Fragrance comparison

Creatively Shanghai vs 9am

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

Updated 13 Oct 2026 976 ratings analysed

4 wins

Creatively Shanghai

Zara

4.06559 votes

Rank #4,693 CitrusWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

58%scent match

Closely related

9am

Afnan

3.68417 votes

Rank #5,979 CitrusMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Creatively Shanghai takes 4 of 7 categories.

Creatively Shanghai
Choose it for a citrus and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring.
9am
Choose it for a citrus and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.

Creatively Shanghai4/7

9am3/7

Ratings & consensus: Creatively Shanghai
Community sentiment: Creatively Shanghai
Longevity: 9am
Sillage & projection: 9am
Value for money: 9am
Versatility: Creatively Shanghai
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Creatively Shanghai

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Creatively ShanghaiZara

9amAfnan

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.06/ 5 · 559 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

3.68/ 5 · 417 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

Category winnerCreatively ShanghaiRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

39%Love

38%Like

14%Ok

8%Dislike

1%Hate

559 votes

30%Love

35%Like

18%Ok

11%Dislike

7%Hate

355 votes

Category winnerCreatively ShanghaiMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage47

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

Longevity9am

Sillage9am

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value77

¤ Price value79

Category winner9amBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

warm spicy83%

woody65%

aromatic48%

fruity30%

citrus100%

musky92%

aromatic84%

woody77%

warm spicy69%

lavender61%

Scent match58%Closely related · both citrus, warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Mandarin Orange

Heart

Cardamom

Base

Cedar

Top

LemonMandarin OrangeCardamomPink Pepper

Heart

LavenderOrange BlossomGreen AppleRose

Base

MuskMossCedarPatchouli

InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange, Cardamom and Cedar. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter31

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter19

Day–

Night–

Category winnerCreatively ShanghaiMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex65

Women31

Men29

Unisex53

Women18

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#4,693

PerfumerJo Malone

Launched—

Reviews71

Overall rank#5,979

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews56

Category winnerCreatively ShanghaiHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Creatively Shanghai by Zara opens with a lively splash of mandarin orange peel, balancing juicy citrus brightness with a subtle rind bitterness. Perfumer Jo Malone structures this woody aromatic blend around a heart of crushed cardamom that adds dry spice without turning heavy. As the initial citrus pop simmers down, …

Reviews →

Afnan 9am opens with bright lemon and mandarin, then settles into a clean lavender musk with green apple, soft woods, and a faint earthy edge. It reads fresh, lightly sweet, and easy to wear, though the sharp citrus opening and mossy-musky drydown can feel synthetic on some skin. This suits shoppers after an affordabl…

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, Creatively Shanghai or 9am?

Creatively Shanghai takes 4 of 7 categories. Creatively Shanghai is rated 4.06/5 from 559 votes; 9am is rated 3.68/5 from 417 votes. Choose Creatively Shanghai for a citrus and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring. Choose 9am for a citrus and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Creatively Shanghai or 9am?

9am lasts longest (9am 66/100, Creatively Shanghai 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Creatively Shanghai or 9am?

9am projects furthest (9am 58/100, Creatively Shanghai 47/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Creatively Shanghai and 9am smell similar?

Closely related: a 58% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange, Cardamom and Cedar.

Is Creatively Shanghai or 9am better for summer or winter?

For summer, Creatively Shanghai is the stronger pick. For winter, Creatively Shanghai is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Creatively Shanghai and 9am?

Creatively Shanghai has top notes of Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Cardamom, a base of Cedar. 9am has top notes of Lemon, Mandarin Orange, Cardamom and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Lavender, Orange Blossom, Green Apple and Rose, a base of Musk, Moss, Cedar and Patchouli.