Fragrance comparison

Balmain H&M vs Rouge Imperiale

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 92 ratings analysed

4 wins

Balmain H&M

Pierre Balmain

4.0651 votes

Rank #31,567 WoodyWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

Rouge Imperiale

Vivamor Parfums

3.0141 votes

Rank #22,922 LeatherWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Balmain H&M takes 4 of 7 categories.

Balmain H&M
Choose it for a woody and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Rouge Imperiale
Choose it for a leather and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Balmain H&M4/7

Rouge Imperiale3/7

Ratings & consensus: Balmain H&M
Community sentiment: Balmain H&M
Longevity: Rouge Imperiale
Sillage & projection: Rouge Imperiale
Value for money: Balmain H&M
Versatility: Balmain H&M
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Rouge Imperiale

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Balmain H&MPierre Balmain

Rouge ImperialeVivamor Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.06/ 5 · 51 votes

Have 29%Had 13%Want 58%

3.01/ 5 · 41 votes

Have 22%Had 10%Want 68%

Category winnerBalmain H&MRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

37%Love

47%Like

0%Ok

16%Dislike

0%Hate

51 votes

16%Love

19%Like

9%Ok

28%Dislike

28%Hate

32 votes

Category winnerBalmain H&MMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate46

Category winners

LongevityRouge Imperiale

SillageRouge Imperiale

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value77

¤ Price value45

Category winnerBalmain H&MBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

white floral90%

vanilla80%

powdery70%

amber60%

warm spicy50%

leather100%

warm spicy91%

rose83%

powdery74%

metallic65%

musky56%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both powdery and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Tonka BeanJasmine

Heart

White WoodsGardeniaTexas Cedar

Base

Australian SandalwoodWhite Musk

Top

SaffronBulgarian Rose

Heart

Australian SandalwoodIrisJasmine

Base

SuedeBourbon VanillaTexas Cedar

InformationalShared notesJasmine, Texas Cedar and Australian Sandalwood. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring21

Summer5

Fall89

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Spring22

Summer22

Fall67

Winter100

Day29

Night100

Category winnerBalmain H&MMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex63

Women38

Men45

Unisex45

Women9

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#31,567

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#22,922

PerfumerChris Maurice

Launched—

Reviews11

Category winnerRouge ImperialeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Balmain H&M presents a warm, woody floral blend that balances tonka bean sweetness with jasmine and gardenia petals. It settles into a base of creamy sandalwood and white musk, offering a cozy and elegant profile suitable for cool weather. This limited edition fragrance remains a distinct marker of the 2015 fashion co…

Reviews →

Rouge Imperiale is a dry, rose-and-suede leather fragrance with a sharp saffron opening and a firm, masculine-leaning shape. It stays more rugged than sweet, with powdery iris, sandalwood, cedar, and a touch of vanilla smoothing the edges. If you enjoy prominent suede, leather, and rose together, this is the part to 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, Balmain H&M or Rouge Imperiale?

Balmain H&M takes 4 of 7 categories. Balmain H&M is rated 4.06/5 from 51 votes; Rouge Imperiale is rated 3.01/5 from 41 votes. Choose Balmain H&M for a woody and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Rouge Imperiale for a leather and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Balmain H&M or Rouge Imperiale?

Rouge Imperiale lasts longest (Rouge Imperiale 78/100, Balmain H&M 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Balmain H&M or Rouge Imperiale?

Rouge Imperiale projects furthest (Rouge Imperiale 70/100, Balmain H&M 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Balmain H&M and Rouge Imperiale smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Jasmine, Texas Cedar and Australian Sandalwood.

Is Balmain H&M or Rouge Imperiale better for summer or winter?

For summer, Rouge Imperiale is the stronger pick. For winter, Balmain H&M is the stronger pick. Balmain H&M suits evening wear; Rouge Imperiale suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Balmain H&M and Rouge Imperiale?

Balmain H&M has top notes of Tonka Bean and Jasmine, heart notes of White Woods, Gardenia and Texas Cedar, a base of Australian Sandalwood and White Musk. Rouge Imperiale has top notes of Saffron and Bulgarian Rose, heart notes of Australian Sandalwood, Iris and Jasmine, a base of Suede, Bourbon Vanilla and Texas Cedar.