Fragrance comparison

Basic Instinct vs Ceremony

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 87 ratings analysed

Basic Instinct

Victoria's Secret

3.836 votes

Rank #46,503 PatchouliWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

Ceremony

Regalien

3.7481 votes

Rank #12,265 White FloralSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

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

Basic Instinct
Choose it for a patchouli and white floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Ceremony
Choose it for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Basic Instinct2/4

Ceremony2/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Basic InstinctVictoria's Secret

CeremonyRegalien

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.83/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 64%Had 12%Want 24%

3.74/ 5 · 81 votes

Have 38%Had 12%Want 51%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

17%Love

67%Like

0%Ok

17%Dislike

0%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

51%Love

24%Like

8%Ok

12%Dislike

6%Hate

51 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityCeremony

SillageBasic Instinct

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value43

Category winnerBasic InstinctBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

patchouli100%

white floral92%

fruity84%

woody77%

warm spicy69%

lactonic61%

white floral100%

sweet83%

animalic65%

tuberose48%

powdery30%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PatchouliGardeniaPlumApricotTuberoseTurkish RoseVanilla

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Orange BlossomBergamotPlum

Heart

Tiare FlowerTuberoseGardeniaJasmineHeliotropeYlang-Ylang

Base

MuskVanillaAmberWalnutPatchouli

InformationalShared notesPatchouli, Gardenia, Plum and Tuberose. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall50

Winter100

Day25

Night100

Spring100

Summer63

Fall96

Winter71

Day100

Night76

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men0

Unisex14

Women86

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#46,503

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#12,265

PerfumerFirmenich, MG Gulcicek

Launched—

Reviews17

Category winnerCeremonyHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Basic Instinct by Victoria's Secret opens with dark purple plum and ripe apricot before settling into a dense white floral heart. Gardenia brings a clean, waxy texture that pairs with tuberose and Turkish rose. Unlike typical sugary mall mists, this 2004 release relies on earthy patchouli and soft vanilla to ground it…

Reviews →

Ceremony by Regalien is a Floral fragrance for women and men. Ceremony was launched in 2019. Ceremony was created by MG Gulcicek and Firmenich. Top notes are Orange Blossom, Bergamot and Plum; middle notes are Tiare Flower, Tuberose, Gardenia, Jasmine, Heliotrope and Ylang-Ylang; base notes are Musk, Vanilla, Amber, W…

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, Basic Instinct or Ceremony?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Basic Instinct is rated 3.83/5 from 6 votes; Ceremony is rated 3.74/5 from 81 votes. Choose Basic Instinct for a patchouli and white floral character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Ceremony for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Basic Instinct or Ceremony?

Ceremony lasts longest (Ceremony 73/100, Basic Instinct 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Basic Instinct or Ceremony?

Projection is very close: Basic Instinct 63/100, Ceremony 62/100 for sillage.

Do Basic Instinct and Ceremony smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral accords. Common notes include Patchouli, Gardenia, Plum and Tuberose.

Is Basic Instinct or Ceremony better for summer or winter?

Basic Instinct suits evening wear; Ceremony suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Basic Instinct and Ceremony?

Basic Instinct features Patchouli, Gardenia, Plum, Apricot and Tuberose. Ceremony has top notes of Orange Blossom, Bergamot and Plum, heart notes of Tiare Flower, Tuberose, Gardenia and Jasmine, a base of Musk, Vanilla, Amber and Walnut.