Fragrance comparison

B*Men vs Mystery & Excellence

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

Updated 24 Oct 2026 1,420 ratings analysed

3 wins

B*Men

Mugler

4.051,344 votes

Soft SpicyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

Mystery & Excellence

Linn Young

3.8976 votes

Rank #25,618 SweetPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

B*Men takes 3 of 3 categories.

B*Men
Choose it for a soft spicy and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.
Mystery & Excellence
Choose it for a sweet and powdery character. Best in spring.

B*Men3/3

Mystery & Excellence0/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

B*MenMugler

Mystery & ExcellenceLinn Young

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.05/ 5 · 1,344 votes

Have 65%Had 35%Want 0%

3.89/ 5 · 76 votes

Have 24%Had 22%Want 55%

Category winnerB*MenRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

39%Love

43%Like

3%Ok

15%Dislike

0%Hate

1,344 votes

33%Love

45%Like

4%Ok

16%Dislike

3%Hate

76 votes

Category winnerB*MenMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value82

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

soft spicy100%

warm spicy92%

woody84%

anis77%

patchouli69%

sweet61%

sweet100%

powdery92%

soft spicy84%

anis77%

vanilla69%

violet61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both soft spicy, sweet and anis

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SpicesLicoricePatchouliAniseVanillaLeatherCedarVioletVetiverMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

AniseVioletIvyLemonPineappleMahogany

Heart

LicoriceIrisJasmineVetiverAmaryllisLily-of-the-ValleyOrris Root

Base

VanillaTonka BeanAlmondWhite MuskChocolateHeliotropeTobacco

InformationalShared notesLicorice, Anise, Vanilla and Violet. Durations are only published for B*Men, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring42

Summer13

Fall95

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Spring100

Summer46

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerB*MenMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men88

Unisex10

Women3

Date 33%Casual 28%Party 23%Work 16%

Men0

Unisex13

Women88

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rankUnranked

PerfumerChristine Nagel, Jacques Huclier

Launched—

Reviews198

Overall rank#25,618

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerNot enough dataHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mugler B*Men cuts a different path than its famous predecessor. It drops the heavy cocoa syrup. Instead, this blend unleashes dry woods and sharp spices. Sprayed on skin, it delivers an immediate kick of tart rhubarb, prickly anise, and dark licorice root. That tartness feels strange at first. Give it ten minutes. The…

Reviews →

Linn Young Mystery & Excellence opens with an immediate blast of star anise and powdery violet, settled over dark ivy. As it dries down on skin during cold autumn evenings, a syrupy licorice heart mixes with vanilla, tonka bean, and almond. The dark gourmand trail stays sweet, cozy, and distinctly warm for casual wint…

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, B*Men or Mystery & Excellence?

B*Men takes 3 of 3 categories. B*Men is rated 4.05/5 from 1,344 votes; Mystery & Excellence is rated 3.89/5 from 76 votes. Choose B*Men for a soft spicy and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Mystery & Excellence for a sweet and powdery character. Best in spring.

Do B*Men and Mystery & Excellence smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share soft spicy, sweet and anis accords. Common notes include Licorice, Anise, Vanilla and Violet.

Is B*Men or Mystery & Excellence better for summer or winter?

For summer, Mystery & Excellence is the stronger pick. For winter, B*Men is the stronger pick. B*Men suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in B*Men and Mystery & Excellence?

B*Men features Spices, Licorice, Patchouli, Anise and Vanilla. Mystery & Excellence has top notes of Anise, Violet, Ivy and Lemon, heart notes of Licorice, Iris, Jasmine and Vetiver, a base of Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Almond and White Musk.