Fragrance comparison

Taboo vs Cuir de Russie

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 11 ratings analysed

Taboo

G Parfums

1.577 votes

Rank #75,575 LeatherMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Cuir de Russie

Bienaimé

5.004 votes

Rank #39,170 WoodyMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cuir de Russie takes 4 of 4 categories.

Taboo
Choose it for a leather and musky character. Best in summer, evening wear.
Cuir de Russie
Choose it for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Taboo0/4

Cuir de Russie4/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

TabooG Parfums

Cuir de RussieBienaimé

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

1.57/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 5%Had 0%Want 95%

5.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 16%Had 0%Want 84%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

14%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

86%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity40

〰 Sillage40

♥ Love / hate14

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityCuir de Russie

SillageCuir de Russie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price value38

Category winnerCuir de RussieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

musky88%

animalic77%

smoky65%

amber53%

woody42%

woody100%

musky92%

amber84%

animalic77%

leather69%

aromatic61%

Scent match55%Closely related · both musky, leather and animalic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

CastoreumAmbergrisMuskLeatherNagarmotha

No top / heart / base split published

Top

BergamotClary SageCassisLemonNeroli

Heart

RoseJasmineIrisLabdanumTuberoseOrange BlossomOpoponax

Base

LeatherMuskCivetBirchCastoreumStyraxSandalwoodPatchouli

InformationalShared notesCastoreum, Musk and Leather. Durations are only published for Taboo, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer100

Fall0

Winter0

Day32

Night100

Spring67

Summer67

Fall100

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men25

Unisex0

Women75

Party 36%Date 31%Casual 25%Work 8%

Men0

Unisex67

Women33

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#75,575

PerfumerOleg Grabchuk

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#39,170

PerfumerRobert Bienaimé

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerCuir de RussieHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Taboo by G Parfums is an unapologetic, smoky leather scent built for cold evenings and late nights. Do not expect sweet vanilla here. The opening hits with raw castoreum and bitter nagarmotha wood, creating a dry, oily animalic punch that demands immediate attention. Within twenty minutes, the rough medicinal sharpnes…

Reviews →

Cuir de Russie by Bienaimé is a Floral Aldehyde fragrance for women. Cuir de Russie was launched in 1935. The nose behind this fragrance is Robert Bienaimé. Top notes are Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cassis, Lemon and Neroli; middle notes are Rose, Jasmine, Iris, Labdanum, Tuberose, Orange Blossom and Opoponax; base notes ar…

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, Taboo or Cuir de Russie?

Cuir de Russie takes 4 of 4 categories. Taboo is rated 1.57/5 from 7 votes; Cuir de Russie is rated 5.00/5 from 4 votes. Choose Taboo for a leather and musky character. Best in summer, evening wear. Choose Cuir de Russie for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Taboo or Cuir de Russie?

Cuir de Russie lasts longest (Cuir de Russie 60/100, Taboo 40/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Taboo or Cuir de Russie?

Cuir de Russie projects furthest (Cuir de Russie 50/100, Taboo 40/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Taboo and Cuir de Russie smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky, leather and animalic accords. Common notes include Castoreum, Musk and Leather.

Is Taboo or Cuir de Russie better for summer or winter?

Taboo suits evening wear; Cuir de Russie suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Taboo and Cuir de Russie?

Taboo features Castoreum, Ambergris, Musk, Leather and Nagarmotha. Cuir de Russie has top notes of Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cassis and Lemon, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Iris and Labdanum, a base of Leather, Musk, Civet and Birch.