Fragrance comparison

London vs Oud Excelsa

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 914 ratings analysed

London

Tom Ford

3.98834 votes

Rank #25,600 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

31%scent match

Clearly different

6 wins

Oud Excelsa

Caron

3.9980 votes

Rank #11,123 OudWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Oud Excelsa takes 6 of 7 categories.

London
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in winter.
Oud Excelsa
Choose it for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.

London1/7

Oud Excelsa6/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

LondonTom Ford

Oud ExcelsaCaron

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 834 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

3.99/ 5 · 80 votes

Have 43%Had 5%Want 52%

Category winnerLondonRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

34%Like

4%Ok

17%Dislike

2%Hate

834 votes

45%Love

31%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

9%Hate

80 votes

Category winnerOud ExcelsaMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityOud Excelsa

SillageOud Excelsa

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value39

Category winnerOud ExcelsaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

fresh spicy92%

amber84%

smoky77%

woody69%

aromatic61%

oud100%

warm spicy91%

woody83%

rose74%

coffee65%

leather56%

Scent match31%Clearly different · both warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CuminSaffronCardamomBlack PepperCoffeeCoriander

Heart

IncenseLabdanumJasmineGeranium

Base

Agarwood (Oud)BirchCedarMuskAmyris

Notes

OudBulgarian RoseCoffeeCardamomPine tarBirchCedar EssencePapyrusLabdanum

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesCardamom, Coffee, Labdanum and Birch. Durations are only published for Oud Excelsa, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer15

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring36

Summer26

Fall79

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Category winnerOud ExcelsaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men71

Unisex25

Women4

Men51

Unisex45

Women4

Date 37%Party 26%Work 21%Casual 16%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#25,600

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#11,123

PerfumerJean Jacques

Launched—

Reviews15

Category winnerOud ExcelsaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Tom Ford London starts with a blunt blast of black pepper and cumin that mimics the hot, metallic breath of a subway station. This gritty opening quickly gives way to a dark heart of labdanum and damp jasmine, creating a heavy atmosphere that feels like wet asphalt after a storm. As it settles, a dry agarwood and smok…

Reviews →

Caron crafts Oud Excelsa around an unexpected pairing of dark roasted coffee, fresh green cardamom, and smooth woody oud. It kicks off with a burst of aromatic spice that feels like freshly cracked pods dropped into steaming black brew. You get no barnyard funk or animal skank here. Instead, dry Atlas cedar, birch smo…

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, London or Oud Excelsa?

Oud Excelsa takes 6 of 7 categories. London is rated 3.98/5 from 834 votes; Oud Excelsa is rated 3.99/5 from 80 votes. Choose London for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in winter. Choose Oud Excelsa for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, London or Oud Excelsa?

Oud Excelsa lasts longest (Oud Excelsa 73/100, London 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, London or Oud Excelsa?

Projection is very close: Oud Excelsa 64/100, London 62/100 for sillage.

Do London and Oud Excelsa smell similar?

Clearly different: a 31% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Cardamom, Coffee, Labdanum and Birch.

Is London or Oud Excelsa better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in London and Oud Excelsa?

London has top notes of Cumin, Saffron, Cardamom and Black Pepper, heart notes of Incense, Labdanum, Jasmine and Geranium, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Birch, Cedar and Musk. Oud Excelsa features Oud, Bulgarian Rose, Coffee, Cardamom and Pine tar.