Fragrance comparison

Calm Lake vs Kingmaker

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 37 ratings analysed

3 wins

Calm Lake

Zara

3.9010 votes

Rank #21,693 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

35%scent match

Some overlap

Kingmaker

Chris Collins · 2023

2.9627 votes

Rank #49,597 WoodyOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Calm Lake takes 3 of 5 categories.

Calm Lake
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Kingmaker
Choose it for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Calm Lake3/5

Kingmaker2/5

Ratings & consensus: Calm Lake
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Kingmaker
Sillage & projection: Kingmaker
Value for money: Calm Lake
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

KingmakerChris Collins

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.90/ 5 · 10 votes

Have 52%Had 0%Want 48%

2.96/ 5 · 27 votes

Have 20%Had 4%Want 77%

Category winnerCalm LakeRating 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

33%Love

15%Like

7%Ok

4%Dislike

41%Hate

27 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity37

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity86

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate49

Category winners

LongevityKingmaker

SillageKingmaker

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value33

Category winnerCalm LakeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody83%

aromatic65%

fresh48%

powdery30%

woody100%

oud88%

patchouli77%

balsamic65%

fresh spicy53%

warm spicy42%

Scent match35%Some overlap · both woody 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

Top20-30 mins

PimentoBergamotCardamom

Heart2-4 hrs

Gurjan balsamLavenderRose Petals

Base8-12+ hrs

PatchouliOudSandalwood

InformationalShared notesPimento and Cardamom. Durations are only published for Kingmaker, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall33

Winter17

Day100

Night40

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter78

Day32

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men62

Unisex38

Women0

Party 40%Date 33%Casual 16%Work 10%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,693

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#49,597

PerfumerHamid Merati-Kashani

Launched2023

Reviews4

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 →

Kingmaker by Chris Collins hits the skin with brute force. The opening does not apologize. You get an unvarnished wallop of natural Assam oud backed by the prickly heat of pimento berry and cool crushed cardamom. Italian bergamot flashes briefly. Then, sticky gurjan balsam pulls the entire composition downward into de…

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 Kingmaker?

Calm Lake takes 3 of 5 categories. Calm Lake is rated 3.90/5 from 10 votes; Kingmaker is rated 2.96/5 from 27 votes. Choose Calm Lake for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Kingmaker for a woody and oud character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Calm Lake or Kingmaker?

Kingmaker lasts longest (Kingmaker 86/100, Calm Lake 37/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Calm Lake or Kingmaker?

Projection is very close: Kingmaker 70/100, Calm Lake 69/100 for sillage.

Do Calm Lake and Kingmaker smell similar?

Some overlap: a 35% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Pimento and Cardamom.

Is Calm Lake or Kingmaker better for summer or winter?

Calm Lake suits daytime wear; Kingmaker suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Calm Lake and Kingmaker?

Calm Lake has top notes of Pimento, heart notes of Cardamom, a base of Cedar. Kingmaker has top notes of Pimento, Bergamot and Cardamom, heart notes of Gurjan balsam, Lavender and Rose Petals, a base of Patchouli, Oud and Sandalwood.