Fragrance comparison

Ébène vs Rentless

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 796 ratings analysed

Ébène

Pierre Balmain · 2024

4.37122 votes

Rank #28,008 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Rentless

Lush

4.00674 votes

Rank #2,676 VanillaCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Rentless takes 4 of 7 categories.

Ébène
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.
Rentless
Choose it for a vanilla and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Ébène3/7

Rentless4/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ÉbènePierre Balmain

RentlessLush

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.37/ 5 · 122 votes

Have 64%Had 36%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 674 votes

Have 56%Had 17%Want 27%

Category winnerÉbèneRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

59%Love

30%Like

2%Ok

7%Dislike

2%Hate

122 votes

48%Love

35%Like

7%Ok

7%Dislike

2%Hate

607 votes

Category winnerÉbèneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityRentless

SillageRentless

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price value63

Category winnerRentlessBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

woody84%

amber77%

green69%

mossy61%

vanilla100%

citrus92%

amber84%

anis77%

aromatic69%

sweet61%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both aromatic and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

MintAldehydesCarawayAniseArtemisiaBasilBergamotLemon

Heart

PineCarnationGeraniumPatchouliJasmineRoseCinnamon

Base

OakmossLeatherLabdanumAmberMuskTonka Bean

Top

AniseGrapefruitCitruses

Heart

GeraniumLemon

Base

LabdanumVanillaCoumarinLeather

InformationalShared notesAnise, Lemon, Geranium and Leather. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring71

Summer34

Fall100

Winter94

Day80

Night100

Spring28

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerÉbèneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men88

Unisex8

Women4

Men9

Unisex72

Women19

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,008

PerfumerMaurice Roucel

Launched2024

Reviews0

Overall rank#2,676

PerfumerSimon Constantine

Launched—

Reviews28

Category winnerRentlessHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Ébène by Pierre Balmain delivers a dark wood experience driven by myrrh oil and deep ebony wood. Built for winter evenings in a heavy coat, this scent contrasts hot cinnamon against dry tobacco. It wears heavy and warm on the skin, offering a smoky performance that stands out in cold weather.

Reviews →

Rentless is a dark, sweet amber-vanilla with a sharp anisic opening and a resinous, leathery base. The grapefruit and citrus lift the first spray, but it usually settles into something warmer, stickier, and more autumn-to-winter in character. It suits shoppers who enjoy bold, long-wearing scents with sweetness, smoke…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Saffron AmberIlluminumRUNNER-UP vs

Septieme Sens (7e Sens)Sonia RykielWINNER

1 person compared this today

Fancy NightsJessica SimpsonRUNNER-UP vs

Nino Cerruti Pour FemmeCerrutiWINNER

3 people compared this today

Sweet DreamsHouse Of SillageWINNER vs

Safari ElixirAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

PrometheuNecalliWINNER vs

Bruno ImperialAnfar LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Ébène or Rentless?

Rentless takes 4 of 7 categories. Ébène is rated 4.37/5 from 122 votes; Rentless is rated 4.00/5 from 674 votes. Choose Ébène for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Rentless for a vanilla and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Ébène or Rentless?

Rentless lasts longest (Rentless 81/100, Ébène 75/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Ébène or Rentless?

Projection is very close: Rentless 71/100, Ébène 69/100 for sillage.

Do Ébène and Rentless smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic and amber accords. Common notes include Anise, Lemon, Geranium and Leather.

Is Ébène or Rentless better for summer or winter?

For summer, Ébène is the stronger pick. For winter, Rentless is the stronger pick. Ébène suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Ébène and Rentless?

Ébène has top notes of Mint, Aldehydes, Caraway and Anise, heart notes of Pine, Carnation, Geranium and Patchouli, a base of Oakmoss, Leather, Labdanum and Amber. Rentless has top notes of Anise, Grapefruit and Citruses, heart notes of Geranium and Lemon, a base of Labdanum, Vanilla, Coumarin and Leather.