Fragrance comparison

A*Men Fantasm vs James

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

Updated 27 Oct 2026 1,296 ratings analysed

5 wins

A*Men Fantasm

Mugler

4.23886 votes

Rank #1,322 Warm SpicyPatchouli

Full profile Similar & dupes

59%scent match

Closely related

James

Atkinsons

3.65410 votes

Rank #4,246 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

A*Men Fantasm takes 5 of 7 categories.

A*Men Fantasm
Choose it for a warm spicy and patchouli character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
James
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity and versatility. Best in spring.

A*Men Fantasm5/7

James2/7

Ratings & consensus: A*Men Fantasm
Community sentiment: A*Men Fantasm
Longevity: James
Sillage & projection: A*Men Fantasm
Value for money: A*Men Fantasm
Versatility: James
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: A*Men Fantasm

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

A*Men FantasmMugler

JamesAtkinsons

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.23/ 5 · 886 votes

Have 88%Had 12%Want 0%

3.65/ 5 · 410 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

Category winnerA*Men FantasmRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

56%Love

25%Like

10%Ok

5%Dislike

4%Hate

886 votes

27%Love

38%Like

20%Ok

10%Dislike

6%Hate

200 votes

Category winnerA*Men FantasmMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityJames

SillageA*Men Fantasm

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value54

¤ Price value51

Category winnerA*Men FantasmBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

patchouli92%

chocolate84%

citrus77%

woody69%

aromatic61%

aromatic100%

woody92%

earthy84%

citrus77%

patchouli69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match59%Closely related · both warm spicy, patchouli and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Pink PepperCitrusBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

Dark ChocolateClary Sage

Base6-10 hrs

Patchouli

Top

Clary SageBergamotFinger LimePink Pepper

Heart

Elemi resinViolet LeafWhite Flowers

Base

VetiverPatchouliAkigalawoodMusk

InformationalShared notesPink Pepper, Bergamot, Clary Sage and Patchouli. Durations are only published for A*Men Fantasm, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring57

Summer15

Fall0

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Spring100

Summer48

Fall0

Winter79

Day–

Night–

Category winnerJamesMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men78

Unisex19

Women3

Date 37%Party 32%Casual 17%Work 14%

Men84

Unisex12

Women4

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,322

PerfumerJacques Huclier, Louise Turner

Launched—

Reviews201

Overall rank#4,246

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews89

Category winnerA*Men FantasmHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mugler A*Men Fantasm strips away the polarizing tar of the 1996 original. Spray it on. You immediately get zesty bergamot and sparkling pink pepper. That bright citrus flash fades in fifteen minutes. Soon, rich dark chocolate takes over alongside aromatic clary sage. It smells like biting into an eighty percent cocoa …

Reviews →

James is a green, woody vetiver fragrance with a sharp aromatic opening and a darker, earthier drydown. Reviews point to bright lime, sage and pepper up top, then a damp, inky vetiver and patchouli base that can feel polished, moody, and slightly old-school. It suits wearers who enjoy dry vetiver, modern fougeres, and…

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, A*Men Fantasm or James?

A*Men Fantasm takes 5 of 7 categories. A*Men Fantasm is rated 4.23/5 from 886 votes; James is rated 3.65/5 from 410 votes. Choose A*Men Fantasm for a warm spicy and patchouli character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose James for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity and versatility. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, A*Men Fantasm or James?

They last about the same: James 74/100, A*Men Fantasm 73/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, A*Men Fantasm or James?

Projection is very close: A*Men Fantasm 62/100, James 61/100 for sillage.

Do A*Men Fantasm and James smell similar?

Closely related: a 59% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, patchouli and woody accords. Common notes include Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Clary Sage and Patchouli.

Is A*Men Fantasm or James better for summer or winter?

For summer, James is the stronger pick. For winter, A*Men Fantasm is the stronger pick. A*Men Fantasm suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in A*Men Fantasm and James?

A*Men Fantasm has top notes of Pink Pepper, Citrus and Bergamot, heart notes of Dark Chocolate and Clary Sage, a base of Patchouli. James has top notes of Clary Sage, Bergamot, Finger Lime and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Elemi resin, Violet Leaf and White Flowers, a base of Vetiver, Patchouli, Akigalawood and Musk.