Fragrance comparison

The Pope's Cologne vs Carbon

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 316 ratings analysed

The Pope's Cologne

Excelsis

4.673 votes

Rank #33,988 CitrusViolet

Full profile Similar & dupes

46%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Carbon

Ajmal

3.68313 votes

Rank #15,337 WoodyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Carbon takes 2 of 3 categories.

The Pope's Cologne
Choose it for a citrus and violet character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Carbon
Choose it for a woody and powdery character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

The Pope's Cologne1/3

Carbon2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Carbon
Sillage & projection: The Pope's Cologne
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Carbon

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

The Pope's CologneExcelsis

CarbonAjmal

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 8%Had 8%Want 83%

3.68/ 5 · 313 votes

Have 52%Had 24%Want 24%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

22%Love

54%Like

8%Ok

16%Dislike

1%Hate

284 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate92

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevityCarbon

SillageThe Pope's Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value74

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

violet86%

powdery72%

white floral58%

sweet44%

fresh30%

woody100%

powdery92%

warm spicy84%

violet77%

lavender69%

citrus61%

Scent match46%Some overlap · both powdery, violet and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

VioletOrange BlossomOrangeLemon VerbenaCitrusesClove

No top / heart / base split published

Top

LavenderCitruses

Heart

VioletClove

Base

Woodsy NotesMuskPatchouli

InformationalShared notesViolet, Citruses and Clove. Durations are only published for The Pope's Cologne, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall0

Winter0

Day100

Night–

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter39

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men82

Unisex16

Women2

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#33,988

PerfumerFrederick Hass

Launched—

Reviews3

Overall rank#15,337

PerfumerNazir Ajmal

Launched—

Reviews7

Category winnerCarbonHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Pope's Cologne by Excelsis delivers a crisp, time-tested splash of bright citrus, juicy orange, and tangy lemon verbena that immediately wakes up the senses. As the sparkling opening settles, sweet orange blossom and a hint of warm clove add body before resolving into a soft, powdery violet dry-down. It smells lik…

Reviews →

Ajmal Carbon is a woody, powdery scent that opens with clean lavender and a quick squeeze of citrus, then moves into a violet heart warmed by clove. The dry down leans musky, woody and a little earthy from patchouli. It reads classic and put together rather than loud, with a smooth, slightly spicy finish that suits ev…

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, The Pope's Cologne or Carbon?

Carbon takes 2 of 3 categories. The Pope's Cologne is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes; Carbon is rated 3.68/5 from 313 votes. Choose The Pope's Cologne for a citrus and violet character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Carbon for a woody and powdery character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, The Pope's Cologne or Carbon?

They last about the same: Carbon 62/100, The Pope's Cologne 60/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, The Pope's Cologne or Carbon?

The Pope's Cologne projects furthest (The Pope's Cologne 70/100, Carbon 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do The Pope's Cologne and Carbon smell similar?

Some overlap: a 46% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, violet and citrus accords. Common notes include Violet, Citruses and Clove.

Is The Pope's Cologne or Carbon better for summer or winter?

The Pope's Cologne suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in The Pope's Cologne and Carbon?

The Pope's Cologne features Violet, Orange Blossom, Orange, Lemon Verbena and Citruses. Carbon has top notes of Lavender and Citruses, heart notes of Violet and Clove, a base of Woodsy Notes, Musk and Patchouli.