Fragrance comparison

Credo Athena vs Zam Zam

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 36 ratings analysed

3 wins

Credo Athena

Martin Lion

4.673 votes

Rank #49,537 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

54%scent match

Some overlap

Zam Zam

Areej Le Doré

3.9433 votes

Rank #47,485 MuskyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Credo Athena takes 3 of 4 categories.

Credo Athena
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Zam Zam
Choose it for a musky and warm spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Credo Athena3/4

Zam Zam1/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Credo AthenaMartin Lion

Zam ZamAreej Le Doré

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 50%Had 0%Want 50%

3.94/ 5 · 33 votes

Have 55%Had 15%Want 30%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

55%Love

15%Like

6%Ok

18%Dislike

6%Hate

33 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity93

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hate92

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage49

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityCredo Athena

SillageCredo Athena

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value92

¤ Price value55

Category winnerCredo AthenaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

sweet84%

powdery77%

fresh spicy69%

rose61%

musky100%

warm spicy92%

woody84%

yellow floral77%

powdery69%

rose61%

Scent match54%Some overlap · both warm spicy, woody and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

CinnamonSaffronPepperRaspberry

Heart2-4 hrs

Ylang-YlangJasmineRose

Base8-12 hrs

SandalwoodAmberwoodVanillaMuskOud

Notes

Natural MuskSaffronYlang-YlangRoseSandalwoodJasmine

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesSaffron, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Rose. Durations are only published for Credo Athena, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day32

Night100

Spring100

Summer85

Fall62

Winter62

Day100

Night47

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex67

Women33

Date 38%Party 33%Casual 17%Work 12%

Men10

Unisex33

Women57

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#49,537

PerfumerAyşe Fahriye Bakırcı

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#47,485

PerfumerRussian Adam

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerZam ZamHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Credo Athena by Martin Lion opens with a sharp burst of dry cinnamon, crackling black pepper, and sweet raspberry before revealing a lush heart of velvety rose and yellow ylang-ylang. The base anchors firmly into creamy sandalwood, dark oud, and rich vanilla that clings to pulse points for hours. It smells opulent yet…

Reviews →

Zam Zam by Areej Le Doré centers on a rich combination of natural musk, saffron, and ylang-ylang. Perfumer Russian Adam opens the composition with a heavy burst of yellow floral oil and warm spice, which settles into a dense heart of velvet rose and jasmine. The base relies on aged sandalwood distilled directly in min…

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, Credo Athena or Zam Zam?

Credo Athena takes 3 of 4 categories. Credo Athena is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes; Zam Zam is rated 3.94/5 from 33 votes. Choose Credo Athena for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Zam Zam for a musky and warm spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Credo Athena or Zam Zam?

Credo Athena lasts longest (Credo Athena 93/100, Zam Zam 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Credo Athena or Zam Zam?

Credo Athena projects furthest (Credo Athena 100/100, Zam Zam 49/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Credo Athena and Zam Zam smell similar?

Some overlap: a 54% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and powdery accords. Common notes include Saffron, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Rose.

Is Credo Athena or Zam Zam better for summer or winter?

Credo Athena suits evening wear; Zam Zam suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Credo Athena and Zam Zam?

Credo Athena has top notes of Cinnamon, Saffron, Pepper and Raspberry, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Sandalwood, Amberwood, Vanilla and Musk. Zam Zam features Natural Musk, Saffron, Ylang-Ylang, Rose and Sandalwood.