Fragrance comparison

Alchemy vs Tar

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 119 ratings analysed

Alchemy

Zimmer Parfums

4.3333 votes

Rank #21,399 Warm SpicyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Tar

Miguel Matos

3.6586 votes

Rank #7,370 SweetSoft Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Tar takes 5 of 7 categories.

Alchemy
Choose it for a warm spicy and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in fall, evening wear.
Tar
Choose it for a sweet and soft spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Alchemy2/7

Tar5/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AlchemyZimmer Parfums

TarMiguel Matos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.33/ 5 · 33 votes

Have 20%Had 10%Want 71%

3.65/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 10%Had 6%Want 84%

Category winnerAlchemyRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

58%Love

24%Like

12%Ok

6%Dislike

0%Hate

33 votes

52%Love

8%Like

10%Ok

18%Dislike

12%Hate

50 votes

Category winnerAlchemyMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevityTar

SillageTar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value70

Category winnerTarBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

powdery92%

musky84%

soft spicy77%

woody69%

anis61%

sweet100%

soft spicy92%

smoky84%

anis77%

warm spicy69%

fresh61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both warm spicy, soft spicy and anis

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Star AniseSuedePink Pepper

Heart

Tonka BeanCloveRum

Base

SandalwoodMusk

Top

LicoriceStar AniseAldehydesPineappleBergamotPalisander Rosewood

Heart

SmokeRumOreganoCinnamonLavenderLily-of-the-ValleyYlang-Ylang

Base

CaramelOpoponaxCoffeeAgarwood (Oud)Animal notesTonka BeanTobaccoMusk

InformationalShared notesStar Anise, Tonka Bean, Rum and Musk. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer8

Fall100

Winter92

Day23

Night100

Spring69

Summer44

Fall88

Winter100

Day59

Night100

Category winnerTarMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men28

Unisex61

Women11

Men50

Unisex45

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,399

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews9

Overall rank#7,370

PerfumerMiguel Matos

Launched—

Reviews29

Category winnerTarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Alchemy is a warm spicy suede scent with rum, tonka and sandalwood at its core. It opens with anise and pink pepper, then settles into something softer, musky and lightly sweet, with several wearers picking up a creamy coconut-rum effect even though coconut is not listed. It tends to suit cool evenings best and usuall…

Reviews →

Tar by Miguel Matos is a dense sweet smoke fragrance built around licorice, star anise, rum, caramel, woods, oud, tobacco and animalic musk. It opens dark and spicy, then settles into a sticky, smoky sweetness that can feel like black honey, melted licorice and warm pavement after summer heat. This is not a quiet ever…

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, Alchemy or Tar?

Tar takes 5 of 7 categories. Alchemy is rated 4.33/5 from 33 votes; Tar is rated 3.65/5 from 86 votes. Choose Alchemy for a warm spicy and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Tar for a sweet and soft spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Alchemy or Tar?

Tar lasts longest (Tar 85/100, Alchemy 65/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Alchemy or Tar?

Tar projects furthest (Tar 75/100, Alchemy 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Alchemy and Tar smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, soft spicy and anis accords. Common notes include Star Anise, Tonka Bean, Rum and Musk.

Is Alchemy or Tar better for summer or winter?

For summer, Tar is the stronger pick. For winter, Tar is the stronger pick. Alchemy suits evening wear; Tar suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Alchemy and Tar?

Alchemy has top notes of Star Anise, Suede and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Tonka Bean, Clove and Rum, a base of Sandalwood and Musk. Tar has top notes of Licorice, Star Anise, Aldehydes and Pineapple, heart notes of Smoke, Rum, Oregano and Cinnamon, a base of Caramel, Opoponax, Coffee and Agarwood (Oud).