Fragrance comparison

Durra vs Hot! Fragrances Brown

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 94 ratings analysed

4 wins

Durra

The Spirit of Dubai

3.7579 votes

Rank #28,892 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

Hot! Fragrances Brown

Ulric de Varens · 2008

3.3315 votes

Rank #63,601 PowderyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Durra takes 4 of 4 categories.

Durra
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Hot! Fragrances Brown
Choose it for a powdery and fresh spicy character. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Durra4/4

Hot! Fragrances Brown0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

DurraThe Spirit of Dubai

Hot! Fragrances BrownUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.75/ 5 · 79 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

3.33/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 44%Had 15%Want 41%

Category winnerDurraRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

51%Love

14%Like

6%Ok

18%Dislike

11%Hate

79 votes

13%Love

47%Like

0%Ok

40%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage82

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate58

Category winners

LongevityDurra

SillageDurra

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value26

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic92%

amber84%

warm spicy77%

fresh spicy69%

sweet61%

powdery100%

fresh spicy83%

warm spicy65%

musky48%

woody30%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both fresh spicy, warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Sea NotesWatery NotesAldehydesOzonic notesClary SagePineLavenderCumin

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)Earthy NotesBirch LeafCashmere WoodWoody NotesSandalwoodIncenseVanilla

Base

CastoreumCivettaMuskImmortelleTolu BalsamPrecious WoodsTobaccoVetiver

Notes

PepperPowdery NotesClovesMuskNutmegSandalwoodPatchouli

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesSandalwood and Musk. Durations are only published for Hot! Fragrances Brown, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer68

Fall72

Winter100

Day83

Night100

Spring40

Summer40

Fall100

Winter80

Day100

Night64

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men54

Unisex37

Women9

Not enough votes yet

Casual 38%Work 34%Date 18%Party 9%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,892

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#63,601

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2008

Reviews0

Category winnerDurraHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Durra opens with a sharp burst of salty sea notes, cold aldehydes, and clary sage before diving into a dark heart of agarwood and smoky incense. The dry-down settles into heavy castoreum leather, amber, and bitter cumin on skin. It suits cold winter evenings, black-tie dinners, or outdoor gatherings where a dense, mar…

Reviews →

Hot! Fragrances Brown by Ulric de Varens combines dry kitchen spice with soft barber-clean powder. The scent pushes out an immediate kick of black pepper and pungent cloves before settling into a warm core of freshly grated nutmeg. Do not overspray this early. A brief alcohol rush clears in two minutes, revealing clea…

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, Durra or Hot! Fragrances Brown?

Durra takes 4 of 4 categories. Durra is rated 3.75/5 from 79 votes; Hot! Fragrances Brown is rated 3.33/5 from 15 votes. Choose Durra for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Hot! Fragrances Brown for a powdery and fresh spicy character. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Durra or Hot! Fragrances Brown?

Durra lasts longest (Durra 87/100, Hot! Fragrances Brown 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Durra or Hot! Fragrances Brown?

Durra projects furthest (Durra 82/100, Hot! Fragrances Brown 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Durra and Hot! Fragrances Brown smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Sandalwood and Musk.

Is Durra or Hot! Fragrances Brown better for summer or winter?

Durra suits evening wear; Hot! Fragrances Brown suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Durra and Hot! Fragrances Brown?

Durra has top notes of Sea Notes, Watery Notes, Aldehydes and Ozonic notes, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Earthy Notes, Birch Leaf and Cashmere Wood, a base of Castoreum, Civetta, Musk and Immortelle. Hot! Fragrances Brown features Pepper, Powdery Notes, Cloves, Musk and Nutmeg.