Fragrance comparison

Lignum Vitae vs Qafiya 4

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 820 ratings analysed

4 wins

Lignum Vitae

BeauFort London

4.03797 votes

Rank #3,151 CitrusFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

7%scent match

Clearly different

Qafiya 4

Ajmal

3.7423 votes

Rank #39,177 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Lignum Vitae takes 4 of 5 categories.

Lignum Vitae
Choose it for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in spring.
Qafiya 4
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Lignum Vitae4/5

Qafiya 41/5

Ratings & consensus: Lignum Vitae
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Lignum Vitae
Sillage & projection: Qafiya 4
Value for money: Lignum Vitae
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Lignum Vitae

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Lignum VitaeBeauFort London

Qafiya 4Ajmal

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.03/ 5 · 797 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

3.74/ 5 · 23 votes

Have 45%Had 17%Want 38%

Category winnerLignum VitaeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

39%Love

39%Like

11%Ok

9%Dislike

2%Hate

797 votes

30%Love

35%Like

13%Ok

22%Dislike

0%Hate

23 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityLignum Vitae

SillageQafiya 4

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value47

¤ Price value28

Category winnerLignum VitaeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

citrus100%

fresh spicy91%

aromatic83%

marine74%

sweet65%

salty56%

amber100%

woody92%

fruity84%

leather77%

musky69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match7%Clearly different

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BiscuitCitronSea NotesLimeGingerCaramelBergamotJuniper

Heart

PepperGuaiac WoodAgarwood (Oud)Vetiver

Base

Sea SaltVanillaOakmossSandAmberMusk

Notes

Fruity NotesOlibanumMuskLeatherSpicy NotesGuaiac WoodAmberWoody NotesAgarwood (Oud)

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesGuaiac Wood, Agarwood (Oud), Amber 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

Spring100

Summer95

Fall0

Winter60

Day–

Night–

Spring57

Summer43

Fall100

Winter86

Day100

Night57

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men18

Unisex73

Women10

Men33

Unisex22

Women44

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#3,151

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews74

Overall rank#39,177

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerLignum VitaeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

BeauFort London's Lignum Vitae opens with a striking contrast of warm ginger biscuit and sharp citron zest, immediately set against a cool sea breeze. As the golden pastry sweetness settles, salty marine notes and crushed black pepper cut through the gourmand rich top notes, preventing it from leaning too cloying. It …

Reviews →

Qafiya 4 is a fruity amber woods scent with a clear leather and oud direction, warmed by spices and a smoky incense feel. It opens with a sweet, darker fruit tone, then settles into musky woods with resinous warmth and a slightly animalic edge. On skin it often reads best in cooler weather and evenings, especially if …

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, Lignum Vitae or Qafiya 4?

Lignum Vitae takes 4 of 5 categories. Lignum Vitae is rated 4.03/5 from 797 votes; Qafiya 4 is rated 3.74/5 from 23 votes. Choose Lignum Vitae for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in spring. Choose Qafiya 4 for a amber and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Lignum Vitae or Qafiya 4?

They last about the same: Lignum Vitae 67/100, Qafiya 4 65/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Lignum Vitae or Qafiya 4?

Qafiya 4 projects furthest (Qafiya 4 78/100, Lignum Vitae 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Lignum Vitae and Qafiya 4 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 7% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Guaiac Wood, Agarwood (Oud), Amber and Musk.

Is Lignum Vitae or Qafiya 4 better for summer or winter?

Qafiya 4 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Lignum Vitae and Qafiya 4?

Lignum Vitae has top notes of Biscuit, Citron, Sea Notes and Lime, heart notes of Pepper, Guaiac Wood, Agarwood (Oud) and Vetiver, a base of Sea Salt, Vanilla, Oakmoss and Sand. Qafiya 4 features Fruity Notes, Olibanum, Musk, Leather and Spicy Notes.