Fragrance comparison

Monochrome vs Opium (1977)

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 8,404 ratings analysed

Monochrome

House Of Nineteen Eighty Four

4.119 votes

Rank #51,175 CannabisMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

15%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Opium (1977)

Yves Saint Laurent

3.978,395 votes

Rank #428 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Opium (1977) takes 4 of 4 categories.

Monochrome
Choose it for a cannabis and musky character. Best in spring, evening wear.
Opium (1977)
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Monochrome0/4

Opium (1977)4/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Opium (1977)
Sillage & projection: Opium (1977)
Value for money: Opium (1977)
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Opium (1977)

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MonochromeHouse Of Nineteen Eighty Four

Opium (1977)Yves Saint Laurent

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 20%Had 1%Want 79%

3.97/ 5 · 8,395 votes

Have 53%Had 47%Want 0%

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

44%Love

32%Like

1%Ok

22%Dislike

1%Hate

8,395 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity57

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity88

〰 Sillage82

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityOpium (1977)

SillageOpium (1977)

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value40

¤ Price value53

Category winnerOpium (1977)Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

cannabis100%

musky90%

herbal80%

powdery70%

aromatic60%

smoky50%

warm spicy100%

amber91%

balsamic83%

woody74%

aromatic65%

powdery56%

Scent match15%Clearly different · both powdery and aromatic

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

ClovesPepperCorianderWest Indian BayPlumJasmineMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

CarnationCinnamonSandalwoodPatchouliRoseOrris RootPeachLily-of-the-Valley

Base

IncenseMyrrhTolu BalsamAmberOpoponaxBenzoinLabdanumVanilla

InformationalShared notesPepper and Labdanum. 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

Spring19

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men14

Unisex71

Women14

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

Men3

Unisex36

Women61

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#428

PerfumerJean Amic, Jean-Louis Sieuzac, Raymond Chaillan

Launched—

Reviews204

Category winnerOpium (1977)Higher 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 →

Yves Saint Laurent Opium (1977) opens like a warm, crackling hearth on a freezing winter night. The first spray hits with a sharp burst of dried clove buds, fresh black pepper, and dark plum before mellowing into rich cinnamon, spicy red carnation, and creamy sandalwood. As it settles on warm skin, deep frankincense, …

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 Opium (1977)?

Opium (1977) takes 4 of 4 categories. Monochrome is rated 4.11/5 from 9 votes; Opium (1977) is rated 3.97/5 from 8,395 votes. Choose Monochrome for a cannabis and musky character. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Opium (1977) for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Monochrome or Opium (1977)?

Opium (1977) lasts longest (Opium (1977) 88/100, Monochrome 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Monochrome or Opium (1977)?

Opium (1977) projects furthest (Opium (1977) 82/100, Monochrome 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Monochrome and Opium (1977) smell similar?

Clearly different: a 15% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and aromatic accords. Common notes include Pepper and Labdanum.

Is Monochrome or Opium (1977) better for summer or winter?

Monochrome suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Monochrome and Opium (1977)?

Monochrome has top notes of Citrus and Pepper, heart notes of cannabis and Sweat, a base of Musk, Atlas Cedar, Labdanum and Vetiver. Opium (1977) has top notes of Cloves, Pepper, Coriander and West Indian Bay, heart notes of Carnation, Cinnamon, Sandalwood and Patchouli, a base of Incense, Myrrh, Tolu Balsam and Amber.