Fragrance comparison

Forbidden Dream vs Rio

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

Updated 18 Oct 2026 12 ratings analysed

Forbidden Dream

Ubaya · 2021

3.7311 votes

Rank #51,744 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

67%scent match

Closely related

3 wins

Rio

Varriale Profumi

5.001 votes

Rank #44,754 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Rio 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.
Rio
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Forbidden Dream2/5

Rio3/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Forbidden DreamUbaya

RioVarriale Profumi

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.73/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 33%Had 22%Want 44%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 80%Had 0%Want 20%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate68

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityRio

SillageForbidden Dream

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value73

¤ Price value63

Category winnerForbidden DreamBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy88%

smoky77%

balsamic65%

rose53%

fruity42%

warm spicy100%

amber92%

rose84%

smoky77%

leather69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match67%Closely related · both amber, warm spicy and smoky

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

Top15-30 mins

RaspberryGeraniumAgarwoodRoseOud

Heart2-4 hrs

BenzoinBirch

Base6-10+ hrs

SaffronIncense

Category winnerRioLongest dry-down: 6-10+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring43

Summer14

Fall71

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day29

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men18

Unisex64

Women18

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

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 37%Party 32%Casual 16%Work 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#51,744

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2021

Reviews1

Overall rank#44,754

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRioHigher 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 →

Rio by Varriale Profumi pairs sweet tart raspberry with dark smoky woods right out of the gate. You get a sharp burst of red berry fruit, quickly deepened by geranium and velvety rose petals. Within ten minutes, rich agarwood and tarry birch push through to create a dark, leather-jacket backbone. Sweet benzoin resin a…

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 Rio?

Rio takes 3 of 5 categories. Forbidden Dream is rated 3.73/5 from 11 votes; Rio is rated 5.00/5 from 1 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 Rio for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden Dream or Rio?

Rio lasts longest (Rio 70/100, Forbidden Dream 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden Dream or Rio?

Forbidden Dream projects furthest (Forbidden Dream 63/100, Rio 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Forbidden Dream and Rio smell similar?

Closely related: a 67% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and smoky accords. Common notes include Incense, Raspberry, Benzoin and Rose.

Is Forbidden Dream or Rio better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Forbidden Dream and Rio?

Forbidden Dream has top notes of Incense and Raspberry, heart notes of Benzoin and Rose, a base of Amberwood and Geranium. Rio has top notes of Raspberry, Geranium, Agarwood and Rose, heart notes of Benzoin and Birch, a base of Saffron and Incense.