Fragrance comparison

Monolith vs Oud Excelsa

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 134 ratings analysed

5 wins

Monolith

Jorum Studio

4.3554 votes

Rank #26,798 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

Oud Excelsa

Caron

3.9980 votes

Rank #11,123 OudWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Monolith takes 5 of 7 categories.

Monolith
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.
Oud Excelsa
Choose it for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Monolith5/7

Oud Excelsa2/7

Ratings & consensus: Monolith
Community sentiment: Monolith
Longevity: Monolith
Sillage & projection: Monolith
Value for money: Monolith
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

MonolithJorum Studio

Oud ExcelsaCaron

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.35/ 5 · 54 votes

Have 26%Had 4%Want 71%

3.99/ 5 · 80 votes

Have 43%Had 5%Want 52%

Category winnerMonolithRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

59%Love

26%Like

7%Ok

6%Dislike

2%Hate

54 votes

45%Love

31%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

9%Hate

80 votes

Category winnerMonolithMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityMonolith

SillageMonolith

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value39

Category winnerMonolithBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

fresh spicy84%

smoky77%

aromatic69%

warm spicy61%

oud100%

warm spicy91%

woody83%

rose74%

coffee65%

leather56%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both woody and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PeatCastoreumCoffeeFrankincenseLabdanumJuniperOudMyrrhElemi resinOakmossFirBlack Pepper

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

OudBulgarian RoseCoffeeCardamomPine tarBirchCedar EssencePapyrusLabdanum

No top / heart / base split published

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

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring15

Summer7

Fall96

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Spring36

Summer26

Fall79

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Category winnerOud ExcelsaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men65

Unisex35

Women0

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#26,798

PerfumerEuan McCall

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#11,123

PerfumerJean Jacques

Launched—

Reviews15

Category winnerOud ExcelsaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Monolith is a dense, smoky, woody composition built around a central accord of damp Scottish peat. Euan McCall balances the heavy, organic mossiness with sharp juniper, bitter coffee, and a dry-down of sweet frankincense. It wears like a crisp autumn walk through damp Highlands soil, making it a striking choice for co…

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, Monolith or Oud Excelsa?

Monolith takes 5 of 7 categories. Monolith is rated 4.35/5 from 54 votes; Oud Excelsa is rated 3.99/5 from 80 votes. Choose Monolith for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Oud Excelsa for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Monolith or Oud Excelsa?

Monolith lasts longest (Monolith 81/100, Oud Excelsa 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Monolith or Oud Excelsa?

Monolith projects furthest (Monolith 70/100, Oud Excelsa 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Monolith and Oud Excelsa smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Coffee, Labdanum and Oud.

Is Monolith or Oud Excelsa better for summer or winter?

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