Fragrance comparison

Incense Oud vs Spectral Doorway

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 545 ratings analysed

6 wins

Incense Oud

Nicolai Parfumeur Createur

3.76499 votes

Rank #3,094 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

Spectral Doorway

DS&Durga · 2024

3.3346 votes

Rank #20,431 HerbalAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Incense Oud takes 6 of 7 categories.

Incense Oud
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.
Spectral Doorway
Choose it for a herbal and amber character. Wins on versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Incense Oud6/7

Spectral Doorway1/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Incense OudNicolai Parfumeur Createur

Spectral DoorwayDS&Durga

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.76/ 5 · 499 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

3.33/ 5 · 46 votes

Have 91%Had 9%Want 0%

Category winnerIncense OudRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

31%Like

12%Ok

18%Dislike

4%Hate

499 votes

24%Love

28%Like

22%Ok

9%Dislike

17%Hate

46 votes

Category winnerIncense OudMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity48

〰 Sillage45

♥ Love / hate58

Category winners

LongevityIncense Oud

SillageIncense Oud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value51

¤ Price value25

Category winnerIncense OudBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

smoky84%

warm spicy77%

earthy69%

animalic61%

herbal100%

amber92%

smoky84%

fresh77%

aromatic69%

balsamic61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both amber and smoky

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

ArtemisiaAmbrette (Musk Mallow)

Heart

Cambodian OudCypriol Oil or NagarmothaPatchouliRoseAtlas CedarCoriander

Base

IncenseCastoreumStyraxAmberMusk

Top15-30 mins

ChalkFabricIncense

Heart2-3 hrs

ArtemisiaTrees

Base5-8 hrs

Old BooksMuskPatchouli

InformationalShared notesArtemisia, Patchouli, Incense and Musk. Durations are only published for Spectral Doorway, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring46

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring69

Summer63

Fall100

Winter75

Day100

Night50

Category winnerSpectral DoorwayMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men45

Unisex50

Women4

Men28

Unisex40

Women32

Casual 46%Work 37%Date 11%Party 6%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,094

PerfumerPatricia de Nicolai

Launched—

Reviews63

Overall rank#20,431

PerfumerDavid Seth Moltz

Launched2024

Reviews12

Category winnerIncense OudHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Incense Oud by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur is a woody and amber-forward fragrance launched in 2016. It balances the deep, resinous scent of Cambodian oud with a sharp, medicinal herbal opening of artemisia. This complex composition demands skin time to settle, eventually revealing a smoky, castoreum-infused dry-down th…

Reviews →

Spectral Doorway by DS&Durga smells like stepping into a sunlit library archive where someone left a stick of classroom chalk beside an open cedar drawer. The fragrance starts with a distinct blast of dry mineral chalk, clean cotton fabric, and a faint wisp of cold resinous incense. Within minutes, bitter artemisia an…

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, Incense Oud or Spectral Doorway?

Incense Oud takes 6 of 7 categories. Incense Oud is rated 3.76/5 from 499 votes; Spectral Doorway is rated 3.33/5 from 46 votes. Choose Incense Oud for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter. Choose Spectral Doorway for a herbal and amber character. Wins on versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Incense Oud or Spectral Doorway?

Incense Oud lasts longest (Incense Oud 82/100, Spectral Doorway 48/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Incense Oud or Spectral Doorway?

Incense Oud projects furthest (Incense Oud 70/100, Spectral Doorway 45/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Incense Oud and Spectral Doorway smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and smoky accords. Common notes include Artemisia, Patchouli, Incense and Musk.

Is Incense Oud or Spectral Doorway better for summer or winter?

For summer, Spectral Doorway is the stronger pick. For winter, Incense Oud is the stronger pick. Spectral Doorway suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Incense Oud and Spectral Doorway?

Incense Oud has top notes of Artemisia and Ambrette (Musk Mallow), heart notes of Cambodian Oud, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Patchouli and Rose, a base of Incense, Castoreum, Styrax and Amber. Spectral Doorway has top notes of Chalk, Fabric and Incense, heart notes of Artemisia and Trees, a base of Old Books, Musk and Patchouli.