Fragrance comparison

Veil Noir vs Essence

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 46 ratings analysed

Veil Noir

Exceed

1.001 votes

Rank #80,006 LeatherOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

56%scent match

Closely related

1 wins

Essence

The Woods Collection

4.2245 votes

Rank #29,789 WoodyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essence takes 1 of 1 categories.

Veil Noir
Choose it for a leather and oud character.
Essence
Choose it for a woody and oud character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Veil Noir0/1

Essence1/1

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Veil NoirExceed

EssenceThe Woods Collection

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

1.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 8%Had 0%Want 92%

4.22/ 5 · 45 votes

Have 48%Had 8%Want 44%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

100%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

58%Love

24%Like

7%Ok

4%Dislike

7%Hate

45 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate0

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value69

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

oud92%

warm spicy84%

white floral77%

animalic69%

aromatic61%

woody100%

oud90%

warm spicy80%

leather70%

fresh spicy60%

aromatic50%

Scent match56%Closely related · both oud, leather and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

LeatherCardamomGrapefruitBlack PepperSaffron

Heart2-4 hrs

JasmineSweet NotesBulgarian RoseSandalwood

Base8-12 hrs

OudPatchouliAmberMusk

Top

CypressSaffronBergamotCardamom

Heart

Bulgarian RoseNutmegJasmine

Base

AgarwoodOudLeatherCedarwoodSandalwoodAmberVanillaTonka Bean

InformationalShared notesLeather, Cardamom, Saffron and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Veil Noir, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

No season votes yet

Spring52

Summer20

Fall100

Winter96

Day48

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men78

Unisex19

Women3

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#80,006

PerfumerSimone Lo Bue

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#29,789

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssenceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Veil Noir by Exceed opens with a punch of bitter grapefruit paired with cracked black pepper and green cardamom, quickly grounding into a thick, dark leather jacket aroma. As the citrus sparkle settles, the scent reveals a smoky heart softened by sweet Bulgarian rose petals and creamy sandalwood. The deep dry-down is …

Reviews →

The Woods Collection Essence opens with a sharp burst of fresh cypress, bitter bergamot, and warm cardamom before settling into a dense heart of dark Bulgarian rose. Heavy base notes of oud, leather, and cedarwood ground the blend, giving it a smoky woodiness built for cold November evenings and formal winter gatherin…

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, Veil Noir or Essence?

Essence takes 1 of 1 categories. Veil Noir is rated 1.00/5 from 1 votes; Essence is rated 4.22/5 from 45 votes. Choose Veil Noir for a leather and oud character. Choose Essence for a woody and oud character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Do Veil Noir and Essence smell similar?

Closely related: a 56% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share oud, leather and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Leather, Cardamom, Saffron and Jasmine.

Is Veil Noir or Essence better for summer or winter?

Essence suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Veil Noir and Essence?

Veil Noir has top notes of Leather, Cardamom, Grapefruit and Black Pepper, heart notes of Jasmine, Sweet Notes, Bulgarian Rose and Sandalwood, a base of Oud, Patchouli, Amber and Musk. Essence has top notes of Cypress, Saffron, Bergamot and Cardamom, heart notes of Bulgarian Rose, Nutmeg and Jasmine, a base of Agarwood, Oud, Leather and Cedarwood.