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Forbidden Aaron Terence Hughes 2021

8.4 / 10 182 Ratings

A popular perfume by Aaron Terence Hughes for women and men, released in 2021. The scent is sweet-gourmand. Projection and longevity are above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation Compare

Main accords

Sweet

Gourmand

Spicy

Fruity

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Brazilian orange

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Chocolate

Lokum

Cherry cake Rum

Rum

Base Notes

Tonka bean Vanilla

Vanilla

White musk

Ambergris

Patchouli

Sandalwood

Thai oud

Perfumer & Creative Guidance

Aaron Terence Hughes Brand owner, Perfume maker

Ratings

Scent

8.4182 Ratings

Longevity

8.8173 Ratings

Sillage

8.4173 Ratings

Bottle

7.8178 Ratings

Value for money

7.3140 Ratings

Submitted by Mokross · last update on 02/06/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Gold Spot

Symphonium

Caravansérail Intense

Moonlight

Panettone

Melting Lust

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/26/2022

4.5Scent 7Longevity 5Sillage

Ivory89
3 Reviews

Ivory89

2

Is it just me...???

I am not that impressed by this to be honest, and not really by the other two 10 ml bottles I bought(onyx and raw cherry), but they were better than this one.
I found Forbidden to have a nice orange/citruses and chocolate opening. But soon after it just turns sickly sweet and kind of plain and boring on me.
It lacks that sensual depth.

Am I alone in these feelings?
Is this perfumer overhyped? I at last kind of think so...

04/02/2021

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Giles
87 Reviews

Giles

Helpful Review 2

Super Gourmand

I do like Aaron’s fragrances. Forget about your opinions of the man himself. This is for fragrance reviews not perfumers personalities. Forbidden is a very nice smooth gourmand. Lovely for a winters evening out. It’s getting warmer here in the UK but still managed to wear it out a couple of times. Out of the 25 ATH perfumes I have, there are only 2 gourmands Luna and Forbidden. Both are very nice. Forbidden like most of ATH fragrances lasts and projects. It’s a good price too due to the high quality ingredients. I find that ATH is maturing with his fragrances and learning from the mistakes of the past.

06/23/2023

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

GunterMcGunt
6 Reviews

GunterMcGunt

2

Looking for a chocolate gourmand that ISN'T overly sweet?

I consider myself a gourmand enthusiast, and yet some fragrances like Montale's Chocolate Greedy go too far for me - it's literally freshly baked chocolate cake and after 10 mins I get tired of the smell and need to wash it off. Personally, I want to play in the world of gourmand yet keep it grounded in the reality of perfumery.

I am not a chocolate man. I'm a man who smells of chocolate. lol

Forbidden starts off very bright and a bit raspy. It's not so much of a chocolate piece with orange filling as much as it is you squeezing half an orange and some of the rind-y mist squirting into your nose. For my nose, I definitely have to let this air dry for about 30 seconds before truly putting my nose to the skin. Nothing against the fragrance, and honestly you'd be doing yourself a disservice to judge a fragrance by the first 10 seconds.

Moving on, you start to get the chocolate vibes. Except for me it's more of cocoa powder than milk or dark chocolate. The orangy vibes are rounder by now and give way for a toasted coconut note. In Peru, there are these pastries of balls of coconut flakes that have been toasted. That's what I get. As the fragrance continues to move through it's lifespan, you'll get the sandalwood base and some oud. But they're very....playful? Like it's not serious, strong nor stanky oud. It's like the nicest parts of oud. So if you're an oud enthusiast, this may not do it for you if you need that strong, oudy backbone in your fragrances.

Speaking of which - I feel like this fragrance has a very light base. It's top heavy, if that makes sense. Linear like a good RPG that doesn't railroad you but also isn't an open world. This IS a cocoa, toasted coco, tonka bean with orange filling fragrance in an airy presentation. It's not heavy - there is very little "bass" to this song.

