Smoke vs Back to Black
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
15%scent match
Clearly different
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Back to Black takes 4 of 7 categories.
SmokeChoose it for a amber and aromatic character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.
Back to BlackChoose it for a sweet and honey character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Smoke3/7
Back to Black4/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Back to Black
- Community sentiment
- Smoke
- Longevity
- Back to Black
- Sillage & projection
- Back to Black
- Value for money
- Smoke
- Versatility
- Smoke
- Note pyramid (duration)
- Not scored
- Fragranxe ranking
- Back to Black
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
SmokePerfumer HBack to BlackBy KilianWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.02/ 5 · 132 votes
Have 33%Had 4%Want 62%
3.96/ 5 · 7,584 votes
Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%
Category winnerBack to BlackRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate46%Love
31%Like
13%Ok
7%Dislike
1%Hate
67 votes
44%Love
33%Like
6%Ok
15%Dislike
2%Hate
6,340 votes
Category winnerSmokeMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityBack to Black
SillageBack to Black
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerSmokeBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothamber100%
aromatic91%
leather83%
warm spicy74%
woody65%
fresh spicy56%
sweet100%
honey92%
tobacco84%
amber77%
fruity69%
cherry61%
Scent match15%Clearly different · both amber
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
Spanish LabdanumCorianderGalbanum
Heart
ChamomileRoseCardamom
Base
OlibanumBirch TarBenzoinAgarwood (Oud)Atlas CedarSandalwood
Notes
White HoneyTobaccoCherryVanillaRaspberryAlmondGingerbreadTonka BeanAmberNutmegBenzoinChamomile
No top / heart / base split published
InformationalShared notesChamomile and Benzoin. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring37
Summer5
Fall100
Winter100
Day88
Night100
Spring24
Summer13
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Category winnerSmokeMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#5,614
PerfumerLyn Harris
Launched—
Reviews42
Overall rank#1,000
PerfumerCalice Becker
Launched—
Reviews517
Category winnerBack to BlackHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotSmoke by Perfumer H is a refined incense and resin fragrance with coriander, galbanum, olibanum, birch tar and warm woods at its core. Despite the name, it is not always a heavy campfire smoke. On many wearers it reads as ambered, woody, lightly leathery and quietly spicy. It suits people who like subtle niche incense…
Reviews →Back to Black by By Kilian offers a rich, honey-drenched tobacco experience that balances gourmand sweetness with woody depth. It is a dense, unapologetic scent tailored for chilly evenings and formal winter gatherings, where its narcotic, warm character can fully project without overwhelming the wearer. This complex …
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.
Guided comparison
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Smoke or Back to Black?
Back to Black takes 4 of 7 categories. Smoke is rated 4.02/5 from 132 votes; Back to Black is rated 3.96/5 from 7,584 votes. Choose Smoke for a amber and aromatic character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Back to Black for a sweet and honey character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Which lasts longer, Smoke or Back to Black?
Back to Black lasts longest (Back to Black 81/100, Smoke 74/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Smoke or Back to Black?
Back to Black projects furthest (Back to Black 68/100, Smoke 62/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Smoke and Back to Black smell similar?
Clearly different: a 15% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber accords. Common notes include Chamomile and Benzoin.
Is Smoke or Back to Black better for summer or winter?
For summer, Back to Black is the stronger pick. For winter, Smoke is the stronger pick. Smoke suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Smoke and Back to Black?
Smoke has top notes of Spanish Labdanum, Coriander and Galbanum, heart notes of Chamomile, Rose and Cardamom, a base of Olibanum, Birch Tar, Benzoin and Agarwood (Oud). Back to Black features White Honey, Tobacco, Cherry, Vanilla and Raspberry.
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