Fragrance comparison

Holy Stick vs Oud

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 339 ratings analysed

Holy Stick

Chapel Factory

4.04179 votes

Rank #33,214 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

6 wins

Oud

The Spirit of Dubai

4.22160 votes

Rank #24,328 WoodyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Oud takes 6 of 7 categories.

Holy Stick
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Oud
Choose it for a woody and oud character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Holy Stick1/7

Oud6/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Holy StickChapel Factory

OudThe Spirit of Dubai

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.04/ 5 · 179 votes

Have 22%Had 5%Want 73%

4.22/ 5 · 160 votes

Have 79%Had 21%Want 0%

Category winnerOudRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

34%Like

18%Ok

6%Dislike

2%Hate

179 votes

59%Love

21%Like

9%Ok

4%Dislike

6%Hate

160 votes

Category winnerOudMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage46

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityOud

SillageOud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value57

¤ Price value25

Category winnerHoly StickBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber88%

woody77%

aromatic65%

balsamic53%

smoky42%

woody100%

oud92%

warm spicy84%

amber77%

sweet69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both warm spicy, woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

ClovesCardamomelemi

Heart2-3 hrs

IncenseCedarPetitgrain

Base4-6+ hrs

Palo SantoBenzoinAmberPatchouliGuaiac Wood

Top

SaffronPineappleLimePineBlack PepperDamask RoseIncenseCypriol Oil or Nagarmotha

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)JasmineGuaiac WoodResinsOlibanumRed RoseRoseEarthy Notes

Base

Indian OudPatchouliSandalwoodLeatherCedarWoodsy NotesAmbergrisTobacco

InformationalShared notesIncense, Cedar, Patchouli and Guaiac Wood. Durations are only published for Holy Stick, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring46

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day89

Night100

Spring47

Summer33

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerOudMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men11

Unisex72

Women17

Men69

Unisex25

Women6

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,214

PerfumerAnais Biguine

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#24,328

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerOudHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Holy Stick by Chapel Factory captures the quiet ritual of burning sacred wood. The cardamom hits immediately. A brisk flare of elemi and crushed cloves provides an energetic, peppery lift before the scent mellows into dry cedar and smoky incense. Palo Santo anchors the base with its signature creamy, minty warmth, sup…

Reviews →

The Spirit of Dubai Oud opens with a sharp burst of bitter lime, pungent saffron, and prickly black pepper before dropping straight into dense Indian agarwood. The wood here smells raw and medicinal at first, heavily saturated with dark leather, smoky incense, and dry cypriol oil. As the initial sharpness burns off, 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, Holy Stick or Oud?

Oud takes 6 of 7 categories. Holy Stick is rated 4.04/5 from 179 votes; Oud is rated 4.22/5 from 160 votes. Choose Holy Stick for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Oud for a woody and oud character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Holy Stick or Oud?

Oud lasts longest (Oud 86/100, Holy Stick 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Holy Stick or Oud?

Oud projects furthest (Oud 78/100, Holy Stick 46/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Holy Stick and Oud smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and amber accords. Common notes include Incense, Cedar, Patchouli and Guaiac Wood.

Is Holy Stick or Oud better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Holy Stick and Oud?

Holy Stick has top notes of Cloves, Cardamom and elemi, heart notes of Incense, Cedar and Petitgrain, a base of Palo Santo, Benzoin, Amber and Patchouli. Oud has top notes of Saffron, Pineapple, Lime and Pine, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Jasmine, Guaiac Wood and Resins, a base of Indian Oud, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Leather.