Fragrance comparison

Nota Tonka vs Forbidden

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 342 ratings analysed

Nota Tonka

Ulyka Parfums

3.2532 votes

Rank #50,289 VanillaSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

7 wins

Forbidden

Aaron Terence Hughes

4.29310 votes

Rank #485 SweetVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Forbidden takes 7 of 7 categories.

Nota Tonka
Choose it for a vanilla and sweet character. Best in winter, evening wear.
Forbidden
Choose it for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Nota Tonka0/7

Forbidden7/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Nota TonkaUlyka Parfums

ForbiddenAaron Terence Hughes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.25/ 5 · 32 votes

Have 23%Had 5%Want 72%

4.29/ 5 · 310 votes

Have 45%Had 9%Want 47%

Category winnerForbiddenRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

38%Love

19%Like

6%Ok

6%Dislike

31%Hate

32 votes

67%Love

18%Like

8%Ok

2%Dislike

6%Hate

120 votes

Category winnerForbiddenMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage48

♥ Love / hate56

⏱ Longevity89

〰 Sillage80

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityForbidden

SillageForbidden

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value64

Category winnerForbiddenBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

sweet86%

amber72%

warm spicy58%

chocolate44%

aromatic30%

sweet100%

vanilla92%

citrus84%

warm spicy77%

cherry69%

chocolate61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both vanilla, sweet and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Chocolate

Heart2-4 hrs

Tonka Bean

Base6-8+ hrs

—

Top

ChocolateOrangeBergamot

Heart

VanillaCherryTonka Bean

Base

RumRoseOudPatchouliSandalwoodWhite MuskAmbergris

InformationalShared notesChocolate and Tonka Bean. Durations are only published for Nota Tonka, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring25

Summer38

Fall81

Winter100

Day44

Night100

Spring56

Summer17

Fall93

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerForbiddenMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex43

Women57

Date 37%Casual 30%Party 20%Work 13%

Men28

Unisex65

Women8

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#50,289

PerfumerAyoub Bouricha, Margaux Le Paih Guérin

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#485

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews84

Category winnerForbiddenHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Nota Tonka by Ulyka Parfums smells like an artisan bakery in late autumn. The first spray releases a heavy wave of bitter cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate. It feels dense immediately. Within fifteen minutes, warm tonka bean takes over, bringing toasted almond, coumarin, and warm vanilla pastry cream to the surfa…

Reviews →

Forbidden is a rich cherry gourmand with a proper chocolate-orange opening, then a bakewell-style cherry and vanilla centre that reads like warm pastry on skin. As it dries down, rum, woods, musky ambergris and a smooth, low-funk oud give it a darker, more grown-up finish. It wears bold and dessert-like, but many peo…

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, Nota Tonka or Forbidden?

Forbidden takes 7 of 7 categories. Nota Tonka is rated 3.25/5 from 32 votes; Forbidden is rated 4.29/5 from 310 votes. Choose Nota Tonka for a vanilla and sweet character. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Forbidden for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Nota Tonka or Forbidden?

Forbidden lasts longest (Forbidden 89/100, Nota Tonka 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Nota Tonka or Forbidden?

Forbidden projects furthest (Forbidden 80/100, Nota Tonka 48/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Nota Tonka and Forbidden smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, sweet and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Chocolate and Tonka Bean.

Is Nota Tonka or Forbidden better for summer or winter?

For summer, Nota Tonka is the stronger pick. For winter, Nota Tonka is the stronger pick. Nota Tonka suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Nota Tonka and Forbidden?

Nota Tonka has top notes of Chocolate, heart notes of Tonka Bean. Forbidden has top notes of Chocolate, Orange and Bergamot, heart notes of Vanilla, Cherry and Tonka Bean, a base of Rum, Rose, Oud and Patchouli.