Fragrance comparison

Background vs Ninevah

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 227 ratings analysed

5 wins

Background

Jil Sander

4.52181 votes

Rank #4,216 AnisVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

48%scent match

Some overlap

Ninevah

Penhaligon's

3.5646 votes

Rank #16,331 SweetFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Background takes 5 of 7 categories.

Background
Choose it for a anis and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.
Ninevah
Choose it for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Background5/7

Ninevah2/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

BackgroundJil Sander

NinevahPenhaligon's

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.52/ 5 · 181 votes

Have 30%Had 25%Want 45%

3.56/ 5 · 46 votes

Have 11%Had 6%Want 83%

Category winnerBackgroundRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

61%Love

33%Like

2%Ok

4%Dislike

0%Hate

181 votes

30%Love

33%Like

4%Ok

30%Dislike

4%Hate

27 votes

Category winnerBackgroundMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityBackground

SillageNinevah

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value54

¤ Price value19

Category winnerBackgroundBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

anis100%

vanilla92%

amber84%

warm spicy77%

aromatic69%

sweet61%

sweet100%

fruity91%

vanilla83%

warm spicy74%

amber65%

powdery56%

Scent match48%Some overlap · both vanilla, sweet and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

AniseRaspberryTarragonLavenderBergamotLemon

Heart

CinnamonCarnationJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyHeliotropeRose

Base

BenzoinVanillaCedarTonka BeanAmberSandalwoodMusk

Notes

Candy appleVanillaCotton CandyRaspberryBenzoinCinnamonMusk

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesRaspberry, Cinnamon, Benzoin and Vanilla. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring92

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring50

Summer70

Fall100

Winter70

Day100

Night36

Category winnerNinevahMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men75

Unisex22

Women3

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#4,216

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews16

Overall rank#16,331

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews11

Category winnerBackgroundHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Background by Jil Sander is a distinctive oriental fougere that opens with a brisk combination of sweet anise, tart raspberry, and herbal lavender. As the initial freshness settles on the skin, a warm core of cinnamon, carnation, and powdery heliotrope emerges, adding a cozy spicy sweetness. The base grounds the fragr…

Reviews →

Ninevah is a sweet fruity gourmand built around candy apple, cotton candy, vanilla, raspberry, cinnamon, benzoin and musk. On skin it reads soft, sugared and cozy, with a spun-sugar sweetness that some wearers compare to marshmallow or Middle Eastern dessert. The apple helps keep the sweetness from feeling too heavy f…

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, Background or Ninevah?

Background takes 5 of 7 categories. Background is rated 4.52/5 from 181 votes; Ninevah is rated 3.56/5 from 46 votes. Choose Background for a anis and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter. Choose Ninevah for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Background or Ninevah?

Background lasts longest (Background 77/100, Ninevah 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Background or Ninevah?

Projection is very close: Ninevah 70/100, Background 68/100 for sillage.

Do Background and Ninevah smell similar?

Some overlap: a 48% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share vanilla, sweet and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Raspberry, Cinnamon, Benzoin and Vanilla.

Is Background or Ninevah better for summer or winter?

For summer, Ninevah is the stronger pick. For winter, Background is the stronger pick. Ninevah suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Background and Ninevah?

Background has top notes of Anise, Raspberry, Tarragon and Lavender, heart notes of Cinnamon, Carnation, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley, a base of Benzoin, Vanilla, Cedar and Tonka Bean. Ninevah features Candy apple, Vanilla, Cotton Candy, Raspberry and Benzoin.