Which brings me to my next point, I don't get a lot of rum from this. This isn't boozy to me. It could conjure images of a cocktail with Bailey's or some other Irish cream, some Grand Marnier or a touch of Cointreau if I really looked for it, but honestly this has a more "light, airy dessert" vibe to it for me. Still, the more I smell this fragrance and keep the "cocktail" vibes in mind, it starts becoming clearer. So I guess in that sense it can be boozy.

Final thoughts: This is a gourmand that doesn't get too heavy or too "real" for me. I don't get tired of smelling myself or nauseated by an overly sweet perfume. It walks the line of conjuring real dessert accords without being too heavy or sweet, and without being photorealistic to the point of exhaustion, and the dessert notes in question are fairly unique to me. This blend of Cointreau and toasted coconut with a chocolatey touch is not something i've experienced before, and as a gourmand lover that's exactly what I look for.

07/26/2025

Reddawks
85 Reviews

Reddawks

1

Wonka's Chocolate Factory (and his secret)

Golden ticket in hand, you approach that strange character about to open the doors to his chocolate factory.

The gesture is surprisingly light for such a heavy door, and a gust of wind embraces you, forcing your eyes shut.

And you keep them closed because you realize you don’t need to open them to visit Mr. Wonka’s chocolate factory.

It’s all in that gust: chocolate, of course—dry, virile, far from the dripping sweetness of its competitors—Turkish delight, orange candies, vanilla, cherry cake.

Naturally, you rush inside, because the scent that’s already enchanting must be sublime once you’re in.

You wander everywhere, you see everything, you smell everything without tasting a thing, because the aroma is enough—and you find yourself wishing that this essence would consume you, become you.

Willy Wonka approaches. He’s noticed you—a slightly unusual being who feeds on scents, a privilege of the gods.

So you ask the question:
“What makes the candies produced here so different from the others?”

Wonka points to those twisted trees growing near the river of rum, which he calls “oud,” then to others he names “sandalwood.”

“But above all,” he whispers, leaning closer, “if you want them to return, you must never overwhelm them. Keep the scent dry, sober, yet rich. That’s the secret.”

And indeed, that’s the secret.

Insta: Switzer_scent

05/11/2021

7.5Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

DerJosh
19 Reviews

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DerJosh

Very helpful Review 12

Well done..

..however, the similarity to Jaffa Softcakes is just too strong for me
I think there are finer and also higher-quality gourmands like Ambre Narguile, for example.
The base is naturally fantastic due to oud, amber, and vanilla, and it is still very strong to smell the next day.
You also receive endless compliments for this Aaron Terence Hughes fragrance.
One should definitely try this if they are interested in the direction and want to smell the wonderful raw materials.

More reviews

Statements

53 short views on the fragrance

BoBoChamp

4 years ago

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

3

Initially boozy and citric-spicy sweet, a rather gentle oriental spicy-fruity Gourmand, balanced by a warm musky-woody base. 100% Unisex!

BertolucciK

1 year ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

3

Forbidden opens with orange and rum, drying into chocolate-cherry with oud and musk. A darker, more gourmand take on XerJoff's Symphonium.

Djrsilvapt

3 years ago

2

Love this One. Perfect for Autumn and Winter, it projects and lasts like crazy!

Amazon1975

4 years ago

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

2

Honestly unbelievable. Compliments galore. It is very much Jaffa cakes with a slight cherry rum booziness. Bloody unreal. Love love love.

Mitchcraft

2 years ago

9.5Scent 10Longevity 8Sillage

2

1

Trying this after fixing my issue with nose blindness makes me wish i bought more bottles. This smells AMAZING now i can smell all notes!

Elvi01

1 year ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

1

Way too sweet, but given the notes, that’s what you can expect. Longevity is fine.

Cheech93

4 years ago

6.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

1

Opens w/a nice bright and sweet orange, but I was expecting it to turn darker. This doesn't change much and is very, very sweet (27 M)

Topfpflanze3

4 months ago

7.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Far away from Symphonium, it leans more toward Whisky Nobile. Dark chocolate, light boozy vibes, soft tonka bean

Eggi37

3 years ago

5Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

25

20

The sweet pastry takes your breath away
Sweet-creamy something
The house has been for me so far
Highly synthetic
Highly potent
Highly headache-inducing

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