Fragrance comparison

Ancients vs Black & Red

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

Updated 28 Oct 2026 35 ratings analysed

Ancients

Tanaïs

4.254 votes

Rank #56,025 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

60%scent match

Closely related

1 wins

Black & Red

Mandarina Duck

4.2931 votes

Rank #17,681 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black & Red takes 1 of 1 categories.

Ancients
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Black & Red
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Ancients0/1

Black & Red1/1

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

AncientsTanaïs

Black & RedMandarina Duck

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 13%Had 3%Want 85%

4.29/ 5 · 31 votes

Have 42%Had 9%Want 49%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

25%Like

25%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

52%Love

35%Like

3%Ok

10%Dislike

0%Hate

31 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity57

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate82

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value78

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic90%

earthy80%

fresh spicy70%

green60%

ozonic50%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

woody84%

citrus77%

herbal69%

earthy61%

Scent match60%Closely related · both aromatic, woody and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CypressPineLavenderVioletBrazilian Rosewood

Heart

Balsam FirViolet LeafGeranium

Base

Soil TinctureAtlas CedarIvyVetiverMossTonka Bean

Top15-30 mins

Violet LeafSicilian Citruses

Heart2-3 hrs

GeraniumOrange BlossomSage

Base5-7 hrs

Tonka BeanMossCedarVetiver

InformationalShared notesViolet Leaf, Geranium, Atlas Cedar and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Black & Red, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall67

Winter67

Day100

Night67

Spring100

Summer48

Fall95

Winter57

Day100

Night69

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Men94

Unisex6

Women0

Casual 34%Work 32%Date 20%Party 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#56,025

PerfumerTanaïs

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#17,681

PerfumerNathalie Lorson

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerBlack & RedHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ancients opens with sharp pine needle and resinous blue cypress, cutting through cool air like foggy morning woods. Damp violet leaf and balsam fir settle over a grounding base of wet soil, atlas cedar, and earthy moss. It wears dark, green, and quiet, capturing damp forest floor rather than a barbershop herbal.

Reviews →

Mandarina Duck Black & Red hits skin with a brisk pop of Sicilian citruses and ozonic violet leaf. The initial blast feels crisp. Within ten minutes, aromatic sage and bitter geranium take over the heart, cutting through any sugary sweetness with green herbal bite. The base settles into warm tonka bean, dry cedar, 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, Ancients or Black & Red?

Black & Red takes 1 of 1 categories. Ancients is rated 4.25/5 from 4 votes; Black & Red is rated 4.29/5 from 31 votes. Choose Ancients for a woody and aromatic character. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Black & Red for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Do Ancients and Black & Red smell similar?

Closely related: a 60% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, woody and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Violet Leaf, Geranium, Atlas Cedar and Vetiver.

Is Ancients or Black & Red better for summer or winter?

Ancients suits daytime wear; Black & Red suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ancients and Black & Red?

Ancients has top notes of Cypress, Pine, Lavender and Violet, heart notes of Balsam Fir, Violet Leaf and Geranium, a base of Soil Tincture, Atlas Cedar, Ivy and Vetiver. Black & Red has top notes of Violet Leaf and Sicilian Citruses, heart notes of Geranium, Orange Blossom and Sage, a base of Tonka Bean, Moss, Cedar and Vetiver.