Fragrance comparison

An Air Of Despair vs Rose Musk

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 117 ratings analysed

An Air Of Despair

Imaginary Authors

3.5382 votes

Rank #14,999 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

63%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Rose Musk

Alyssa Ashley

3.5635 votes

Rank #17,808 MuskyRose

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Rose Musk takes 4 of 7 categories.

An Air Of Despair
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Rose Musk
Choose it for a musky and rose character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

An Air Of Despair3/7

Rose Musk4/7

Ratings & consensus: An Air Of Despair
Community sentiment: Rose Musk
Longevity: Rose Musk
Sillage & projection: An Air Of Despair
Value for money: Rose Musk
Versatility: Rose Musk
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: An Air Of Despair

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

An Air Of DespairImaginary Authors

Rose MuskAlyssa Ashley

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.53/ 5 · 82 votes

Have 18%Had 6%Want 76%

3.56/ 5 · 35 votes

Have 35%Had 9%Want 56%

Category winnerAn Air Of DespairRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

32%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

30%Dislike

1%Hate

74 votes

16%Love

52%Like

20%Ok

12%Dislike

0%Hate

25 votes

Category winnerRose MuskMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevityRose Musk

SillageAn Air Of Despair

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value42

¤ Price value72

Category winnerRose MuskBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy88%

musky77%

powdery65%

metallic53%

leather42%

musky100%

rose90%

powdery80%

woody70%

amber60%

warm spicy50%

Scent match63%Closely related · both musky, woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SaffronCedarMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

RoseBlack Pepper

Heart

LabdanumSaffron

Base

MuskCedar

InformationalShared notesSaffron, Cedar 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

Spring43

Summer29

Fall100

Winter61

Day100

Night–

Spring100

Summer92

Fall77

Winter62

Day100

Night45

Category winnerRose MuskMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex20

Women40

Men6

Unisex18

Women76

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#14,999

PerfumerJosh Meyer

Launched—

Reviews21

Overall rank#17,808

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews7

Category winnerAn Air Of DespairHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

An Air Of Despair is a dry, cedar-led scent with saffron adding a leathery, slightly metallic warmth and musk keeping it clean rather than fluffy. It opens sharp for some wearers, then settles into a smooth, comforting woodiness that can feel cozy, austere, and quietly distinctive. This suits someone who enjoys minima…

Reviews →

Rose Musk by Alyssa Ashley is a musky, powdery rose with a peppery lift up top, then a warm, slightly resinous heart from labdanum and saffron. The dry-down leans clean and woody, with soft cedar under a steady veil of musk. It wears close to the skin to moderate, and suits everyday use if you like rose that feels smo…

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, An Air Of Despair or Rose Musk?

Rose Musk takes 4 of 7 categories. An Air Of Despair is rated 3.53/5 from 82 votes; Rose Musk is rated 3.56/5 from 35 votes. Choose An Air Of Despair for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Rose Musk for a musky and rose character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, An Air Of Despair or Rose Musk?

Rose Musk lasts longest (Rose Musk 69/100, An Air Of Despair 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, An Air Of Despair or Rose Musk?

Projection is very close: An Air Of Despair 61/100, Rose Musk 59/100 for sillage.

Do An Air Of Despair and Rose Musk smell similar?

Closely related: a 63% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky, woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Saffron, Cedar and Musk.

Is An Air Of Despair or Rose Musk better for summer or winter?

For summer, Rose Musk is the stronger pick. For winter, Rose Musk is the stronger pick. An Air Of Despair suits daytime wear; Rose Musk suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in An Air Of Despair and Rose Musk?

An Air Of Despair features Saffron, Cedar and Musk. Rose Musk has top notes of Rose and Black Pepper, heart notes of Labdanum and Saffron, a base of Musk and Cedar.