

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,838

PerfumerOlivier Polge

Launched—

Reviews204

Overall rank#30,863

PerfumerNicola Bianchi

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 →

Malabar by Optico Profumo is a warm, spicy Oriental scent built on a heavy base of vanilla and earthy patchouli. Spiced tangerine and cloves open the fragrance, which slowly shifts into a dense, sweet heart of chestnut and heliotrope. It fits someone looking for a comforting, resinous layer that lingers in cold autumn…

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 Malabar?

Malabar takes 3 of 5 categories. Cuir Béluga is rated 4.35/5 from 3,846 votes; Malabar is rated 4.47/5 from 15 votes. Choose Cuir Béluga for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Malabar for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Cuir Béluga or Malabar?

Malabar lasts longest (Malabar 85/100, Cuir Béluga 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cuir Béluga or Malabar?

Malabar projects furthest (Malabar 77/100, Cuir Béluga 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cuir Béluga and Malabar smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla and sweet accords. Common notes include Tangerine, Patchouli, Vanilla and Heliotrope.

Is Cuir Béluga or Malabar better for summer or winter?

Cuir Béluga suits day or night wear; Malabar suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cuir Béluga and Malabar?

Cuir Béluga has top notes of Tangerine and Aldehydes, heart notes of Immortelle and Patchouli, a base of Vanilla, Suede, Heliotrope and Amber. Malabar has top notes of Tangerine, Cloves and Cardamom, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Tonka Bean, Absinthe and Osmanthus, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli and Amber.