Fragrance comparison

Zaya vs Riqqa

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

Updated 31 Oct 2026 150 ratings analysed

4 wins

Zaya

Parfums d'Elmar

4.36113 votes

Rank #9,975 SweetWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

Riqqa

Ard Al Zaafaran

4.1937 votes

Rank #25,057 SweetVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Zaya takes 4 of 7 categories.

Zaya
Choose it for a sweet and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Riqqa
Choose it for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in winter, day or night wear.

Zaya4/7

Riqqa3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ZayaParfums d'Elmar

RiqqaArd Al Zaafaran

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.36/ 5 · 113 votes

Have 24%Had 7%Want 69%

4.19/ 5 · 37 votes

Have 50%Had 4%Want 46%

Category winnerZayaRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

69%Love

15%Like

6%Ok

3%Dislike

7%Hate

113 votes

43%Love

38%Like

14%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

37 votes

Category winnerRiqqaMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityZaya

SillageZaya

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value27

¤ Price value90

Category winnerRiqqaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

fruity77%

cinnamon69%

honey61%

sweet100%

vanilla86%

cinnamon72%

warm spicy58%

fresh spicy44%

amber30%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both sweet, warm spicy and cinnamon

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

CognacAppleHoneyNutmegBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

CinnamonOakDatesTonka Bean

Base8-12 hrs

Siam BenzoinPralineVanillaSandalowood

Top

CinnamonNutmegBergamot

Heart

PralineDatesTuberoseLily

Base

Tonka BeanVanillaAgarwoodBenzoinMyrrh

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, Bergamot, Cinnamon and Dates. Durations are only published for Zaya, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day64

Night100

Spring60

Summer10

Fall90

Winter100

Day100

Night94

Category winnerRiqqaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men37

Unisex49

Women14

Men3

Unisex73

Women23

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#9,975

PerfumerChristian Carbonnel

Launched—

Reviews8

Overall rank#25,057

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerZayaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Parfums d'Elmar Zaya smells like warm spiced apple compote drizzled with golden honey and aged cognac. The opening hits fast. A crisp blast of fresh orchard apple blends into boozy warmth and grated nutmeg before rich honey thickens the air. As the heart takes over, toasted oak wood, sticky dates, and ground cinnamon …

Reviews →

Riqqa by Ard Al Zaafaran opens with a sharp burst of cinnamon and grated nutmeg, lifted briefly by citrus bergamot. The heart quickly pushes rich dates and praline forward, wrapping heavy sweetness around soft floral notes of tuberose and lily. As it dries down over several hours, the scent settles into a thick base o…

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, Zaya or Riqqa?

Zaya takes 4 of 7 categories. Zaya is rated 4.36/5 from 113 votes; Riqqa is rated 4.19/5 from 37 votes. Choose Zaya for a sweet and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Riqqa for a sweet and vanilla character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in winter, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Zaya or Riqqa?

Zaya lasts longest (Zaya 81/100, Riqqa 76/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Zaya or Riqqa?

Zaya projects furthest (Zaya 72/100, Riqqa 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Zaya and Riqqa smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, warm spicy and cinnamon accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Bergamot, Cinnamon and Dates.

Is Zaya or Riqqa better for summer or winter?

For summer, Riqqa is the stronger pick. For winter, Zaya is the stronger pick. Zaya suits evening wear; Riqqa suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Zaya and Riqqa?

Zaya has top notes of Cognac, Apple, Honey and Nutmeg, heart notes of Cinnamon, Oak, Dates and Tonka Bean, a base of Siam Benzoin, Praline, Vanilla and Sandalowood. Riqqa has top notes of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Bergamot, heart notes of Praline, Dates, Tuberose and Lily, a base of Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Agarwood and Benzoin.