Fragrance comparison

Empowered vs Black Smoke

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

Updated 17 Oct 2026 20 ratings analysed

Empowered

Boadicea the Victorious

3.8318 votes

Rank #40,130 White FloralAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

23%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Black Smoke

Ahmed Mahsoub KARIZMA

5.002 votes

Rank #41,797 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Smoke takes 3 of 4 categories.

Empowered
Choose it for a white floral and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Black Smoke
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Empowered1/4

Black Smoke3/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

EmpoweredBoadicea the Victorious

Black SmokeAhmed Mahsoub KARIZMA

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.83/ 5 · 18 votes

Have 24%Had 9%Want 67%

5.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 17%Had 0%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

44%Love

22%Like

17%Ok

6%Dislike

11%Hate

18 votes · too few to score

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity100

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityBlack Smoke

SillageBlack Smoke

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value36

¤ Price value100

Category winnerBlack SmokeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

amber83%

smoky65%

floral48%

animalic30%

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

fresh spicy77%

cinnamon69%

coffee61%

Scent match23%Clearly different · both amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Incense

Heart

Jasmine

Base

Amber

Top

CinnamonCloveNutmegApple

Heart

PatchouliIncenseCoffeeJasmine

Base

Cambodian OudVanillaCedarTobaccoAmber

InformationalShared notesIncense, Jasmine and Amber. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring40

Summer60

Fall80

Winter100

Day80

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men33

Unisex42

Women25

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#40,130

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#41,797

PerfumerAhmed Mahsoub

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEmpoweredHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Empowered opens with a cool plume of smoky incense before softening into sweet white jasmine. A rich base of golden amber and dirty musk grounds the scent, adding warmth to crisp autumn evenings. It balances raw resinous smoke with clean floral petals for anyone seeking a bold unisex signature.

Reviews →

Black Smoke leans rich, spicy, and dark from the start. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg give it heat, while coffee, incense, tobacco, and oud pull it into deeper territory with a warm ambered finish. This is a bold unisex scent that may read slightly masculine on skin. It looks best suited to cool weather, evening wear, a…

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, Empowered or Black Smoke?

Black Smoke takes 3 of 4 categories. Empowered is rated 3.83/5 from 18 votes; Black Smoke is rated 5.00/5 from 2 votes. Choose Empowered for a white floral and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Black Smoke for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Empowered or Black Smoke?

Black Smoke lasts longest (Black Smoke 100/100, Empowered 78/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Empowered or Black Smoke?

Black Smoke projects furthest (Black Smoke 100/100, Empowered 75/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Empowered and Black Smoke smell similar?

Clearly different: a 23% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber accords. Common notes include Incense, Jasmine and Amber.

Is Empowered or Black Smoke better for summer or winter?

Empowered suits evening wear; Black Smoke suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Empowered and Black Smoke?

Empowered has top notes of Incense, heart notes of Jasmine, a base of Amber. Black Smoke has top notes of Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg and Apple, heart notes of Patchouli, Incense, Coffee and Jasmine, a base of Cambodian Oud, Vanilla, Cedar and Tobacco.