Fragrance comparison

Monochrome vs Cleopatra

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 11 ratings analysed

Monochrome

House Of Nineteen Eighty Four

4.119 votes

Rank #51,175 CannabisMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

11%scent match

Clearly different

Cleopatra

Kesma

4.502 votes

Rank #51,193 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Monochrome
Choose it for a cannabis and musky character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.
Cleopatra
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Monochrome2/4

Cleopatra2/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MonochromeHouse Of Nineteen Eighty Four

CleopatraKesma

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 20%Had 1%Want 79%

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

67%Love

11%Like

0%Ok

11%Dislike

11%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

50%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity57

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityCleopatra

SillageMonochrome

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value40

¤ Price value50

Category winnerCleopatraBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

cannabis100%

musky90%

herbal80%

powdery70%

aromatic60%

smoky50%

woody100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

white floral69%

powdery61%

Scent match11%Clearly different · both powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

CitrusPepper

Heart2-4 hrs

cannabisSweat

Base6-8+ hrs

MuskAtlas CedarLabdanumVetiver

Top

BergamotCinnamonGalbanumPepperCloves

Heart

Orange BlossomYlang-YlangHeliotropeNarcissusTuberoseJasmineHoneyClove

Base

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanumWormwoodOakmossLeatherVetiverIncense

InformationalShared notesPepper, Labdanum and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Monochrome, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer86

Fall86

Winter100

Day85

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men14

Unisex71

Women14

Party 36%Date 28%Casual 23%Work 13%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#51,175

PerfumerFaisal Al Dosari, Mark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#51,193

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerMonochromeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Monochrome by House Of Nineteen Eighty Four smells like an authentic analog darkroom brought to life. It hits you with a strange shock. Zesty citrus and black pepper burst forward alongside a sharp whiff of photo fixer chemicals. Give it five minutes. A green cannabis note spreads over a salty, human sweat accord. The…

Reviews →

Cleopatra by Kesma is a dense, unapologetic oriental floral from 1983. It opens with a punch of cloves and cinnamon before settling into a rich, resinous heart of tuberose, ylang-ylang, and honey. This is a cold-weather classic that leans heavily on its base of incense, leather, and oakmoss for a deep, vintage footpri…

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, Monochrome or Cleopatra?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Monochrome is rated 4.11/5 from 9 votes; Cleopatra is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes. Choose Monochrome for a cannabis and musky character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Cleopatra for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Monochrome or Cleopatra?

Cleopatra lasts longest (Cleopatra 60/100, Monochrome 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Monochrome or Cleopatra?

Monochrome projects furthest (Monochrome 58/100, Cleopatra 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Monochrome and Cleopatra smell similar?

Clearly different: a 11% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery accords. Common notes include Pepper, Labdanum and Vetiver.

Is Monochrome or Cleopatra better for summer or winter?

Monochrome suits evening wear; Cleopatra suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Monochrome and Cleopatra?

Monochrome has top notes of Citrus and Pepper, heart notes of cannabis and Sweat, a base of Musk, Atlas Cedar, Labdanum and Vetiver. Cleopatra has top notes of Bergamot, Cinnamon, Galbanum and Pepper, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Narcissus, a base of Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum and Wormwood.