Fragrance comparison

Ambre Gris vs Rumba

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 967 ratings analysed

Ambre Gris

Marc de la Morandiere

4.254 votes

Rank #48,019 PowderyRose

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Rumba

Balenciaga

3.74963 votes

Rank #916 SweetWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Rumba takes 2 of 3 categories.

Ambre Gris
Choose it for a powdery and rose character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Rumba
Choose it for a sweet and white floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Ambre Gris1/3

Rumba2/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Ambre GrisMarc de la Morandiere

RumbaBalenciaga

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 14%Had 29%Want 57%

3.74/ 5 · 963 votes

Have 61%Had 39%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

75%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

25%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

36%Love

38%Like

2%Ok

24%Dislike

1%Hate

856 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity100

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity84

〰 Sillage79

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityAmbre Gris

SillageRumba

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value66

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

rose92%

amber84%

white floral77%

fruity69%

woody61%

sweet100%

white floral92%

fruity84%

floral77%

woody69%

honey61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both white floral, fruity and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20 to 30 mins

PeachItalian MandarinGardeniaPeony

Heart2 to 4 hrs

Rose OilOrange BlossomIncense

Base6 to 8 hrs

AmberVanillaSandalwoodMusk

Top

PlumMirabelle PlumPeachOrange BlossomRaspberryBasilBergamot

Heart

HoneyMarigoldTuberoseCarnationJasmineGardeniaHeliotropeOrchid

Base

LeatherOakmossPatchouliAmberSandalwoodStyraxVanillaCedar

InformationalShared notesPeach, Gardenia, Orange Blossom and Amber. Durations are only published for Ambre Gris, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall67

Winter67

Day100

Night64

Spring30

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Work 32%Casual 30%Date 28%Party 9%

Men1

Unisex23

Women76

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#48,019

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#916

PerfumerJean-Claude Ellena, Ron Winnegrad

Launched—

Reviews190

Category winnerRumbaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Do not let the name fool you. Marc de la Morandiere Ambre Gris is not a salty oceanic ambergris perfume. Instead, it delivers a pillowy cloud of powdery gardenia, velvety peach skin, and delicate peony petals. The opening carries a brisk flash of Italian mandarin before settling into dense rose oil and cool incense sm…

Reviews →

Rumba by Balenciaga smells like a sun-drenched plum preserve simmered with bitter herbs and thick honey. The first spray delivers a sharp, medicinal burst of basil and green mirabelle plum, a shock to modern noses accustomed to clean skin musks. It quickly shifts as a dense bouquet of indolic jasmine and tuberose unfo…

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, Ambre Gris or Rumba?

Rumba takes 2 of 3 categories. Ambre Gris is rated 4.25/5 from 4 votes; Rumba is rated 3.74/5 from 963 votes. Choose Ambre Gris for a powdery and rose character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Rumba for a sweet and white floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Ambre Gris or Rumba?

Ambre Gris lasts longest (Ambre Gris 100/100, Rumba 84/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Ambre Gris or Rumba?

Rumba projects furthest (Rumba 79/100, Ambre Gris 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Ambre Gris and Rumba smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral, fruity and woody accords. Common notes include Peach, Gardenia, Orange Blossom and Amber.

Is Ambre Gris or Rumba better for summer or winter?

Ambre Gris suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ambre Gris and Rumba?

Ambre Gris has top notes of Peach, Italian Mandarin, Gardenia and Peony, heart notes of Rose Oil, Orange Blossom and Incense, a base of Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Musk. Rumba has top notes of Plum, Mirabelle Plum, Peach and Orange Blossom, heart notes of Honey, Marigold, Tuberose and Carnation, a base of Leather, Oakmoss, Patchouli and Amber.