Fragrance comparison

Au Fil du Temps vs Excellence

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 9 ratings analysed

Au Fil du Temps

Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

3.005 votes

Rank #64,058 VanillaPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

Excellence

Alexander

3.504 votes

Rank #49,835 Soft SpicyAnis

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Au Fil du Temps
Choose it for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Excellence
Choose it for a soft spicy and anis character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Au Fil du Temps2/4

Excellence2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Excellence
Sillage & projection: Au Fil du Temps
Value for money: Au Fil du Temps
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Excellence

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Au Fil du TempsParfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

ExcellenceAlexander

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 12%Had 24%Want 64%

3.50/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 25%Had 6%Want 69%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

40%Like

20%Ok

40%Dislike

0%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

25%Love

25%Like

25%Ok

25%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate63

Category winners

LongevityExcellence

SillageAu Fil du Temps

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value33

Category winnerAu Fil du TempsBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

powdery86%

warm spicy72%

amber58%

sweet44%

almond30%

soft spicy100%

anis92%

warm spicy84%

sweet77%

vanilla69%

leather61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both vanilla, warm spicy and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

HeliotropeClovesAnise

Heart2-4 hrs

Tonka BeanVanilla

Base6-8+ hrs

Woody Notes

Top

AniseVioletClovesYlang-Ylang

Heart

FennelPatchouliJasmineRoseSandalwood

Base

LicoriceLeatherTonka BeanVanillaBenzoin

InformationalShared notesCloves, Anise, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Au Fil du Temps, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Spring20

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night75

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 38%Casual 30%Work 22%Party 10%

Men14

Unisex71

Women14

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#64,058

PerfumerChristian Louis

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#49,835

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerExcellenceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Au Fil du Temps by Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque opens with an immediate dusting of powdery heliotrope, pungent cloves, and sweet anise seeds. The opening has a slight medicinal prickle that softens within minutes. Warm tonka bean and creamy vanilla take over the heart, wrapping the wearer in a comforting cloud t…

Reviews →

Excellence by Alexander is an anise and licorice led oriental floral that leans spicy, sweet, and slightly leathery. It opens with anise and clove, softened by violet and ylang ylang, then moves into a fennel and patchouli heart with jasmine, rose, and sandalwood. The dry down brings vanilla, tonka, benzoin warmth, pl…

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, Au Fil du Temps or Excellence?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Au Fil du Temps is rated 3.00/5 from 5 votes; Excellence is rated 3.50/5 from 4 votes. Choose Au Fil du Temps for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Excellence for a soft spicy and anis character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Au Fil du Temps or Excellence?

They last about the same: Excellence 72/100, Au Fil du Temps 70/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Au Fil du Temps or Excellence?

Au Fil du Temps projects furthest (Au Fil du Temps 71/100, Excellence 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Au Fil du Temps and Excellence smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, warm spicy and sweet accords. Common notes include Cloves, Anise, Tonka Bean and Vanilla.

Is Au Fil du Temps or Excellence better for summer or winter?

Au Fil du Temps suits evening wear; Excellence suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Au Fil du Temps and Excellence?

Au Fil du Temps has top notes of Heliotrope, Cloves and Anise, heart notes of Tonka Bean and Vanilla, a base of Woody Notes. Excellence has top notes of Anise, Violet, Cloves and Ylang-Ylang, heart notes of Fennel, Patchouli, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Licorice, Leather, Tonka Bean and Vanilla.