Fragrance comparison

Victoria's Secret Forbidden vs Within

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 174 ratings analysed

Victoria's Secret Forbidden

Victoria's Secret

4.11163 votes

Rank #9,905 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Within

Max Azria

3.9111 votes

Rank #40,891 FloralWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Within takes 3 of 5 categories.

Victoria's Secret Forbidden
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Within
Choose it for a floral and white floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Victoria's Secret Forbidden2/5

Within3/5

Ratings & consensus: Victoria's Secret Forbidden
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Within
Sillage & projection: Within
Value for money: Within
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Victoria's Secret Forbidden

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Victoria's Secret ForbiddenVictoria's Secret

WithinMax Azria

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.11/ 5 · 163 votes

Have 35%Had 27%Want 38%

3.91/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 26%Had 14%Want 60%

Category winnerVictoria's Secret ForbiddenRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

34%Love

52%Like

5%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

163 votes

27%Love

55%Like

0%Ok

18%Dislike

0%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity53

〰 Sillage49

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityWithin

SillageWithin

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price value50

Category winnerWithinBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody90%

fruity80%

white floral70%

sweet60%

aquatic50%

floral100%

white floral86%

fruity72%

amber58%

sweet44%

fresh30%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both amber, white floral and fruity

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Pear

Heart

Jasmine

Base

AmberWoodsy Notes

Top

PearApple BlossomBergamot

Heart

JasmineFreesiaHoneysuckle

Base

AmberSandalwoodTobacco

InformationalShared notesPear, Jasmine and Amber. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter97

Day–

Night–

Spring67

Summer100

Fall33

Winter33

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#9,905

PerfumerAntoine Maisondieu, Aurélien Guichard

Launched—

Reviews20

Overall rank#40,891

PerfumerSarah Horowitz

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerVictoria's Secret ForbiddenHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Victoria's Secret Forbidden is a floral fruity scent built around juicy pear and delicate jasmine, underscored by warm, resinous amber. It offers a cozy, sensual experience that sits close to the skin, making it a reliable choice for autumn evenings or relaxed dates where you want a scent that feels inviting rather th…

Reviews →

Within is a soft floral with a fruity opening, white flowers through the heart, and a warmer amber, sandalwood, tobacco base. It usually reads feminine and polished, with pear and apple blossom up top before the scent settles into a creamy floral amber. The small amount of review evidence is split. One wearer loved it…

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, Victoria's Secret Forbidden or Within?

Within takes 3 of 5 categories. Victoria's Secret Forbidden is rated 4.11/5 from 163 votes; Within is rated 3.91/5 from 11 votes. Choose Victoria's Secret Forbidden for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring. Choose Within for a floral and white floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Victoria's Secret Forbidden or Within?

Within lasts longest (Within 60/100, Victoria's Secret Forbidden 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Victoria's Secret Forbidden or Within?

Within projects furthest (Within 75/100, Victoria's Secret Forbidden 49/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Victoria's Secret Forbidden and Within smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, white floral and fruity accords. Common notes include Pear, Jasmine and Amber.

Is Victoria's Secret Forbidden or Within better for summer or winter?

Within suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Victoria's Secret Forbidden and Within?

Victoria's Secret Forbidden has top notes of Pear, heart notes of Jasmine, a base of Amber and Woodsy Notes. Within has top notes of Pear, Apple Blossom and Bergamot, heart notes of Jasmine, Freesia and Honeysuckle, a base of Amber, Sandalwood and Tobacco.