Fragrance comparison

Creation N° 09 vs Empress

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 169 ratings analysed

2 wins

Creation N° 09

Ulric de Varens

4.6414 votes

Rank #41,076 FruityWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

Empress

Sean John

3.55155 votes

Rank #11,507 FruityCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Creation N° 09 takes 2 of 5 categories.

Creation N° 09
Choose it for a fruity and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in spring, evening wear.
Empress
Choose it for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Creation N° 092/5

Empress1/5

Ratings & consensus: Creation N° 09
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Creation N° 09
Sillage & projection: Tie
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Empress

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Creation N° 09Ulric de Varens

EmpressSean John

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.64/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 19%Had 24%Want 57%

3.55/ 5 · 155 votes

Have 46%Had 21%Want 33%

Category winnerCreation N° 09Rating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

64%Love

36%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

17%Love

53%Like

5%Ok

24%Dislike

1%Hate

150 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate91

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityCreation N° 09

SillageTie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

woody92%

patchouli84%

earthy77%

citrus69%

mossy61%

fruity100%

citrus92%

sweet84%

tropical77%

floral69%

caramel61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both fruity and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

CranberryPatchoulioak mossVanilleMandarin OrangePomegranateRaspberryRose

No top / heart / base split published

Top

LimeCarambola (Star Fruit)Mandarin OrangeCranberry

Heart

RaspberryCardamomPassion FlowerAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Peony

Base

CaramelSandalwoodVanilleMusk

InformationalShared notesCranberry, Vanille, Mandarin Orange and Raspberry. Durations are only published for Creation N° 09, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer75

Fall75

Winter100

Day92

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter45

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Party 32%Date 28%Casual 26%Work 14%

Men18

Unisex27

Women55

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#41,076

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#11,507

PerfumerIFF

Launched—

Reviews58

Category winnerEmpressHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Creation N° 09 by Ulric de Varens brings a tangy, tart opening that immediately wakes up the nose. It hits with sour cranberry, brisk mandarin orange, and juicy pomegranate. The alcohol flashes off quickly. Within minutes, the sharp citrus edge softens into a rich heart of crimson rose and sweet raspberry. Dark patcho…

Reviews →

Empress by Sean John is a fruity floral fragrance launched in 2011. It blends bright lime, star fruit, and cranberry with a heart of raspberry and passion flower, settling onto a base of caramel and vanilla. This composition creates a sparkling, clean, and subtly sweet scent profile that sits comfortably on the skin d…

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, Creation N° 09 or Empress?

Creation N° 09 takes 2 of 5 categories. Creation N° 09 is rated 4.64/5 from 14 votes; Empress is rated 3.55/5 from 155 votes. Choose Creation N° 09 for a fruity and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Empress for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Creation N° 09 or Empress?

Creation N° 09 lasts longest (Creation N° 09 71/100, Empress 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Creation N° 09 or Empress?

Projection is very close: Creation N° 09 53/100, Empress 53/100 for sillage.

Do Creation N° 09 and Empress smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity and citrus accords. Common notes include Cranberry, Vanille, Mandarin Orange and Raspberry.

Is Creation N° 09 or Empress better for summer or winter?

Creation N° 09 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Creation N° 09 and Empress?

Creation N° 09 features Cranberry, Patchouli, oak moss, Vanille and Mandarin Orange. Empress has top notes of Lime, Carambola (Star Fruit), Mandarin Orange and Cranberry, heart notes of Raspberry, Cardamom, Passion Flower and Ambrette (Musk Mallow), a base of Caramel, Sandalwood, Vanille and Musk.