Fragrance comparison

Fou d’Opium vs Ivoire de Balmain

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

Updated 18 Oct 2026 1,127 ratings analysed

3 wins

Fou d’Opium

DSH Perfumes

4.3520 votes

Rank #20,822 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

22%scent match

Clearly different

Ivoire de Balmain

Pierre Balmain

4.131,107 votes

Rank #24,044 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Fou d’Opium takes 3 of 5 categories.

Fou d’Opium
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.
Ivoire de Balmain
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus and sillage & projection. Best in spring.

Fou d’Opium3/5

Ivoire de Balmain2/5

Ratings & consensus: Ivoire de Balmain
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Fou d’Opium
Sillage & projection: Ivoire de Balmain
Value for money: Fou d’Opium
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Fou d’Opium

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Fou d’OpiumDSH Perfumes

Ivoire de BalmainPierre Balmain

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.35/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 32%Had 7%Want 62%

4.13/ 5 · 1,107 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

Category winnerIvoire de BalmainRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

55%Love

30%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

20 votes · too few to score

42%Love

43%Like

2%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

1,107 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityFou d’Opium

SillageIvoire de Balmain

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value78

¤ Price value50

Category winnerFou d’OpiumBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber92%

woody84%

powdery77%

floral69%

white floral61%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

herbal84%

woody77%

floral69%

green61%

Scent match22%Clearly different · both woody and floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SpicesCarnationTolu BalsamLabdanumCivetCinnamonNeroliIncenseVanilaAldehydesAmbergrisAustralian Sandalwood

No top / heart / base split published

Top

AldehydesChamomileGalbanumMarigoldAsafoetidaArtemisiaBergamotLemon

Heart

Orris RootNarcissusCarnationNutmegTurkish RosePepperYlang-YlangIris

Base

OakmossVetiverSandalwoodIncensePatchouliLabdanumMuskTonka Bean

InformationalShared notesCarnation, Labdanum, Incense and Aldehydes. Durations are only published for Fou d’Opium, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer82

Fall100

Winter100

Day32

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter68

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex78

Women22

Date 45%Party 32%Casual 13%Work 11%

Men3

Unisex37

Women60

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,822

PerfumerDawn Spencer Hurwitz

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#24,044

PerfumerFrancis Camail, Michel Hy

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerFou d’OpiumHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Fou d'Opium by DSH Perfumes is a fiery, resinous spicy oriental that revives the opulent spirit of vintage 1970s perfumery. The scent opens with a sharp flash of aldehydes, bergamot, and ripe plum before unleashing a dense swirl of clove bud, cinnamon bark, and powdery carnation. Warm tolu balsam, golden labdanum, and…

Reviews →

Ivoire de Balmain stands as a definitive green chypre. It opens with a sharp, herbal punch of galbanum and marigold before settling into a sophisticated, mossy floral core. This is a scent for those who appreciate traditional, crisp structure. It feels most at home during cool spring mornings, providing an immediate s…

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, Fou d’Opium or Ivoire de Balmain?

Fou d’Opium takes 3 of 5 categories. Fou d’Opium is rated 4.35/5 from 20 votes; Ivoire de Balmain is rated 4.13/5 from 1,107 votes. Choose Fou d’Opium for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Ivoire de Balmain for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus and sillage & projection. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Fou d’Opium or Ivoire de Balmain?

Fou d’Opium lasts longest (Fou d’Opium 87/100, Ivoire de Balmain 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Fou d’Opium or Ivoire de Balmain?

Ivoire de Balmain projects furthest (Ivoire de Balmain 64/100, Fou d’Opium 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Fou d’Opium and Ivoire de Balmain smell similar?

Clearly different: a 22% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and floral accords. Common notes include Carnation, Labdanum, Incense and Aldehydes.

Is Fou d’Opium or Ivoire de Balmain better for summer or winter?

Fou d’Opium suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Fou d’Opium and Ivoire de Balmain?

Fou d’Opium features Spices, Carnation, Tolu Balsam, Labdanum and Civet. Ivoire de Balmain has top notes of Aldehydes, Chamomile, Galbanum and Marigold, heart notes of Orris Root, Narcissus, Carnation and Nutmeg, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Incense.