Fragrance comparison

Malabar vs Neon Lights

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 99 ratings analysed

4 wins

Malabar

Optico Profumo

4.4715 votes

Rank #32,080 VanillaYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

Neon Lights

Milano Fragranze

3.4084 votes

Rank #19,764 SweetAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Malabar takes 4 of 5 categories.

Malabar
Choose it for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Neon Lights
Choose it for a sweet and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Malabar4/5

Neon Lights1/5

Ratings & consensus: Malabar
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Malabar
Sillage & projection: Malabar
Value for money: Malabar
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Neon Lights

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MalabarOptico Profumo

Neon LightsMilano Fragranze

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.47/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 31%Had 8%Want 60%

3.40/ 5 · 84 votes

Have 23%Had 7%Want 71%

Category winnerMalabarRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

80%Love

0%Like

7%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

34%Love

22%Like

19%Ok

18%Dislike

7%Hate

73 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage77

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate64

Category winners

LongevityMalabar

SillageMalabar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value80

¤ Price value52

Category winnerMalabarBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

yellow floral92%

sweet84%

woody77%

aromatic69%

warm spicy61%

sweet100%

aromatic92%

fruity84%

warm spicy77%

tuberose69%

white floral61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both sweet, aromatic and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

TangerineClovesCardamom

Heart

Ylang-YlangTonka BeanAbsintheOsmanthusHeliotropeChestnut

Base

VanillaPatchouliAmber

Top

CardamomYlang-YlangClovesCorianderBergamot

Heart

StrawberryTuberoseWhite HoneyGeraniumHeliotrope

Base

VanillaAmberTonka BeanMuskCedarwoodVetiver

InformationalShared notesCloves, Cardamom, Ylang-Ylang and Tonka Bean. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring86

Summer57

Fall100

Winter86

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer77

Fall95

Winter45

Day100

Night95

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex77

Women23

Men6

Unisex42

Women53

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#32,080

PerfumerNicola Bianchi

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#19,764

PerfumerNathalie Feisthauer

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerNeon LightsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Malabar by Optico Profumo is a warm, spicy Oriental scent built on a heavy base of vanilla and earthy patchouli. Spiced tangerine and cloves open the fragrance, which slowly shifts into a dense, sweet heart of chestnut and heliotrope. It fits someone looking for a comforting, resinous layer that lingers in cold autumn…

Reviews →

Neon Lights is a sweet, spicy floral musk built around strawberry, tuberose, honeyed warmth and a creamy vanilla amber base. It opens with a lively hit of cardamom, ylang-ylang, clove and coriander before the fruit and white flowers take over. This suits someone who likes playful, noticeable scents with a modern candy…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Malabar or Neon Lights?

Malabar takes 4 of 5 categories. Malabar is rated 4.47/5 from 15 votes; Neon Lights is rated 3.40/5 from 84 votes. Choose Malabar for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Neon Lights for a sweet and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Malabar or Neon Lights?

Malabar lasts longest (Malabar 85/100, Neon Lights 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Malabar or Neon Lights?

Malabar projects furthest (Malabar 77/100, Neon Lights 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Malabar and Neon Lights smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, aromatic and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Cloves, Cardamom, Ylang-Ylang and Tonka Bean.

Is Malabar or Neon Lights better for summer or winter?

Malabar suits day or night wear; Neon Lights suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Malabar and Neon Lights?

Malabar has top notes of Tangerine, Cloves and Cardamom, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Tonka Bean, Absinthe and Osmanthus, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli and Amber. Neon Lights has top notes of Cardamom, Ylang-Ylang, Cloves and Coriander, heart notes of Strawberry, Tuberose, White Honey and Geranium, a base of Vanilla, Amber, Tonka Bean and Musk.