Fragrance comparison

Forbidden Elixir vs True Love

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 28 ratings analysed

Forbidden Elixir

Sly John's Lab

3.6025 votes

Rank #49,190 CitrusMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

True Love

FA'RA

3.333 votes

Rank #70,386 FruityCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

True Love takes 2 of 3 categories.

Forbidden Elixir
Choose it for a citrus and musky character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
True Love
Choose it for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, day or night wear.

Forbidden Elixir1/3

True Love2/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Forbidden ElixirSly John's Lab

True LoveFA'RA

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.60/ 5 · 25 votes

Have 36%Had 21%Want 43%

3.33/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 17%Had 0%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

28%Love

28%Like

24%Ok

16%Dislike

4%Hate

25 votes

33%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

33%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage43

♥ Love / hate65

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate58

Category winners

LongevityTrue Love

SillageTrue Love

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

musky88%

white floral77%

aromatic65%

amber53%

floral42%

fruity100%

citrus92%

floral84%

rose77%

woody69%

white floral61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both citrus, white floral and floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

BergamotAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Lemon

Heart2-4 hrs

Orange Blossom

Base6-8+ hrs

MuscenoneAmbroxanPatchouli

Top

Black CurrantLemonBergamotRaspberryPlumMandarin OrangeApple

Heart

RoseJasminePeonyMagnoliaOrange Blossom

Base

SandalwoodAmberPatchouliAmbroxanWhite Musk

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom and Ambroxan. Durations are only published for Forbidden Elixir, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer100

Fall86

Winter14

Day100

Night43

Spring0

Summer100

Fall0

Winter0

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#49,190

PerfumerAne Ayo

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#70,386

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerForbidden ElixirHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Forbidden Elixir by Sly John's Lab bursts open with a bright splash of tart lemon and juicy bergamot, instantly giving off the clean feeling of sunshine hitting chilled citrus peel. Within twenty minutes, a sweet, sunny orange blossom emerges to smooth away any sharp edges, blending into the vegetal warmth of ambrette…

Reviews →

True Love by FA'RA opens with a juicy splash of tart black currant, ripe raspberry, and crisp green apple, instantly balanced by sunny mandarin orange and lemon. As the bright fruitiness settles, a lush bouquet of pink peony, dewy rose, and white jasmine emerges, creating a clean, romantic floral heart. Warm amber, sm…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Forbidden Elixir or True Love?

True Love takes 2 of 3 categories. Forbidden Elixir is rated 3.60/5 from 25 votes; True Love is rated 3.33/5 from 3 votes. Choose Forbidden Elixir for a citrus and musky character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose True Love for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Forbidden Elixir or True Love?

True Love lasts longest (True Love 60/100, Forbidden Elixir 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Forbidden Elixir or True Love?

True Love projects furthest (True Love 50/100, Forbidden Elixir 43/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Forbidden Elixir and True Love smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, white floral and floral accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom and Ambroxan.

Is Forbidden Elixir or True Love better for summer or winter?

Forbidden Elixir suits daytime wear; True Love suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Forbidden Elixir and True Love?

Forbidden Elixir has top notes of Bergamot, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Lemon, heart notes of Orange Blossom, a base of Muscenone, Ambroxan and Patchouli. True Love has top notes of Black Currant, Lemon, Bergamot and Raspberry, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Peony and Magnolia, a base of Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli and Ambroxan.