Fragrance comparison

Charles Street vs Instinct

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 92 ratings analysed

4 wins

Charles Street

Mark Birley

4.0688 votes

Rank #9,808 LeatherFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

Instinct

Pisello Parfum

3.004 votes

Rank #63,932 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Charles Street takes 4 of 4 categories.

Charles Street
Choose it for a leather and fruity character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Instinct
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Charles Street4/4

Instinct0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Charles StreetMark Birley

InstinctPisello Parfum

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.06/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 33%Had 16%Want 51%

3.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 14%Had 10%Want 76%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

53%Like

0%Ok

14%Dislike

0%Hate

88 votes

50%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

50%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate50

Category winners

LongevityCharles Street

SillageCharles Street

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value56

¤ Price value25

Category winnerCharles StreetBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

fruity92%

sweet84%

powdery77%

warm spicy69%

white floral61%

woody100%

aromatic92%

fruity84%

warm spicy77%

powdery69%

earthy61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both fruity, powdery and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

CoffeeNutmegAngelicaCarrot SeedsThyme

Heart2 to 3 hours

RaspberrySaffronRoseIrisAfrican Orange FlowerLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineTuberose

Base4 to 6 hours

LeatherVanilleAmberoak mossPatchouli

Top

RaspberrySaffronThymeFruity NotesCypressGreen NotesCardamomItalian Orange

Heart

OlibanumJasmineRoseOrris RootJasmine SambacIrisAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Pear

Base

Woody NotesAmberVetiverVirginia CedarMuskVanillaMossPatchouli

InformationalShared notesThyme, Raspberry, Saffron and Rose. Durations are only published for Charles Street, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring72

Summer56

Fall100

Winter84

Day92

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men80

Unisex20

Women0

Men0

Unisex33

Women67

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#9,808

PerfumerChristian Plesch

Launched—

Reviews23

Overall rank#63,932

PerfumerManuel Alejandro Bojorquez Segovia

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCharles StreetHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Charles Street by Mark Birley is a woody spicy fragrance built around smooth leather, roasted coffee, and subtle fruit sweetness. Released in 2011 and composed by perfumer Christian Plesch, it takes an understated approach to traditional leather perfumery. The scent opens with an unexpected pairing of dark coffee, gra…

Reviews →

Instinct by Pisello Parfum introduces a dry, heavy leather profile energized by a sharp twist of raspberry and saffron. Launched in 2024, this unisex fragrance balances intense woodiness with green elements like cypress, making it a rugged yet sweet option for crisp autumn evenings.

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, Charles Street or Instinct?

Charles Street takes 4 of 4 categories. Charles Street is rated 4.06/5 from 88 votes; Instinct is rated 3.00/5 from 4 votes. Choose Charles Street for a leather and fruity character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Instinct for a woody and aromatic character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Charles Street or Instinct?

Charles Street lasts longest (Charles Street 64/100, Instinct 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Charles Street or Instinct?

Charles Street projects furthest (Charles Street 59/100, Instinct 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Charles Street and Instinct smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, powdery and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Thyme, Raspberry, Saffron and Rose.

Is Charles Street or Instinct better for summer or winter?

Charles Street suits evening wear; Instinct suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Charles Street and Instinct?

Charles Street has top notes of Coffee, Nutmeg, Angelica and Carrot Seeds, heart notes of Raspberry, Saffron, Rose and Iris, a base of Leather, Vanille, Amber and oak moss. Instinct has top notes of Raspberry, Saffron, Thyme and Fruity Notes, heart notes of Olibanum, Jasmine, Rose and Orris Root, a base of Woody Notes, Amber, Vetiver and Virginia Cedar.