Fragrance comparison

True Oud vs Sexual

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 361 ratings analysed

5 wins

True Oud

Carolina Herrera

4.19118 votes

Rank #6,865 OudWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

20%scent match

Clearly different

Sexual

Michel Germain

2.92243 votes

Rank #24,623 FloralWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

True Oud takes 5 of 7 categories.

True Oud
Choose it for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.
Sexual
Choose it for a floral and white floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

True Oud5/7

Sexual2/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

True OudCarolina Herrera

SexualMichel Germain

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.19/ 5 · 118 votes

Have 35%Had 6%Want 59%

2.92/ 5 · 243 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

Category winnerTrue OudRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

25%Like

10%Ok

8%Dislike

3%Hate

118 votes

20%Love

46%Like

5%Ok

27%Dislike

2%Hate

231 votes

Category winnerTrue OudMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate62

Category winners

LongevityTrue Oud

SillageSexual

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value26

¤ Price value71

Category winnerSexualBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

oud100%

warm spicy92%

woody84%

animalic77%

amber69%

aromatic61%

floral100%

white floral92%

fruity84%

warm spicy77%

citrus69%

rose61%

Scent match20%Clearly different · both warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

SaffronOliveOsmanthusFreesia

Heart3-5 hrs

Thailand OudMyrrhJasmine

Base8-10+ hrs

AkigalawoodPatchouliSandalwoodMusk

Top

ApricotOsmanthusHoneysuckleClementineBergamot

Heart

RoseGardeniaFreesiaJasmineWater Lily

Base

MyrrhSandalwoodCinnamonVanillaNeroli

InformationalShared notesOsmanthus, Freesia, Myrrh and Jasmine. Durations are only published for True Oud, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer22

Fall0

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Spring69

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerTrue OudMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men49

Unisex42

Women9

Date 39%Party 31%Work 17%Casual 14%

Men4

Unisex15

Women81

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#6,865

PerfumerJordi Fernández

Launched—

Reviews25

Overall rank#24,623

PerfumerSophia Grojsman

Launched—

Reviews4

Category winnerTrue OudHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Carolina Herrera True Oud takes a rare detour from typical sweet rose-oud formulas by placing savory green olive front and center. It opens with an intriguing culinary bite. Golden saffron and apricot-tinged osmanthus quickly soften that savory olive spark before rich resin takes hold. At the center lies genuine Thai …

Reviews →

Sexual by Michel Germain is a warm floral fragrance with a fruity apricot opening, a full white floral heart, and a soft spicy base of sandalwood, vanilla, cinnamon, and myrrh. It reads feminine, noticeable, and slightly vintage in shape, with sweetness and floral density rather than a clean modern freshness. Best for…

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, True Oud or Sexual?

True Oud takes 5 of 7 categories. True Oud is rated 4.19/5 from 118 votes; Sexual is rated 2.92/5 from 243 votes. Choose True Oud for a oud and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Sexual for a floral and white floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, True Oud or Sexual?

True Oud lasts longest (True Oud 74/100, Sexual 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, True Oud or Sexual?

Sexual projects furthest (Sexual 64/100, True Oud 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do True Oud and Sexual smell similar?

Clearly different: a 20% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy accords. Common notes include Osmanthus, Freesia, Myrrh and Jasmine.

Is True Oud or Sexual better for summer or winter?

For summer, True Oud is the stronger pick. For winter, True Oud is the stronger pick. True Oud suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in True Oud and Sexual?

True Oud has top notes of Saffron, Olive, Osmanthus and Freesia, heart notes of Thailand Oud, Myrrh and Jasmine, a base of Akigalawood, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Musk. Sexual has top notes of Apricot, Osmanthus, Honeysuckle and Clementine, heart notes of Rose, Gardenia, Freesia and Jasmine, a base of Myrrh, Sandalwood, Cinnamon and Vanilla.