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FRAGRANXE
Fragrance comparison

Forbidden vs Cocoa Wood

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

Updated 321 ratings analysed
Clearly different
Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Forbidden takes 4 of 5 categories.

  • Forbidden

    Choose it for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in winter.

  • Cocoa Wood

    Choose it for a warm spicy and oud character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Forbidden4/5
Cocoa Wood1/5
Ratings & consensus
Forbidden
Community sentiment
Not scored
Longevity
Forbidden
Sillage & projection
Cocoa Wood
Value for money
Forbidden
Versatility
Not scored
Note pyramid (duration)
Not scored
Fragranxe ranking
Forbidden

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance
ForbiddenAaron Terence Hughes
Cocoa WoodAjmal
Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split
4.29/ 5 · 310 votes
Have 45%Had 9%Want 47%
3.64/ 5 · 11 votes
Have 4%Had 0%Want 96%
Category winnerForbiddenRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate
67%Love
18%Like
8%Ok
2%Dislike
6%Hate

120 votes

64%Love
0%Like
0%Ok
9%Dislike
27%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores
⏱ Longevity89
〰 Sillage80
♥ Love / hate85
⏱ Longevity75
〰 Sillage84
♥ Love / hate66
Category winners

LongevityForbidden

SillageCocoa Wood

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it
¤ Price value64
¤ Price value16
Category winnerForbiddenBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both
sweet100%
vanilla92%
citrus84%
warm spicy77%
cherry69%
chocolate61%
warm spicy100%
oud92%
sweet84%
cacao77%
fruity69%
amber61%
Scent match34%Clearly different · both sweet and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared
Top
ChocolateOrangeBergamot
Heart
VanillaCherryTonka Bean
Base
RumRoseOudPatchouliSandalwoodWhite MuskAmbergris
Top
SaffronStrawberryRaspberryPlumBlackcurrantGingerBergamot
Heart
JasmineRoseGeranium
Base
OudIncenseCacaoChocolateSandalwoodMuskVanilla
InformationalShared notesChocolate, Bergamot, Vanilla and Rose. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season
Spring56
Summer17
Fall93
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Spring50
Summer50
Fall100
Winter100
Day75
Night100
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes
Men28
Unisex65
Women8
Men40
Unisex40
Women20
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#495

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews84

Overall rank#62,777

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerForbiddenHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Forbidden is a rich cherry gourmand with a proper chocolate-orange opening, then a bakewell-style cherry and vanilla centre that reads like warm pastry on skin. As it dries down, rum, woods, musky ambergris and a smooth, low-funk oud give it a darker, more grown-up finish. It wears bold and dessert-like, but many peo…

Reviews →

Ajmal Cocoa Wood is a bold fruity gourmand with a warm, spicy lift up top and a darker, smoky woods base. It opens with saffron, ginger and a mixed berry-plum sweetness, then moves into a floral heart before settling into chocolate-cacao, oud, incense and vanilla. If you like sweet, resinous scents with a noticeable o…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Forbidden or Cocoa Wood?

Forbidden takes 4 of 5 categories. Forbidden is rated 4.29/5 from 310 votes; Cocoa Wood is rated 3.64/5 from 11 votes. Choose Forbidden for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in winter. Choose Cocoa Wood for a warm spicy and oud character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden or Cocoa Wood?

Forbidden lasts longest (Forbidden 89/100, Cocoa Wood 75/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden or Cocoa Wood?

Cocoa Wood projects furthest (Cocoa Wood 84/100, Forbidden 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Forbidden and Cocoa Wood smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Chocolate, Bergamot, Vanilla and Rose.

Is Forbidden or Cocoa Wood better for summer or winter?

Cocoa Wood suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Forbidden and Cocoa Wood?

Forbidden has top notes of Chocolate, Orange and Bergamot, heart notes of Vanilla, Cherry and Tonka Bean, a base of Rum, Rose, Oud and Patchouli. Cocoa Wood has top notes of Saffron, Strawberry, Raspberry and Plum, heart notes of Jasmine, Rose and Geranium, a base of Oud, Incense, Cacao and Chocolate.

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