Fragrance comparison

Forbidden Dream vs Golden Oud

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

Updated 18 Oct 2026 26 ratings analysed

Forbidden Dream

Ubaya · 2021

3.7311 votes

Rank #51,744 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

62%scent match

Closely related

3 wins

Golden Oud

Mith

4.2015 votes

Rank #31,545 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Golden Oud takes 3 of 5 categories.

Forbidden Dream
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Golden Oud
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Forbidden Dream2/5

Golden Oud3/5

Ratings & consensus: Golden Oud
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Golden Oud
Sillage & projection: Forbidden Dream
Value for money: Forbidden Dream
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Golden Oud

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Forbidden DreamUbaya

Golden OudMith

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.73/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 33%Had 22%Want 44%

4.20/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 53%Had 9%Want 38%

Category winnerGolden OudRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

27%Love

27%Like

36%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

53%Love

27%Like

13%Ok

0%Dislike

7%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate68

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityGolden Oud

SillageForbidden Dream

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value73

¤ Price value72

Category winnerForbidden DreamBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy88%

smoky77%

balsamic65%

rose53%

fruity42%

amber100%

warm spicy92%

rose84%

oud77%

fresh spicy69%

fruity61%

Scent match62%Closely related · both amber, warm spicy and rose

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

IncenseRaspberry

Heart2-4 hrs

BenzoinRose

Base5-7 hrs

AmberwoodGeranium

Top

RaspberryGeranium

Heart

RoseSaffronJasmine

Base

Agarwood (Oud)IncenseBenzoinAmberwoodAmbergrisBirch TarCedar

InformationalShared notesIncense, Raspberry, Benzoin and Rose. Durations are only published for Forbidden Dream, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring43

Summer14

Fall71

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Spring83

Summer17

Fall83

Winter100

Day14

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men18

Unisex64

Women18

Date 36%Casual 28%Work 19%Party 17%

Men60

Unisex20

Women20

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#51,744

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2021

Reviews1

Overall rank#31,545

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerGolden OudHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Forbidden Dream by Ubaya opens with a loud, tart raspberry note spliced directly into dry incense smoke. Do not overspray it. That initial burst feels sharp and punchy for three minutes until the solvent evaporates completely. As the resin warms against your pulse points, sweet golden benzoin and velvety red rose emer…

Reviews →

Golden Oud opens with a noticeably fruity-spicy twist, where raspberry and geranium brighten the rose, saffron, and oud underneath. It wears as a smoother, lighter-style oud than the note list suggests, then settles into ambered woods, smoke, and soft resin. This suits someone who enjoys rose-oud compositions but want…

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 Dream or Golden Oud?

Golden Oud takes 3 of 5 categories. Forbidden Dream is rated 3.73/5 from 11 votes; Golden Oud is rated 4.20/5 from 15 votes. Choose Forbidden Dream for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Golden Oud for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden Dream or Golden Oud?

Golden Oud lasts longest (Golden Oud 73/100, Forbidden Dream 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden Dream or Golden Oud?

Forbidden Dream projects furthest (Forbidden Dream 63/100, Golden Oud 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Forbidden Dream and Golden Oud smell similar?

Closely related: a 62% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and rose accords. Common notes include Incense, Raspberry, Benzoin and Rose.

Is Forbidden Dream or Golden Oud better for summer or winter?

Forbidden Dream suits evening wear; Golden Oud suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Forbidden Dream and Golden Oud?

Forbidden Dream has top notes of Incense and Raspberry, heart notes of Benzoin and Rose, a base of Amberwood and Geranium. Golden Oud has top notes of Raspberry and Geranium, heart notes of Rose, Saffron and Jasmine, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Incense, Benzoin and Amberwood.