Fragrance comparison

Dalai Lama vs Dominant

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

Updated 23 Oct 2026 74 ratings analysed

4 wins

Dalai Lama

Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

3.7218 votes

Rank #45,198 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

Dominant

Antonio Maretti

3.3856 votes

Rank #29,708 AromaticHerbal

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Dalai Lama takes 4 of 5 categories.

Dalai Lama
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Dominant
Choose it for a aromatic and herbal character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Dalai Lama4/5

Dominant1/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Dalai LamaParfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

DominantAntonio Maretti

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.72/ 5 · 18 votes

Have 35%Had 25%Want 40%

3.38/ 5 · 56 votes

Have 51%Had 20%Want 29%

Category winnerDalai LamaRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

17%Love

56%Like

11%Ok

17%Dislike

0%Hate

18 votes · too few to score

20%Love

32%Like

25%Ok

13%Dislike

11%Hate

56 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate68

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage46

♥ Love / hate59

Category winners

LongevityDalai Lama

SillageDalai Lama

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value43

Category winnerDalai LamaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

herbal84%

green77%

soft spicy69%

fresh61%

aromatic100%

herbal91%

soft spicy83%

citrus74%

warm spicy65%

anis56%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both aromatic, herbal and soft spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

TeaSagePepperLemonOakmossGeranium

No top / heart / base split published

Top

AppleLemonCardamom

Heart

SageTarragonGeranium

Base

OakmossVanillaCashmere Wood

InformationalShared notesSage, Lemon, Oakmoss and Geranium. Durations are only published for Dalai Lama, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer100

Fall100

Winter0

Day100

Night41

Spring73

Summer67

Fall100

Winter93

Day100

Night71

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

Casual 37%Work 35%Date 19%Party 9%

Men80

Unisex20

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#45,198

PerfumerChristian Louis

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#29,708

PerfumerCristian Calabro

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerDominantHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Dalai Lama by Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque trades bright sunshine for contemplative mountain air. It does not hit you with sweet confectionary citrus. Instead, the opening bursts with brisk, bitter lemon rinds steeped alongside earthy herbal sage and steamy black tea leaves. Sharp black pepper creates a prickly,…

Reviews →

Dominant opens with a brisk mix of lemon, apple and cardamom, then settles into an aromatic green heart with sage, tarragon and geranium. It reads fresh, slightly sweet and easy to wear, with a clean, shampoo-like feel. The oakmoss, vanilla and cashmere wood base softens it rather than making it heavy. Based on the av…

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, Dalai Lama or Dominant?

Dalai Lama takes 4 of 5 categories. Dalai Lama is rated 3.72/5 from 18 votes; Dominant is rated 3.38/5 from 56 votes. Choose Dalai Lama for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Dominant for a aromatic and herbal character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Dalai Lama or Dominant?

Dalai Lama lasts longest (Dalai Lama 60/100, Dominant 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Dalai Lama or Dominant?

Dalai Lama projects furthest (Dalai Lama 67/100, Dominant 46/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Dalai Lama and Dominant smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, herbal and soft spicy accords. Common notes include Sage, Lemon, Oakmoss and Geranium.

Is Dalai Lama or Dominant better for summer or winter?

Dalai Lama suits daytime wear; Dominant suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dalai Lama and Dominant?

Dalai Lama features Tea, Sage, Pepper, Lemon and Oakmoss. Dominant has top notes of Apple, Lemon and Cardamom, heart notes of Sage, Tarragon and Geranium, a base of Oakmoss, Vanilla and Cashmere Wood.