Fragrance comparison

Don't Explain vs Fougère Noire

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 99 ratings analysed

Don't Explain

DSH Perfumes · 2021

4.717 votes

Rank #30,090 White FloralAnimalic

Full profile Similar & dupes

13%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Fougère Noire

Sultan Pasha Attars

4.3992 votes

Rank #2,719 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Fougère Noire takes 4 of 4 categories.

Don't Explain
Choose it for a white floral and animalic character. Best in spring, evening wear.
Fougère Noire
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Don't Explain0/4

Fougère Noire4/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Don't ExplainDSH Perfumes

Fougère NoireSultan Pasha Attars

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.71/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 1%Want 93%

4.39/ 5 · 92 votes

Have 30%Had 11%Want 59%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

71%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

71%Love

17%Like

5%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

42 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate93

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage76

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityFougère Noire

SillageFougère Noire

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value68

Category winnerFougère NoireBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

animalic92%

musky84%

lactonic77%

leather69%

earthy61%

aromatic100%

woody90%

fresh spicy80%

earthy70%

citrus60%

mossy50%

Scent match13%Clearly different · both earthy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

ButterMushroomGardeniaCheeseCivetTiare FlowerCastoreumAmbergrisLeatherTuberoseGreen AccordJasmine

No top / heart / base split published

Top

elemiPineCalabrian bergamotClary SageLavenderLemonGeraniumCoffee

Heart

Siberian PineOakmossMushroomBalsam FirTobaccoCyclamenJasmineCarnation

Base

SandalwoodBourbon VetiverTonka BeanIso E SuperMuskCivetCastoreumAmbergris

InformationalShared notesMushroom, Civet, Castoreum and Ambergris. Durations are only published for Don't Explain, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer75

Fall100

Winter50

Day56

Night100

Spring100

Summer54

Fall85

Winter31

Day100

Night80

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex20

Women80

Date 41%Casual 27%Work 17%Party 15%

Men71

Unisex29

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#30,090

PerfumerDawn Spencer Hurwitz

Launched2021

Reviews3

Overall rank#2,719

PerfumerSultan Pasha

Launched—

Reviews33

Category winnerFougère NoireHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Don't Explain by DSH Perfumes rebuilds the living gardenia from root to petal. Independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz rejects synthetic, sugary white floral formulas here. Instead, you get ripe gardenia blossoms layered with savory white button mushroom and rich butter CO2. It feels startlingly organic on first spr…

Reviews →

Fougère Noire by Sultan Pasha Attars is a dense, aromatic composition for men. It captures the humid atmosphere of a forest floor, balancing dark, resinous pine and damp oakmoss with bright touches of bergamot and clary sage. Designed for those who appreciate complex, natural-feeling attars, it projects a sophisticate…

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.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Don't Explain or Fougère Noire?

Fougère Noire takes 4 of 4 categories. Don't Explain is rated 4.71/5 from 7 votes; Fougère Noire is rated 4.39/5 from 92 votes. Choose Don't Explain for a white floral and animalic character. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Fougère Noire for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Don't Explain or Fougère Noire?

Fougère Noire lasts longest (Fougère Noire 86/100, Don't Explain 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Don't Explain or Fougère Noire?

Fougère Noire projects furthest (Fougère Noire 76/100, Don't Explain 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Don't Explain and Fougère Noire smell similar?

Clearly different: a 13% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share earthy accords. Common notes include Mushroom, Civet, Castoreum and Ambergris.

Is Don't Explain or Fougère Noire better for summer or winter?

Don't Explain suits evening wear; Fougère Noire suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Don't Explain and Fougère Noire?

Don't Explain features Butter, Mushroom, Gardenia, Cheese and Civet. Fougère Noire has top notes of elemi, Pine, Calabrian bergamot and Clary Sage, heart notes of Siberian Pine, Oakmoss, Mushroom and Balsam Fir, a base of Sandalwood, Bourbon Vetiver, Tonka Bean and Iso E Super.