Fragrance comparison

Cerissa vs Scent of Fail

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 52 ratings analysed

Cerissa

Charles Revson

4.2921 votes

Rank #51,394 WoodyMossy

Full profile Similar & dupes

49%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Scent of Fail

Miguel Matos

3.2531 votes

Rank #17,192 GreenWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Scent of Fail takes 4 of 5 categories.

Cerissa
Choose it for a woody and mossy character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in fall, evening wear.
Scent of Fail
Choose it for a green and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Cerissa1/5

Scent of Fail4/5

Ratings & consensus: Cerissa
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Scent of Fail
Sillage & projection: Scent of Fail
Value for money: Scent of Fail
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Scent of Fail

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CerissaCharles Revson

Scent of FailMiguel Matos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.29/ 5 · 21 votes

Have 41%Had 25%Want 34%

3.25/ 5 · 31 votes

Have 22%Had 0%Want 78%

Category winnerCerissaRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

48%Love

43%Like

0%Ok

10%Dislike

0%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

35%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

53%Dislike

12%Hate

17 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate58

Category winners

LongevityScent of Fail

SillageScent of Fail

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value75

Category winnerScent of FailBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

mossy86%

floral72%

warm spicy58%

amber44%

earthy30%

green100%

woody92%

floral84%

animalic77%

mossy69%

citrus61%

Scent match49%Some overlap · both woody, floral and mossy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Woody NotesOakmossFloral NotesOriental notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Green NotesCitrusesFruity Notes

Heart

NarcissusFloral NotesJasmine

Base

Woody NotesAnimal notesOakmoss

InformationalShared notesWoody Notes, Oakmoss and Floral Notes. Durations are only published for Cerissa, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer50

Fall100

Winter83

Day85

Night100

Spring75

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex14

Women86

Work 32%Casual 30%Date 24%Party 14%

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#51,394

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#17,192

PerfumerMiguel Matos

Launched—

Reviews17

Category winnerScent of FailHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Charles Revson Cerissa is a classic 1974 chypre that cuts straight through modern sugar. It smells crisp, herbal, and unapologetically earthy. A brisk burst of green florals opens the wear before dry oakmoss and sharp woody notes take over the midtone. You get zero synthetic candy fluff here. Instead, warm spicy resin…

Reviews →

Scent of Fail is a green animalic chypre with citrus, abstract florals, moss, woods, oud-like darkness, and a deliberately odd backstory. Miguel Matos describes it as built from lab failures, and the result reads more like a raw artistic chypre than an easy crowd pleaser. Expect bitter green lift, narcissus-style flor…

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, Cerissa or Scent of Fail?

Scent of Fail takes 4 of 5 categories. Cerissa is rated 4.29/5 from 21 votes; Scent of Fail is rated 3.25/5 from 31 votes. Choose Cerissa for a woody and mossy character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Scent of Fail for a green and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Cerissa or Scent of Fail?

Scent of Fail lasts longest (Scent of Fail 80/100, Cerissa 65/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cerissa or Scent of Fail?

Scent of Fail projects furthest (Scent of Fail 73/100, Cerissa 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cerissa and Scent of Fail smell similar?

Some overlap: a 49% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, floral and mossy accords. Common notes include Woody Notes, Oakmoss and Floral Notes.

Is Cerissa or Scent of Fail better for summer or winter?

Cerissa suits evening wear; Scent of Fail suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cerissa and Scent of Fail?

Cerissa features Woody Notes, Oakmoss, Floral Notes and Oriental notes. Scent of Fail has top notes of Green Notes, Citruses and Fruity Notes, heart notes of Narcissus, Floral Notes and Jasmine, a base of Woody Notes, Animal notes and Oakmoss.