Fragrance comparison

Musc Oli vs Forbidden Elixir

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 172 ratings analysed

7 wins

Musc Oli

Caron

3.86147 votes

Rank #14,658 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

Forbidden Elixir

Sly John's Lab

3.6025 votes

Rank #43,319 CitrusMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Musc Oli takes 7 of 8 categories.

Musc Oli
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Forbidden Elixir
Choose it for a citrus and musky character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Musc Oli7/8

Forbidden Elixir1/8

Ratings & consensus: Musc Oli
Community sentiment: Musc Oli
Longevity: Musc Oli
Sillage & projection: Musc Oli
Value for money: Forbidden Elixir
Versatility: Musc Oli
Note pyramid (duration): Musc Oli
Fragranxe ranking: Musc Oli

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Musc OliCaron

Forbidden ElixirSly John's Lab

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 147 votes

Have 78%Had 22%Want 0%

3.60/ 5 · 25 votes

Have 36%Had 21%Want 43%

Category winnerMusc OliRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

39%Like

10%Ok

10%Dislike

6%Hate

147 votes

28%Love

28%Like

24%Ok

16%Dislike

4%Hate

25 votes

Category winnerMusc OliMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage52

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage43

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityMusc Oli

SillageMusc Oli

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value40

¤ Price value63

Category winnerForbidden ElixirBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber86%

musky72%

lactonic58%

rose44%

powdery30%

citrus100%

musky88%

white floral77%

aromatic65%

amber53%

floral42%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both musky and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Damask Rose

Heart2-4 hrs

JavanolCashmeran

Base6-8+ hrs

AmbroxanMuscenone

Top15-30 mins

BergamotAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Lemon

Heart2-4 hrs

Orange Blossom

Base6-8+ hrs

MuscenoneAmbroxanPatchouli

Category winnerMusc OliLongest dry-down: 6-8+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer53

Fall87

Winter79

Day100

Night45

Spring100

Summer100

Fall86

Winter14

Day100

Night39

Category winnerMusc OliMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex59

Women35

Work 37%Casual 33%Date 21%Party 8%

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

Casual 37%Work 33%Date 19%Party 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#14,658

PerfumerJean Jacques

Launched—

Reviews13

Overall rank#43,319

PerfumerAne Ayo

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerMusc OliHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Musc Oli is not your typical vintage Caron perfume. It avoids heavy powdery heritage blends entirely. Built by perfumer Jean Jacques, this modern creation relies on potent synthetic molecules to deliver a warm, milky cedar aura that wraps around you like washed linen. A sheer drop of Damask rose lifts the opening befo…

Reviews →

Forbidden Elixir by Sly John's Lab bursts open with a bright splash of tart lemon and juicy bergamot, instantly giving off the clean feeling of sunshine hitting chilled citrus peel. Within twenty minutes, a sweet, sunny orange blossom emerges to smooth away any sharp edges, blending into the vegetal warmth of ambrette…

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, Musc Oli or Forbidden Elixir?

Musc Oli takes 7 of 8 categories. Musc Oli is rated 3.86/5 from 147 votes; Forbidden Elixir is rated 3.60/5 from 25 votes. Choose Musc Oli for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Forbidden Elixir for a citrus and musky character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Musc Oli or Forbidden Elixir?

Musc Oli lasts longest (Musc Oli 65/100, Forbidden Elixir 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Musc Oli or Forbidden Elixir?

Musc Oli projects furthest (Musc Oli 52/100, Forbidden Elixir 43/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Musc Oli and Forbidden Elixir smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky and amber accords. Common notes include Ambroxan and Muscenone.

Is Musc Oli or Forbidden Elixir better for summer or winter?

For summer, Forbidden Elixir is the stronger pick. For winter, Musc Oli is the stronger pick. Musc Oli suits daytime wear; Forbidden Elixir suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Musc Oli and Forbidden Elixir?

Musc Oli has top notes of Damask Rose, heart notes of Javanol and Cashmeran, a base of Ambroxan and Muscenone. Forbidden Elixir has top notes of Bergamot, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Lemon, heart notes of Orange Blossom, a base of Muscenone, Ambroxan and Patchouli.