Fragrance comparison

Novel vs Imperial Oud

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 21 ratings analysed

2 wins

Novel

ALT. Fragrances

4.5221 votes

Rank #19,275 WoodyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

Imperial Oud

Bahoma London

—0 votes

Rank #73,198 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Novel takes 2 of 3 categories.

Novel
Choose it for a woody and vanilla character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Imperial Oud
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Novel2/3

Imperial Oud1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

NovelALT. Fragrances

Imperial OudBahoma London

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.52/ 5 · 21 votes

Have 46%Had 1%Want 53%

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

57%Love

38%Like

5%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity20

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityNovel

SillageImperial Oud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value84

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

vanilla83%

powdery65%

fresh spicy48%

sweet30%

woody100%

warm spicy92%

amber84%

musky77%

fruity69%

patchouli61%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Vanilla

Heart

CedarPepper

Base

Woody NotesTonka Bean

Top

LemonGrapefruit

Heart

PlumOrrisSaffronPepperCinnamon

Base

Woody NotesLabdanumAgarwood (Oud)PatchouliSageSandalwoodCedarTonka Bean

InformationalShared notesCedar, Pepper, Woody Notes and Tonka Bean. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring8

Summer0

Fall100

Winter92

Day73

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men17

Unisex78

Women6

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#19,275

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#73,198

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerNovelHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Novel by ALT. Fragrances is a Oriental Vanilla fragrance for women and men. Top note is Vanilla; middle notes are Cedar and Pepper; base notes are Woody Notes and Tonka Bean.

Reviews →

Imperial Oud by Bahoma London delivers a heavy, resinous blend centered on agarwood and patchouli. With sharp lemon and grapefruit in the top, it quickly transitions into a warm, spicy heart of saffron and cinnamon. Best suited for cooler autumn nights, this unisex fragrance leans heavily into woody and musky accords,…

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 lasts longer, Novel or Imperial Oud?

Novel lasts longest (Novel 64/100, Imperial Oud 20/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Novel or Imperial Oud?

Imperial Oud projects furthest (Imperial Oud 100/100, Novel 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Novel and Imperial Oud smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Cedar, Pepper, Woody Notes and Tonka Bean.

Is Novel or Imperial Oud better for summer or winter?

Novel suits evening wear; Imperial Oud suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Novel and Imperial Oud?

Novel has top notes of Vanilla, heart notes of Cedar and Pepper, a base of Woody Notes and Tonka Bean. Imperial Oud has top notes of Lemon and Grapefruit, heart notes of Plum, Orris, Saffron and Pepper, a base of Woody Notes, Labdanum, Agarwood (Oud) and Patchouli.