Fragrance comparison

Haibah vs Samba for Men

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 184 ratings analysed

4 wins

Haibah

The Spirit of Dubai

4.2362 votes

Rank #27,037 OudEarthy

Full profile Similar & dupes

15%scent match

Clearly different

Samba for Men

Perfumer's Workshop

3.78122 votes

Rank #8,992 LavenderFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Haibah takes 4 of 7 categories.

Haibah
Choose it for a oud and earthy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Samba for Men
Choose it for a lavender and floral character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Haibah4/7

Samba for Men3/7

Ratings & consensus: Haibah
Community sentiment: Samba for Men
Longevity: Haibah
Sillage & projection: Haibah
Value for money: Samba for Men
Versatility: Haibah
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Samba for Men

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

HaibahThe Spirit of Dubai

Samba for MenPerfumer's Workshop

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.23/ 5 · 62 votes

Have 82%Had 18%Want 0%

3.78/ 5 · 122 votes

Have 34%Had 66%Want 0%

Category winnerHaibahRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

65%Love

13%Like

11%Ok

3%Dislike

8%Hate

62 votes

32%Love

55%Like

6%Ok

5%Dislike

2%Hate

113 votes

Category winnerSamba for MenMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityHaibah

SillageHaibah

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value16

¤ Price value82

Category winnerSamba for MenBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

oud100%

earthy90%

woody80%

warm spicy70%

rose60%

amber50%

lavender100%

floral92%

woody84%

aromatic77%

citrus69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match15%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Agarwood (Oud)Taif RoseSpicy NotesWoody NotesLeatherSaffronPeachApple

Heart

AmberTruffleMossIrisRoseMay RoseYlang-YlangHerbal Notes

Base

Indian OudEarthy NotesGuaiac WoodPatchouliSandalwoodCedarMusk

Top

LavenderBergamot

Heart

FreesiaYlang-Ylang

Base

CedarMusk

InformationalShared notesYlang-Ylang, Cedar and Musk. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring64

Summer32

Fall96

Winter100

Day43

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter33

Day–

Night–

Category winnerHaibahMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men70

Unisex21

Women9

Men83

Unisex18

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#27,037

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#8,992

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews19

Category winnerSamba for MenHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Haibah by The Spirit of Dubai leads with heavy Indian agarwood, smoky leather, and a prickle of saffron. Crisp apple, pear, and bergamot attempt to lift the opening, but dark resins quickly take over the skin. Beneath the fruit, intense earthiness settles into wet moss, black truffle, and velvet May rose. Dry cedarwoo…

Reviews →

Samba for Men is a fresh aromatic from 1990 with lavender, bergamot, airy florals, cedar, and musk. On skin it often reads clean, lightly woody, and spring friendly, with a soft floral lift rather than a heavy barbershop feel. Reviewers point to its understated character, good value, and easy compliments, while also …

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, Haibah or Samba for Men?

Haibah takes 4 of 7 categories. Haibah is rated 4.23/5 from 62 votes; Samba for Men is rated 3.78/5 from 122 votes. Choose Haibah for a oud and earthy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Samba for Men for a lavender and floral character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Haibah or Samba for Men?

Haibah lasts longest (Haibah 83/100, Samba for Men 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Haibah or Samba for Men?

Haibah projects furthest (Haibah 78/100, Samba for Men 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Haibah and Samba for Men smell similar?

Clearly different: a 15% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Ylang-Ylang, Cedar and Musk.

Is Haibah or Samba for Men better for summer or winter?

For summer, Haibah is the stronger pick. For winter, Haibah is the stronger pick. Haibah suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Haibah and Samba for Men?

Haibah has top notes of Agarwood (Oud), Taif Rose, Spicy Notes and Woody Notes, heart notes of Amber, Truffle, Moss and Iris, a base of Indian Oud, Earthy Notes, Guaiac Wood and Patchouli. Samba for Men has top notes of Lavender and Bergamot, heart notes of Freesia and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Cedar and Musk.