Malabar vs Puredistance No. 12
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
21%scent match
Clearly different
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Malabar takes 4 of 5 categories.
MalabarChoose it for a vanilla and yellow floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Puredistance No. 12Choose it for a powdery and floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Malabar4/5
Puredistance No. 121/5
- 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
- Puredistance No. 12
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
MalabarOptico ProfumoPuredistance No. 12PuredistanceWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.47/ 5 · 15 votes
Have 31%Had 8%Want 60%
3.89/ 5 · 159 votes
Have 45%Had 11%Want 43%
Category winnerMalabarRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate80%Love
0%Like
7%Ok
13%Dislike
0%Hate
15 votes · too few to score
39%Love
31%Like
15%Ok
10%Dislike
5%Hate
159 votes
Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityMalabar
SillageMalabar
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerMalabarBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothvanilla100%
yellow floral92%
sweet84%
woody77%
aromatic69%
warm spicy61%
powdery100%
floral92%
white floral84%
musky77%
woody69%
aromatic61%
Scent match21%Clearly different · both woody and aromatic
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
TangerineClovesCardamom
Heart
Ylang-YlangTonka BeanAbsintheOsmanthusHeliotropeChestnut
Base
VanillaPatchouliAmber
Top20-30 mins
NarcissusYlang-YlangBergamotCardamomMandarin OrangeCoriander
Heart3-5 hrs
Orris RootHedioneLily-of-the-ValleyHeliotropeGeraniumJasmineOrange BlossomRose
Base8-12 hrs
MuskAmbroxanPatchouliSandalwoodAmbrette (Musk Mallow)VetiverOakmossVanilla
InformationalShared notesCardamom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Puredistance No. 12, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring86
Summer57
Fall100
Winter86
Day100
Night100
Spring100
Summer49
Fall0
Winter68
Day100
Night87
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#32,080
PerfumerNicola Bianchi
Launched—
Reviews2
Overall rank#13,950
PerfumerNathalie Feisthauer
Launched—
Reviews11
Category winnerPuredistance No. 12Higher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotMalabar 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 →Puredistance No. 12 is a rich floral chypre that feels like slipping into a fine cashmere sweater. Nathalie Feisthauer crafted this 25 percent extrait to deliver seamless luxury. The scent opens with a sharp burst of bergamot, mandarin orange, and crushed coriander seeds. This energetic citrus spark softens quickly as…
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.
Guided comparison
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Malabar or Puredistance No. 12?
Malabar takes 4 of 5 categories. Malabar is rated 4.47/5 from 15 votes; Puredistance No. 12 is rated 3.89/5 from 159 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 Puredistance No. 12 for a powdery and floral character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Which lasts longer, Malabar or Puredistance No. 12?
Malabar lasts longest (Malabar 85/100, Puredistance No. 12 72/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Malabar or Puredistance No. 12?
Malabar projects furthest (Malabar 77/100, Puredistance No. 12 56/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Malabar and Puredistance No. 12 smell similar?
Clearly different: a 21% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and aromatic accords. Common notes include Cardamom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Vanilla.
Is Malabar or Puredistance No. 12 better for summer or winter?
Malabar suits day or night wear; Puredistance No. 12 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Malabar and Puredistance No. 12?
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. Puredistance No. 12 has top notes of Narcissus, Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot and Cardamom, heart notes of Orris Root, Hedione, Lily-of-the-Valley and Heliotrope, a base of Musk, Ambroxan, Patchouli and Sandalwood.
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