Fragrance comparison

Bitter Mandarin vs Caliente Perfume

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 129 ratings analysed

3 wins

Bitter Mandarin

Jo Malone London

4.09127 votes

Rank #13,151 CitrusFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

Caliente Perfume

A Wing & A Prayer Perfumes

4.002 votes

Rank #53,376 White FloralIris

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Bitter Mandarin takes 3 of 3 categories.

Bitter Mandarin
Choose it for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Caliente Perfume
Choose it for a white floral and iris character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Bitter Mandarin3/3

Caliente Perfume0/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Bitter MandarinJo Malone London

Caliente PerfumeA Wing & A Prayer Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.09/ 5 · 127 votes

Have 85%Had 15%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 14%Had 0%Want 86%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

42%Like

20%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

127 votes

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage44

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity40

〰 Sillage25

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityBitter Mandarin

SillageBitter Mandarin

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value37

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

fresh spicy83%

amber65%

iris48%

powdery30%

white floral100%

iris92%

vanilla84%

violet77%

aromatic69%

earthy61%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both iris

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Mandarin OrangeBergamotPetitgrain

Heart2-3 hrs

Orange

Base4-6 hrs

AmberIris

Notes

Tonka BeanIrisJasminePetitgrainBergamotAmber

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Petitgrain, Amber and Iris. Durations are only published for Bitter Mandarin, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter30

Day100

Night39

Spring0

Summer100

Fall0

Winter100

Day100

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men7

Unisex70

Women23

Casual 41%Work 34%Date 15%Party 10%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,151

PerfumerMichel Almairac

Launched—

Reviews16

Overall rank#53,376

PerfumerJane Cate

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerBitter MandarinHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Opens with a burst of mandarin orange, tart bergamot, and bitter green petitgrain. Unlike sugar-drenched citrus colognes, this captures the dry white pith of the rind alongside juicy orange flesh. As the initial citrus blast settles, powdery iris emerges over a warm amber base. The scent feels like sipping an iced Ita…

Reviews →

Caliente Perfume is an aromatic spicy unisex scent that reads more like a spicy floral on skin, with a soft, powdery iris and a creamy vanilla-tonka sweetness underneath. Expect a bright, slightly green-citrus lift up top, then a warm, clove-like floral effect that one wearer compared to carnation, before it settles …

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, Bitter Mandarin or Caliente Perfume?

Bitter Mandarin takes 3 of 3 categories. Bitter Mandarin is rated 4.09/5 from 127 votes; Caliente Perfume is rated 4.00/5 from 2 votes. Choose Bitter Mandarin for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Caliente Perfume for a white floral and iris character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Bitter Mandarin or Caliente Perfume?

Bitter Mandarin lasts longest (Bitter Mandarin 55/100, Caliente Perfume 40/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Bitter Mandarin or Caliente Perfume?

Bitter Mandarin projects furthest (Bitter Mandarin 44/100, Caliente Perfume 25/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Bitter Mandarin and Caliente Perfume smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share iris accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Petitgrain, Amber and Iris.

Is Bitter Mandarin or Caliente Perfume better for summer or winter?

Bitter Mandarin suits daytime wear; Caliente Perfume suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Bitter Mandarin and Caliente Perfume?

Bitter Mandarin has top notes of Mandarin Orange, Bergamot and Petitgrain, heart notes of Orange, a base of Amber and Iris. Caliente Perfume features Tonka Bean, Iris, Jasmine, Petitgrain and Bergamot.