Fragrance comparison

Costa Rica Instant Vacation vs Malibu Surf

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 83 ratings analysed

Costa Rica Instant Vacation

mark.

4.2516 votes

Rank #36,413 FruityOzonic

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Malibu Surf

Juicy Couture

3.9067 votes

Rank #16,484 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Malibu Surf takes 4 of 5 categories.

Costa Rica Instant Vacation
Choose it for a fruity and ozonic character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Malibu Surf
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Costa Rica Instant Vacation1/5

Malibu Surf4/5

Ratings & consensus: Costa Rica Instant Vacation
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Malibu Surf
Sillage & projection: Malibu Surf
Value for money: Malibu Surf
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Malibu Surf

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Costa Rica Instant Vacationmark.

Malibu SurfJuicy Couture

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.25/ 5 · 16 votes

Have 25%Had 27%Want 48%

3.90/ 5 · 67 votes

Have 31%Had 12%Want 56%

Category winnerCosta Rica Instant VacationRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

31%Love

63%Like

6%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

16 votes · too few to score

31%Love

43%Like

10%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

67 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage45

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ Longevity59

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityMalibu Surf

SillageMalibu Surf

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value67

¤ Price value80

Category winnerMalibu SurfBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

ozonic90%

aquatic80%

tropical70%

floral60%

musky50%

fruity100%

sweet92%

floral84%

ozonic77%

citrus69%

white floral61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both fruity, ozonic and floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

WatermelonGuava

Heart1 to 2 hours

Mango BlossomOrchid

Base2 to 3 hours

MuskSandDriftwood

Top

StrawberryWatermelonRed AppleMandarin Orange

Heart

FrangipaniTuberoseJasmine Sambac

Base

VanillaDriftwoodMuskAmberwood

InformationalShared notesWatermelon, Musk and Driftwood. Durations are only published for Costa Rica Instant Vacation, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring55

Summer100

Fall0

Winter0

Day100

Night13

Spring45

Summer100

Fall5

Winter0

Day100

Night10

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#36,413

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#16,484

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews10

Category winnerMalibu SurfHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Costa Rica Instant Vacation by mark. is a cheerful, sun-drenched floral fruity fragrance built for warm weather. It opens with an instant burst of crisp watermelon and sweet, juicy guava that feels bright and watery. As the initial splash calms, the heart introduces tropical mango blossom alongside soft orchid, giving…

Reviews →

Malibu Surf by Juicy Couture is a floral fruity fragrance built around a playful mix of strawberry and watermelon. Launched in 2016, it delivers a sunny, crisp opening that settles into a soft heart of frangipani and jasmine. It is a light, easy-wearing choice for casual daytime outings during the peak heat of summer,…

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, Costa Rica Instant Vacation or Malibu Surf?

Malibu Surf takes 4 of 5 categories. Costa Rica Instant Vacation is rated 4.25/5 from 16 votes; Malibu Surf is rated 3.90/5 from 67 votes. Choose Costa Rica Instant Vacation for a fruity and ozonic character. Wins on ratings & consensus. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Malibu Surf for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Costa Rica Instant Vacation or Malibu Surf?

Malibu Surf lasts longest (Malibu Surf 59/100, Costa Rica Instant Vacation 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Costa Rica Instant Vacation or Malibu Surf?

Malibu Surf projects furthest (Malibu Surf 61/100, Costa Rica Instant Vacation 45/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Costa Rica Instant Vacation and Malibu Surf smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, ozonic and floral accords. Common notes include Watermelon, Musk and Driftwood.

Is Costa Rica Instant Vacation or Malibu Surf better for summer or winter?

Costa Rica Instant Vacation suits daytime wear; Malibu Surf suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Costa Rica Instant Vacation and Malibu Surf?

Costa Rica Instant Vacation has top notes of Watermelon and Guava, heart notes of Mango Blossom and Orchid, a base of Musk, Sand and Driftwood. Malibu Surf has top notes of Strawberry, Watermelon, Red Apple and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Frangipani, Tuberose and Jasmine Sambac, a base of Vanilla, Driftwood, Musk and Amberwood.