Fragrance comparison

Cuir de Russie vs Forbidden Elixir

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 29 ratings analysed

3 wins

Cuir de Russie

Bienaimé

5.004 votes

Rank #42,805 WoodyMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

Forbidden Elixir

Sly John's Lab

3.6025 votes

Rank #49,190 CitrusMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cuir de Russie takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cuir de Russie
Choose it for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Forbidden Elixir
Choose it for a citrus and musky character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Cuir de Russie3/4

Forbidden Elixir1/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Cuir de RussieBienaimé

Forbidden ElixirSly John's Lab

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

5.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 16%Had 0%Want 84%

3.60/ 5 · 25 votes

Have 36%Had 21%Want 43%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

28%Love

28%Like

24%Ok

16%Dislike

4%Hate

25 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate100

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage43

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityCuir de Russie

SillageCuir de Russie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value63

Category winnerForbidden ElixirBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

musky92%

amber84%

animalic77%

leather69%

aromatic61%

citrus100%

musky88%

white floral77%

aromatic65%

amber53%

floral42%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both musky, amber and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotClary SageCassisLemonNeroli

Heart

RoseJasmineIrisLabdanumTuberoseOrange BlossomOpoponax

Base

LeatherMuskCivetBirchCastoreumStyraxSandalwoodPatchouli

Top15-30 mins

BergamotAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Lemon

Heart2-4 hrs

Orange Blossom

Base6-8+ hrs

MuscenoneAmbroxanPatchouli

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Forbidden Elixir, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer67

Fall100

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Spring100

Summer100

Fall86

Winter14

Day100

Night43

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex67

Women33

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#42,805

PerfumerRobert Bienaimé

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#49,190

PerfumerAne Ayo

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCuir de RussieHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cuir de Russie by Bienaimé is a Floral Aldehyde fragrance for women. Cuir de Russie was launched in 1935. The nose behind this fragrance is Robert Bienaimé. Top notes are Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cassis, Lemon and Neroli; middle notes are Rose, Jasmine, Iris, Labdanum, Tuberose, Orange Blossom and Opoponax; base notes ar…

Reviews →

Forbidden Elixir by Sly John's Lab bursts open with a bright splash of tart lemon and juicy bergamot, instantly giving off the clean feeling of sunshine hitting chilled citrus peel. Within twenty minutes, a sweet, sunny orange blossom emerges to smooth away any sharp edges, blending into the vegetal warmth of ambrette…

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 de Russie or Forbidden Elixir?

Cuir de Russie takes 3 of 4 categories. Cuir de Russie is rated 5.00/5 from 4 votes; Forbidden Elixir is rated 3.60/5 from 25 votes. Choose Cuir de Russie for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Forbidden Elixir for a citrus and musky character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Cuir de Russie or Forbidden Elixir?

Cuir de Russie lasts longest (Cuir de Russie 60/100, Forbidden Elixir 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cuir de Russie or Forbidden Elixir?

Cuir de Russie projects furthest (Cuir de Russie 50/100, Forbidden Elixir 43/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cuir de Russie and Forbidden Elixir smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky, amber and aromatic accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom and Patchouli.

Is Cuir de Russie or Forbidden Elixir better for summer or winter?

Cuir de Russie suits evening wear; Forbidden Elixir suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cuir de Russie and Forbidden Elixir?

Cuir de Russie has top notes of Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cassis and Lemon, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Iris and Labdanum, a base of Leather, Musk, Civet and Birch. Forbidden Elixir has top notes of Bergamot, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Lemon, heart notes of Orange Blossom, a base of Muscenone, Ambroxan and Patchouli.