Fragrance comparison

Romulus vs Femme Absolue

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 50 ratings analysed

3 wins

Romulus

Benjamin Barber

2.9547 votes

Rank #21,326 LeatherWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

60%scent match

Closely related

Femme Absolue

Trend Perfumes

2.003 votes

Rank #77,948 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Romulus takes 3 of 4 categories.

Romulus
Choose it for a leather and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Femme Absolue
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Romulus3/4

Femme Absolue1/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

RomulusBenjamin Barber

Femme AbsolueTrend Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

2.95/ 5 · 47 votes

Have 23%Had 12%Want 65%

2.00/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 20%Had 20%Want 60%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

19%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

33%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

0%Love

0%Like

33%Ok

33%Dislike

33%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate49

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate25

Category winners

LongevityRomulus

SillageRomulus

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value47

¤ Price value50

Category winnerFemme AbsolueBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

woody92%

oud84%

vanilla77%

warm spicy69%

amber61%

warm spicy100%

woody90%

leather80%

oud70%

earthy60%

cinnamon50%

Scent match60%Closely related · both woody, leather and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

LeatherSaffronCinnamon

Heart

OrrisLorenoxHeliotrope

Base

OudWoody NotesTonka BeanVanilla AbsoluteCypriol

Top

SaffronCinnamon

Heart

CypriolLeatherSpices

Base

OudSandalwoodCedarwoodAmber

InformationalShared notesLeather, Saffron, Cinnamon and Oud. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer0

Fall88

Winter100

Day29

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men90

Unisex10

Women0

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,326

PerfumerMathieu Nardin

Launched—

Reviews9

Overall rank#77,948

PerfumerCharlotte Jullien

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRomulusHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Romulus by Benjamin Barber is a challenging leather fragrance built for those who prefer dark, animalic profiles. It opens with sharp, spicy saffron and cinnamon, eventually shifting into a base of rich oud and creamy vanilla. This bold scent is designed for cold weather wearers who appreciate a robust, long-lasting p…

Reviews →

Femme Absolue by Trend Perfumes opens with a dry punch of cinnamon and bittersweet saffron. Created by perfumer Charlotte Jullien in 2025, this oriental woody composition quickly transitions into a dense heart of cypriol, raw leather, and warm spices. As it settles onto skin, dark notes of oud, cedarwood, and sandalwo…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Romulus or Femme Absolue?

Romulus takes 3 of 4 categories. Romulus is rated 2.95/5 from 47 votes; Femme Absolue is rated 2.00/5 from 3 votes. Choose Romulus for a leather and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Femme Absolue for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Romulus or Femme Absolue?

Romulus lasts longest (Romulus 77/100, Femme Absolue 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Romulus or Femme Absolue?

Romulus projects furthest (Romulus 71/100, Femme Absolue 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Romulus and Femme Absolue smell similar?

Closely related: a 60% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, leather and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Leather, Saffron, Cinnamon and Oud.

Is Romulus or Femme Absolue better for summer or winter?

Romulus suits evening wear; Femme Absolue suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Romulus and Femme Absolue?

Romulus has top notes of Leather, Saffron and Cinnamon, heart notes of Orris, Lorenox and Heliotrope, a base of Oud, Woody Notes, Tonka Bean and Vanilla Absolute. Femme Absolue has top notes of Saffron and Cinnamon, heart notes of Cypriol, Leather and Spices, a base of Oud, Sandalwood, Cedarwood and Amber.