Fragrance comparison

Prelude vs No.18 Bête Noir

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 27 ratings analysed

Prelude

G Parfums

3.2818 votes

Rank #64,096 IrisPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

No.18 Bête Noir

Arcadia

3.009 votes

Rank #64,349 MuskyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Prelude
Choose it for a iris and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
No.18 Bête Noir
Choose it for a musky and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter, day or night wear.

Prelude2/4

No.18 Bête Noir2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: No.18 Bête Noir
Sillage & projection: Prelude
Value for money: No.18 Bête Noir
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Prelude

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

PreludeG Parfums

No.18 Bête NoirArcadia

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.28/ 5 · 18 votes

Have 17%Had 21%Want 61%

3.00/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 47%Had 9%Want 44%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

17%Love

39%Like

6%Ok

33%Dislike

6%Hate

18 votes · too few to score

33%Love

0%Like

22%Ok

22%Dislike

22%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage79

♥ Love / hate57

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityNo.18 Bête Noir

SillagePrelude

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price value50

Category winnerNo.18 Bête NoirBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

iris100%

powdery86%

musky72%

violet58%

earthy44%

woody30%

musky100%

powdery92%

earthy84%

sweet77%

woody69%

floral61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both powdery, musky and earthy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

IrisMuskAmberJasmine

No top / heart / base split published

Top

HyacinthPineapple

Heart

IrisJasminePink Pepper

Base

MuskVetiverPatchouliAmberVanilla

InformationalShared notesIris, Musk, Amber and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Prelude, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring83

Summer100

Fall67

Winter33

Day100

Night50

Spring20

Summer20

Fall60

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Work 36%Casual 33%Date 22%Party 10%

Men33

Unisex50

Women17

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#64,096

PerfumerOleg Grabchuk

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#64,349

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerPreludeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Prelude by G Parfums delivers a cool, rooty burst of earthy iris wrapped in a soft blanket of clean white musk. Right after the first spray, you notice a sharp, crisp solvent lift that quickly softens into powdery violet tones and sweet jasmine petals. The texture feels remarkably dry and suede-like on the skin, avoid…

Reviews →

Arcadia No.18 Bête Noir opens green and slightly fruity, with hyacinth and pineapple giving it a cool, polished lift before iris, jasmine, and pink pepper soften the centre. The dry-down leans musky, powdery, earthy, and gently sweet. It reads more like a textured floral musk than a bright fruity scent. If you enjoy p…

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, Prelude or No.18 Bête Noir?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Prelude is rated 3.28/5 from 18 votes; No.18 Bête Noir is rated 3.00/5 from 9 votes. Choose Prelude for a iris and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose No.18 Bête Noir for a musky and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in winter, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Prelude or No.18 Bête Noir?

They last about the same: No.18 Bête Noir 67/100, Prelude 65/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Prelude or No.18 Bête Noir?

Prelude projects furthest (Prelude 79/100, No.18 Bête Noir 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Prelude and No.18 Bête Noir smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, musky and earthy accords. Common notes include Iris, Musk, Amber and Jasmine.

Is Prelude or No.18 Bête Noir better for summer or winter?

Prelude suits daytime wear; No.18 Bête Noir suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Prelude and No.18 Bête Noir?

Prelude features Iris, Musk, Amber and Jasmine. No.18 Bête Noir has top notes of Hyacinth and Pineapple, heart notes of Iris, Jasmine and Pink Pepper, a base of Musk, Vetiver, Patchouli and Amber.