Fragrance comparison

Candy Shot vs Cotton Candy

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 94 ratings analysed

Candy Shot

Helder Machado Perfumes

3.3614 votes

Rank #54,655 SweetPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

46%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Cotton Candy

Gulf Orchid

3.7480 votes

Rank #13,350 PowderySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cotton Candy takes 4 of 5 categories.

Candy Shot
Choose it for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cotton Candy
Choose it for a powdery and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Candy Shot1/5

Cotton Candy4/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Candy ShotHelder Machado Perfumes

Cotton CandyGulf Orchid

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.36/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 9%Had 1%Want 90%

3.74/ 5 · 80 votes

Have 39%Had 5%Want 56%

Category winnerCotton CandyRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

29%Love

29%Like

7%Ok

21%Dislike

14%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

26%Love

40%Like

16%Ok

16%Dislike

1%Hate

80 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate59

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage51

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityCandy Shot

SillageCotton Candy

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value70

Category winnerCotton CandyBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

powdery92%

vanilla84%

lactonic77%

musky69%

fresh61%

powdery100%

sweet92%

white floral84%

caramel77%

rose69%

musky61%

Scent match46%Some overlap · both sweet, powdery and musky

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CitrusesLavenderEucalyptus

Heart

MilkLily of the ValleyRose

Base

VanillaMarshmallowMusk

Top20-30 mins

RoseCotton CandyLily of the ValleyNeroli

Heart2-4 hrs

Orange BlossomMuskVioletMarshmallow

Base5-7 hrs

Powdery NotesCaramelAmberMilk

InformationalShared notesMilk, Lily of the Valley, Rose and Marshmallow. Durations are only published for Cotton Candy, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring71

Summer14

Fall100

Winter86

Day83

Night100

Spring97

Summer100

Fall70

Winter47

Day100

Night41

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men8

Unisex23

Women69

Men4

Unisex11

Women84

Casual 40%Work 25%Date 21%Party 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#54,655

PerfumerIFF

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#13,350

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews16

Category winnerCotton CandyHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Helder Machado Perfumes launched Candy Shot in 2024 as a floral fruity gourmand built around contrasting temperatures. It opens with an unusual shock of herbal eucalyptus and sharp lavender cut with bright citruses before softening into a lush heart of warm milk, rose, and lily of the valley. The base settles into pow…

Reviews →

Gulf Orchid Cotton Candy opens with an immediate burst of spun sugar, neroli, and dewy lily of the valley. It avoids sticky syrup. Within ten minutes, the initial solvent lift settles into a plush cloud of airy marshmallow, candied violet, and clean white florals. You get the sweetness of fairground treats tempered by…

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, Candy Shot or Cotton Candy?

Cotton Candy takes 4 of 5 categories. Candy Shot is rated 3.36/5 from 14 votes; Cotton Candy is rated 3.74/5 from 80 votes. Choose Candy Shot for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cotton Candy for a powdery and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Candy Shot or Cotton Candy?

They last about the same: Candy Shot 60/100, Cotton Candy 58/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Candy Shot or Cotton Candy?

Projection is very close: Cotton Candy 51/100, Candy Shot 50/100 for sillage.

Do Candy Shot and Cotton Candy smell similar?

Some overlap: a 46% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, powdery and musky accords. Common notes include Milk, Lily of the Valley, Rose and Marshmallow.

Is Candy Shot or Cotton Candy better for summer or winter?

Candy Shot suits evening wear; Cotton Candy suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Candy Shot and Cotton Candy?

Candy Shot has top notes of Citruses, Lavender and Eucalyptus, heart notes of Milk, Lily of the Valley and Rose, a base of Vanilla, Marshmallow and Musk. Cotton Candy has top notes of Rose, Cotton Candy, Lily of the Valley and Neroli, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Musk, Violet and Marshmallow, a base of Powdery Notes, Caramel, Amber and Milk.