Fragrance comparison

Calm Lake vs Imperial Liberty

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 14 ratings analysed

2 wins

Calm Lake

Zara

3.9010 votes

Rank #21,693 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

Imperial Liberty

Aurora Scents

3.504 votes

Rank #59,491 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Calm Lake takes 2 of 4 categories.

Calm Lake
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Imperial Liberty
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Calm Lake2/4

Imperial Liberty1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Imperial Liberty
Sillage & projection: Calm Lake
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Calm Lake

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Calm LakeZara

Imperial LibertyAurora Scents

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.90/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 52%Had 0%Want 48%

3.50/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 46%Had 0%Want 54%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

10%Love

80%Like

0%Ok

10%Dislike

0%Hate

10 votes · too few to score

25%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

25%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity37

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage42

♥ Love / hate63

Category winners

LongevityImperial Liberty

SillageCalm Lake

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody83%

aromatic65%

fresh48%

powdery30%

aromatic100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

vanilla77%

citrus69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both woody, aromatic and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Pimento

Heart

Cardamom

Base

Cedar

Top

JuniperCardamomPimentoOrangeLemonMint

Heart

LavenderCedar

Base

VanillaMuskWoody Notes

InformationalShared notesPimento, Cardamom and Cedar. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall33

Winter17

Day100

Night40

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter67

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,693

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#59,491

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerCalm LakeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Calm Lake by Zara is a straightforward woody spicy fragrance that leans into minimalism. Released in 2018, it combines sharp pimento notes with a cardamom center, resting on a clean cedar base. It acts as a polite, daily-wear scent for office settings or casual spring days when you want something fresh, simple, and un…

Reviews →

Imperial Liberty by Aurora Scents offers a sharp, aromatic opening led by juniper and mint. It quickly softens into a heart of lavender and cedar, resting on a base of vanilla and musk. Designed for men, this 2023 release works well for daily office wear or casual spring outings, providing a clean, woody profile that …

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, Calm Lake or Imperial Liberty?

Calm Lake takes 2 of 4 categories. Calm Lake is rated 3.90/5 from 10 votes; Imperial Liberty is rated 3.50/5 from 4 votes. Choose Calm Lake for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Imperial Liberty for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Calm Lake or Imperial Liberty?

Imperial Liberty lasts longest (Imperial Liberty 67/100, Calm Lake 37/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Calm Lake or Imperial Liberty?

Calm Lake projects furthest (Calm Lake 69/100, Imperial Liberty 42/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Calm Lake and Imperial Liberty smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aromatic and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Pimento, Cardamom and Cedar.

Is Calm Lake or Imperial Liberty better for summer or winter?

Calm Lake suits daytime wear; Imperial Liberty suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Calm Lake and Imperial Liberty?

Calm Lake has top notes of Pimento, heart notes of Cardamom, a base of Cedar. Imperial Liberty has top notes of Juniper, Cardamom, Pimento and Orange, heart notes of Lavender and Cedar, a base of Vanilla, Musk and Woody Notes.