Fragrance comparison

Oud Excelsa vs Ruby Wood

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 130 ratings analysed

Oud Excelsa

Caron

3.9980 votes

Rank #11,123 OudWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

33%scent match

Clearly different

6 wins

Ruby Wood

Exaltatum

4.3650 votes

Rank #8,429 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Ruby Wood takes 6 of 8 categories.

Oud Excelsa
Choose it for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on note pyramid duration. Best in winter, evening wear.
Ruby Wood
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Oud Excelsa1/8

Ruby Wood6/8

Ratings & consensus: Ruby Wood
Community sentiment: Ruby Wood
Longevity: Ruby Wood
Sillage & projection: Tie
Value for money: Ruby Wood
Versatility: Ruby Wood
Note pyramid (duration): Oud Excelsa
Fragranxe ranking: Ruby Wood

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Oud ExcelsaCaron

Ruby WoodExaltatum

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.99/ 5 · 80 votes

Have 43%Had 5%Want 52%

4.36/ 5 · 50 votes

Have 22%Had 8%Want 70%

Category winnerRuby WoodRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

45%Love

31%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

9%Hate

80 votes

54%Love

34%Like

8%Ok

2%Dislike

2%Hate

50 votes

Category winnerRuby WoodMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityRuby Wood

SillageTie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value39

¤ Price value42

Category winnerRuby WoodBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

oud100%

warm spicy91%

woody83%

rose74%

coffee65%

leather56%

fruity100%

sweet92%

rose84%

aromatic77%

warm spicy69%

woody61%

Scent match33%Clearly different · both warm spicy, rose and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

OudBulgarian RoseCoffeeCardamomPine tarBirchCedar EssencePapyrusLabdanum

No top / heart / base split published

Top20-30 mins

Rose PetalsRed BerriesPink PepperCorianderTangerineCassisCardamom

Heart2-4 hrs

Bulgarian RoseRaspberryGeraniumOlibanumPatchouliIndian JasmineVioletCoffee

Base7-10 hrs

Agarwood (Oud)SandalwoodMuskMyrrhLabdanum

Category winnerOud ExcelsaLongest dry-down: 8-12 hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring36

Summer26

Fall79

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Spring65

Summer30

Fall100

Winter95

Day92

Night100

Category winnerRuby WoodMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men51

Unisex45

Women4

Date 37%Party 26%Work 21%Casual 16%

Men8

Unisex25

Women67

Date 35%Casual 25%Party 23%Work 18%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#11,123

PerfumerJean Jacques

Launched—

Reviews15

Overall rank#8,429

PerfumerEglija Vaitkevice

Launched—

Reviews13

Category winnerRuby WoodHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Ruby Wood by Exaltatum is an artisanal fragrance that pairs tart wild fruits with velvety floral notes and warm forest resins. The scent opens with a lively splash of red berries, tangy cassis, and crushed rose petals spiced with pink pepper and coriander. Within an hour, rich Bulgarian rose and ripe raspberry emerge …

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, Oud Excelsa or Ruby Wood?

Ruby Wood takes 6 of 8 categories. Oud Excelsa is rated 3.99/5 from 80 votes; Ruby Wood is rated 4.36/5 from 50 votes. Choose Oud Excelsa for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on note pyramid duration. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Ruby Wood for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Oud Excelsa or Ruby Wood?

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

Which projects more, Oud Excelsa or Ruby Wood?

Projection is very close: Oud Excelsa 64/100, Ruby Wood 64/100 for sillage.

Do Oud Excelsa and Ruby Wood smell similar?

Clearly different: a 33% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, rose and woody accords. Common notes include Bulgarian Rose, Coffee, Cardamom and Labdanum.

Is Oud Excelsa or Ruby Wood better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Oud Excelsa and Ruby Wood?

Oud Excelsa features Oud, Bulgarian Rose, Coffee, Cardamom and Pine tar. Ruby Wood has top notes of Rose Petals, Red Berries, Pink Pepper and Coriander, heart notes of Bulgarian Rose, Raspberry, Geranium and Olibanum, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Sandalwood, Musk and Myrrh.