Fragrance comparison

Essence Of The Opera vs Forbidden 5

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

Updated 1 Nov 2026 6 ratings analysed

Essence Of The Opera

The Dua Brand

3.676 votes

Rank #49,511 IrisPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

25%scent match

Clearly different

Forbidden 5

The Dua Brand

—0 votes

Rank #70,720 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 5 categories split 2–2.

Essence Of The Opera
Choose it for a iris and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Forbidden 5
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on longevity and note pyramid duration.

Essence Of The Opera2/5

Forbidden 52/5

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Forbidden 5
Sillage & projection: Essence Of The Opera
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Forbidden 5
Fragranxe ranking: Essence Of The Opera

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Essence Of The OperaThe Dua Brand

Forbidden 5The Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.67/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 46%Had 0%Want 54%

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 25%Had 0%Want 75%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

17%Like

0%Ok

17%Dislike

17%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityForbidden 5

SillageEssence Of The Opera

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

iris100%

powdery90%

woody80%

violet70%

earthy60%

amber50%

woody100%

citrus92%

fresh spicy84%

amber77%

white floral69%

aromatic61%

Scent match25%Clearly different · both woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

IrisCashmere WoodHeliotropeBenzoinYlang-YlangJasmineCoffeeMossImmortellePatchouliBergamotLabdanum

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

AldehydesOakmossOrange BlossomBlack CurrantGuaiac WoodTonka BeanHeliotropeGrapefruitPetitgrainPatchouliBergamotTuberose

No top / heart / base split published

Category winnerForbidden 5Longest dry-down: 5 to 8 hours

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer0

Fall100

Winter50

Day–

Night100

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex25

Women25

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#49,511

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#70,720

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssence Of The OperaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Essence Of The Opera by The Dua Brand is a dense chypre floral extrait built around powdery iris, tart citrus, and a dark, resinous base. The opening brings an instant flash of lemon, bergamot, and aldehydes, sweetened lightly by hints of peach and black currant. Soon after, the scent thickens into an opulent bouquet …

Reviews →

Forbidden 5 by The Dua Brand is a dense leather and oriental woody fragrance designed for men and women. The opening delivers a crisp flash of aldehydes, bright bergamot, grapefruit, and sweet orange, quickly shadowed by green galbanum and petitgrain. As the bright citrus elements settle, a lavish floral bouquet of Ma…

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 lasts longer, Essence Of The Opera or Forbidden 5?

Forbidden 5 lasts longest (Forbidden 5 70/100, Essence Of The Opera 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essence Of The Opera or Forbidden 5?

Essence Of The Opera projects furthest (Essence Of The Opera 69/100, Forbidden 5 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essence Of The Opera and Forbidden 5 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 25% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and amber accords. Common notes include Heliotrope, Patchouli and Bergamot.

Is Essence Of The Opera or Forbidden 5 better for summer or winter?

Essence Of The Opera suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essence Of The Opera and Forbidden 5?

Essence Of The Opera features Iris, Cashmere Wood, Heliotrope, Benzoin and Ylang-Ylang. Forbidden 5 features Aldehydes, Oakmoss, Orange Blossom, Black Currant and Guaiac Wood.