Fragrance comparison

Forbidden vs Cleopatra

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 115 ratings analysed

3 wins

Forbidden

House of Matriarch

4.15113 votes

Rank #28,728 EarthyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #50,745 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Forbidden takes 3 of 4 categories.

Forbidden
Choose it for a earthy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Forbidden3/4

Cleopatra1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Forbidden
Sillage & projection: Forbidden
Value for money: Cleopatra
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

ForbiddenHouse of Matriarch

CleopatraKesma

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 113 votes

Have 17%Had 5%Want 78%

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

33%Like

4%Ok

12%Dislike

3%Hate

113 votes

50%Love

50%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

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityForbidden

SillageForbidden

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value46

¤ Price value50

Category winnerCleopatraBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

earthy100%

woody92%

aromatic84%

tuberose77%

white floral69%

green61%

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both woody, white floral and green

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

WormwoodcannabisAbsintheLantana leaves

Heart3-4 hrs

TuberoseBoletus edulisCypriol Oil or NagarmothaPapyrusTurnera Diffusa (Damiana)Pepper

Base8-10+ hrs

Soil TincturePrecious WoodsLeather

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

InformationalShared notesWormwood, Tuberose, Pepper and Leather. Durations are only published for Forbidden, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer28

Fall100

Winter64

Day90

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men12

Unisex59

Women29

Casual 38%Date 32%Work 17%Party 13%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,728

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#50,745

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerForbiddenHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Forbidden by House of Matriarch smells like walking into a shadowed forest after heavy rain while carrying crushed green herbs and sweet white flowers. The opening strikes with a sharp bitter burst of wormwood, absinthe, and aromatic cannabis leaves. Give it ten minutes. The initial sting calms quickly as creamy tuber…

Reviews →

Cleopatra by Kesma is a dense, unapologetic oriental floral from 1983. It opens with a punch of cloves and cinnamon before settling into a rich, resinous heart of tuberose, ylang-ylang, and honey. This is a cold-weather classic that leans heavily on its base of incense, leather, and oakmoss for a deep, vintage footpri…

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, Forbidden or Cleopatra?

Forbidden takes 3 of 4 categories. Forbidden is rated 4.15/5 from 113 votes; Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes. Choose Forbidden for a earthy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden or Cleopatra?

Forbidden lasts longest (Forbidden 68/100, Cleopatra 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden or Cleopatra?

Forbidden projects furthest (Forbidden 53/100, Cleopatra 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Forbidden and Cleopatra smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, white floral and green accords. Common notes include Wormwood, Tuberose, Pepper and Leather.

Is Forbidden or Cleopatra better for summer or winter?

Forbidden suits evening wear; Cleopatra suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Forbidden and Cleopatra?

Forbidden has top notes of Wormwood, cannabis, Absinthe and Lantana leaves, heart notes of Tuberose, Boletus edulis, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha and Papyrus, a base of Soil Tincture, Precious Woods and Leather. Cleopatra has top notes of Bergamot, Cinnamon, Galbanum and Pepper, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Narcissus, a base of Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum and Wormwood.