Fragrance comparison

Samba Star vs Or Noir

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 213 ratings analysed

Samba Star

Perfumer's Workshop

3.5317 votes

Rank #48,741 White FloralYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

48%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Or Noir

Pascal Morabito

4.11196 votes

Rank #26,639 White FloralYellow Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Or Noir takes 5 of 5 categories.

Samba Star
Choose it for a white floral and yellow floral character. Best in fall, evening wear.
Or Noir
Choose it for a white floral and yellow floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Samba Star0/5

Or Noir5/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Samba StarPerfumer's Workshop

Or NoirPascal Morabito

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.53/ 5 · 17 votes

Have 37%Had 41%Want 22%

4.11/ 5 · 196 votes

Have 74%Had 26%Want 0%

Category winnerOr NoirRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

18%Love

47%Like

6%Ok

29%Dislike

0%Hate

17 votes · too few to score

44%Love

38%Like

4%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

196 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate63

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityOr Noir

SillageOr Noir

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value56

¤ Price value76

Category winnerOr NoirBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

yellow floral92%

floral84%

iris77%

green69%

powdery61%

white floral100%

yellow floral92%

woody84%

green77%

earthy69%

mossy61%

Scent match48%Some overlap · both white floral, yellow floral and green

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

IrisNarcissusGardeniaFreesiaYlang-YlangJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyApricotRose

No top / heart / base split published

Top

AldehydesCassisBergamotTangerine

Heart

NarcissusJasmineMay RoseLily-of-the-ValleyGardeniaIris

Base

oak mossYlang-YlangClovePatchouliVanilleMusk

InformationalShared notesIris, Narcissus, Gardenia and Ylang-Ylang. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer25

Fall100

Winter75

Day60

Night100

Spring56

Summer42

Fall100

Winter88

Day91

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex40

Women60

Men3

Unisex38

Women59

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#48,741

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#26,639

PerfumerSébastien Martin

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerOr NoirHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Samba Star by Perfumer's Workshop opens with a burst of gardenia, ylang-ylang, and freesia before shifting into a dry, powdery iris base. Released in 2001, this floral composition pairs sharp yellow florals with soft apricot sweetness. It suits crisp spring afternoons when you want a budget-friendly retro floral that …

Reviews →

Or Noir opens with a piercing burst of aldehydes, crisp bergamot, and tart cassis that feels sharp and cool against the skin. Within twenty minutes, the bright top notes give way to a heavy, waxy floral heart dominated by narcissus, May rose, and gardenia. Indolic jasmine adds depth, while iris provides a soft powdery…

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, Samba Star or Or Noir?

Or Noir takes 5 of 5 categories. Samba Star is rated 3.53/5 from 17 votes; Or Noir is rated 4.11/5 from 196 votes. Choose Samba Star for a white floral and yellow floral character. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Or Noir for a white floral and yellow floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Samba Star or Or Noir?

Or Noir lasts longest (Or Noir 72/100, Samba Star 65/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Samba Star or Or Noir?

Or Noir projects furthest (Or Noir 71/100, Samba Star 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Samba Star and Or Noir smell similar?

Some overlap: a 48% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral, yellow floral and green accords. Common notes include Iris, Narcissus, Gardenia and Ylang-Ylang.

Is Samba Star or Or Noir better for summer or winter?

Samba Star suits evening wear; Or Noir suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Samba Star and Or Noir?

Samba Star features Iris, Narcissus, Gardenia, Freesia and Ylang-Ylang. Or Noir has top notes of Aldehydes, Cassis, Bergamot and Tangerine, heart notes of Narcissus, Jasmine, May Rose and Lily-of-the-Valley, a base of oak moss, Ylang-Ylang, Clove and Patchouli.