Fragrance comparison

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom vs Essence

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 46 ratings analysed

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom

Parfums de la Bastide

4.001 votes

Rank #63,717 WoodyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

58%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Essence

The Woods Collection

4.2245 votes

Rank #27,232 WoodyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essence takes 4 of 4 categories.

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom
Choose it for a woody and fresh spicy character. Best in fall, evening wear.
Essence
Choose it for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom0/4

Essence4/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Ardent Cedar & CardamomParfums de la Bastide

EssenceThe Woods Collection

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 25%Had 0%Want 75%

4.22/ 5 · 45 votes

Have 48%Had 8%Want 44%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

58%Love

24%Like

7%Ok

4%Dislike

7%Hate

45 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityEssence

SillageEssence

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value69

Category winnerEssenceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

fresh spicy86%

aromatic72%

warm spicy58%

powdery44%

vanilla30%

woody100%

oud90%

warm spicy80%

leather70%

fresh spicy60%

aromatic50%

Scent match58%Closely related · both woody, fresh spicy and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Cashmere WoodSandalwoodCedarwoodCardamomVanillaCypressNutmegCumin

No top / heart / base split published

Top

CypressSaffronBergamotCardamom

Heart

Bulgarian RoseNutmegJasmine

Base

AgarwoodOudLeatherCedarwoodSandalwoodAmberVanillaTonka Bean

InformationalShared notesSandalwood, Cedarwood, Cardamom and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Ardent Cedar & Cardamom, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day79

Night100

Spring52

Summer20

Fall100

Winter96

Day48

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex50

Women50

Work 32%Casual 30%Date 27%Party 11%

Men78

Unisex19

Women3

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#63,717

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#27,232

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssenceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom opens with a quick blast of green cypress and dry cardamom before warming up into earthy woods. The first three minutes carry a prickly alcohol lift. Then the spices settle down nicely. Virginian cedarwood drives the core of this scent, backed by creamy Australian sandalwood and a pinch of grou…

Reviews →

The Woods Collection Essence opens with a sharp burst of fresh cypress, bitter bergamot, and warm cardamom before settling into a dense heart of dark Bulgarian rose. Heavy base notes of oud, leather, and cedarwood ground the blend, giving it a smoky woodiness built for cold November evenings and formal winter gatherin…

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, Ardent Cedar & Cardamom or Essence?

Essence takes 4 of 4 categories. Ardent Cedar & Cardamom is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes; Essence is rated 4.22/5 from 45 votes. Choose Ardent Cedar & Cardamom for a woody and fresh spicy character. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Essence for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Ardent Cedar & Cardamom or Essence?

Essence lasts longest (Essence 73/100, Ardent Cedar & Cardamom 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Ardent Cedar & Cardamom or Essence?

Essence projects furthest (Essence 65/100, Ardent Cedar & Cardamom 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Ardent Cedar & Cardamom and Essence smell similar?

Closely related: a 58% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, fresh spicy and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Cardamom and Vanilla.

Is Ardent Cedar & Cardamom or Essence better for summer or winter?

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom suits evening wear; Essence suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ardent Cedar & Cardamom and Essence?

Ardent Cedar & Cardamom features Cashmere Wood, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Cardamom and Vanilla. Essence has top notes of Cypress, Saffron, Bergamot and Cardamom, heart notes of Bulgarian Rose, Nutmeg and Jasmine, a base of Agarwood, Oud, Leather and Cedarwood.