Fragrance comparison

Forbidden vs OT - 23

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 127 ratings analysed

Forbidden

House of Matriarch

4.15113 votes

Rank #28,728 EarthyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

15%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

OT - 23

Olfattology

3.9314 votes

Rank #39,859 AromaticMarine

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

OT - 23 takes 3 of 5 categories.

Forbidden
Choose it for a earthy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
OT - 23
Choose it for a aromatic and marine character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Forbidden2/5

OT - 233/5

Ratings & consensus: Forbidden
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: OT - 23
Sillage & projection: OT - 23
Value for money: OT - 23
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

OT - 23Olfattology

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 113 votes

Have 17%Had 5%Want 78%

3.93/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 22%Had 4%Want 74%

Category winnerForbiddenRating 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

14%Like

14%Ok

21%Dislike

0%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityOT - 23

SillageOT - 23

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value46

¤ Price value50

Category winnerOT - 23Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

earthy100%

woody92%

aromatic84%

tuberose77%

white floral69%

green61%

aromatic100%

marine92%

amber84%

smoky77%

citrus69%

soft spicy61%

Scent match15%Clearly different · both aromatic

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

BergamotLemonSaffronCassiaMandarin Orange

Heart

Sea NotesIncensePink PepperLavenderLily-of-the-ValleyCardamomJuniper BerriesMyrrh

Base

VanillaCypriol Oil or NagarmothaPrecious WoodsMuskAgarwood (Oud)PatchouliRock roseSandalwood

InformationalShared notesCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha and Precious Woods. 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

Spring67

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day75

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

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,728

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#39,859

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

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 →

OT - 23 by Olfattology hits the skin with a sharp, medicinal burst of saffron and bitter orange before settling into an unexpected oceanic floral haze. This unisex composition plays a strange game of tug-of-war between cold sea notes and warm, smoky resins like myrrh and gurjan balsam. Unlike typical marine scents tha…

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 OT - 23?

OT - 23 takes 3 of 5 categories. Forbidden is rated 4.15/5 from 113 votes; OT - 23 is rated 3.93/5 from 14 votes. Choose Forbidden for a earthy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose OT - 23 for a aromatic and marine character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden or OT - 23?

OT - 23 lasts longest (OT - 23 83/100, Forbidden 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden or OT - 23?

OT - 23 projects furthest (OT - 23 78/100, Forbidden 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Forbidden and OT - 23 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 15% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic accords. Common notes include Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha and Precious Woods.

Is Forbidden or OT - 23 better for summer or winter?

Forbidden suits evening wear; OT - 23 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Forbidden and OT - 23?

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. OT - 23 has top notes of Bergamot, Lemon, Saffron and Cassia, heart notes of Sea Notes, Incense, Pink Pepper and Lavender, a base of Vanilla, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Precious Woods and Musk.