Fragrance comparison

Abolition vs Talisman

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

Updated 28 Oct 2026 439 ratings analysed

Abolition

Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

4.1718 votes

Rank #38,587 Warm SpicyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Talisman

Balenciaga

4.05421 votes

Rank #3,689 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Talisman takes 3 of 5 categories.

Abolition
Choose it for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.
Talisman
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Abolition2/5

Talisman3/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AbolitionParfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

TalismanBalenciaga

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.17/ 5 · 18 votes

Have 21%Had 19%Want 60%

4.05/ 5 · 421 votes

Have 58%Had 42%Want 0%

Category winnerTalismanRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

56%Like

6%Ok

6%Dislike

0%Hate

18 votes · too few to score

40%Love

41%Like

2%Ok

16%Dislike

0%Hate

421 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityAbolition

SillageAbolition

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value54

Category winnerTalismanBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

vanilla92%

rum84%

leather77%

yellow floral69%

sweet61%

fruity100%

sweet92%

woody84%

floral77%

powdery69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match24%Clearly different · both warm spicy and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Rum

Heart2-4 hrs

Spicy NotesYlang-Ylang

Base6-8 hrs

VanillaLeather

Top

Dried FruitsRumAldehydesPineapplePeachOsmanthusMandarin OrangeHiacynth

Heart

Ylang-YlangCarnationJasmineRoseIrisCyclamenFreesiaLily-of-the-Valley

Base

BeeswaxLeatherCaramelSandalwoodVanillaTonka BeanPatchouliAmber

InformationalShared notesRum, Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla and Leather. Durations are only published for Abolition, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring40

Summer60

Fall100

Winter100

Day35

Night100

Spring42

Summer30

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 41%Party 25%Casual 20%Work 14%

Men2

Unisex15

Women83

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#38,587

PerfumerChristian Louis

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#3,689

PerfumerDominique Preyssas

Launched—

Reviews41

Category winnerTalismanHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Abolition opens with an intoxicating splash of dark aged rum. It commands attention immediately. The boozy blast prickles with sharp solvent warmth before settling into a rich heart of dry cinnamon, clove-like spices, and lush ylang-ylang petals. On warm skin, the tropical floral note softens the raw alcohol bite, tur…

Reviews →

Talisman by Balenciaga opens with a dense pour of rum and dried fruits, immediately signaling a departure from standard clean florality. The initial warmth feels thick and sticky, cutting through cool autumn air with a syrupy weight. As the scent settles, ylang-ylang and carnation introduce a spicy, classic floral tex…

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, Abolition or Talisman?

Talisman takes 3 of 5 categories. Abolition is rated 4.17/5 from 18 votes; Talisman is rated 4.05/5 from 421 votes. Choose Abolition for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Talisman for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Abolition or Talisman?

They last about the same: Abolition 75/100, Talisman 74/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Abolition or Talisman?

Abolition projects furthest (Abolition 73/100, Talisman 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Abolition and Talisman smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy and sweet accords. Common notes include Rum, Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla and Leather.

Is Abolition or Talisman better for summer or winter?

Abolition suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Abolition and Talisman?

Abolition has top notes of Rum, heart notes of Spicy Notes and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Vanilla and Leather. Talisman has top notes of Dried Fruits, Rum, Aldehydes and Pineapple, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Carnation, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Beeswax, Leather, Caramel and Sandalwood.