Fragrance comparison

Forbidden vs The Oud Route

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 116 ratings analysed

3 wins

Forbidden

House of Matriarch

4.15113 votes

Rank #28,728 EarthyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

The Oud Route

Artal Perfumes

4.003 votes

Rank #46,505 SmokyEarthy

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 sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
The Oud Route
Choose it for a smoky and earthy character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, evening wear.

Forbidden3/4

The Oud Route1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: The Oud Route
Sillage & projection: Forbidden
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

ForbiddenHouse of Matriarch

The Oud RouteArtal Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 113 votes

Have 17%Had 5%Want 78%

4.00/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 15%Had 0%Want 85%

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

67%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

33%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityThe Oud Route

SillageForbidden

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value46

¤ Price value38

Category winnerForbiddenBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

earthy100%

woody92%

aromatic84%

tuberose77%

white floral69%

green61%

smoky100%

earthy92%

woody84%

cannabis77%

oud69%

patchouli61%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both earthy and woody

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

cannabisCardamomHoneyRoseChili Pepper

Heart

IncenseCypriol Oil or NagarmothaSaffronVioletNutmeg

Base

PatchouliLeatherOudAmbergrisCedarwoodLabdanum

InformationalShared notescannabis, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha 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

Spring100

Summer100

Fall100

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%

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,728

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#46,505

PerfumerShadi Samra

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 →

The Oud Route leans smoky, earthy and woody, with an oud-and-rose character that can feel close to bakhoor on fabric. Honey, cardamom and chili suggest a spiced opening, but the overall impression reads darker, resinous and more formal than sweet. It looks best suited to evening wear, dressed-up settings, and shoppers…

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 The Oud Route?

Forbidden takes 3 of 4 categories. Forbidden is rated 4.15/5 from 113 votes; The Oud Route is rated 4.00/5 from 3 votes. Choose Forbidden for a earthy and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose The Oud Route for a smoky and earthy character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden or The Oud Route?

They last about the same: The Oud Route 70/100, Forbidden 68/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden or The Oud Route?

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

Do Forbidden and The Oud Route smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share earthy and woody accords. Common notes include cannabis, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha and Leather.

Is Forbidden or The Oud Route better for summer or winter?

Forbidden suits evening wear; The Oud Route suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Forbidden and The Oud Route?

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. The Oud Route has top notes of cannabis, Cardamom, Honey and Rose, heart notes of Incense, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Saffron and Violet, a base of Patchouli, Leather, Oud and Ambergris.