Fragrance comparison

Dear John vs Napoleon

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 366 ratings analysed

Dear John

Lush

3.77358 votes

Rank #11,486 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

2 wins

Napoleon

JoAnne Bassett

3.508 votes

Rank #25,148 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Napoleon takes 2 of 3 categories.

Dear John
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Napoleon
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Dear John1/3

Napoleon2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Napoleon
Sillage & projection: Napoleon
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Dear John

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Dear JohnLush

NapoleonJoAnne Bassett

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.77/ 5 · 358 votes

Have 75%Had 25%Want 0%

3.50/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 26%Had 6%Want 68%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

31%Love

44%Like

11%Ok

12%Dislike

1%Hate

300 votes

25%Love

38%Like

0%Ok

38%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage86

♥ Love / hate63

Category winners

LongevityNapoleon

SillageNapoleon

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value57

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic90%

warm spicy80%

citrus70%

conifer60%

green50%

woody100%

aromatic90%

fresh spicy80%

warm spicy70%

citrus60%

amber50%

Scent match55%Closely related · both woody, aromatic and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

LimeCloveVetiverPineVirginia CedarCorianderCoffee

No top / heart / base split published

Top15-30 mins

LimeAmalfi LemonVerbena

Heart2-4 hrs

Juniper BerriesCloveTobaccoPepperImmortelleRosemaryWoodsy Notes

Base6-8+ hrs

Virginia CedarMyrhhBlack SpruceLabdanumCitrusesVetiverJasmine

InformationalShared notesLime, Clove, Vetiver and Virginia Cedar. Durations are only published for Napoleon, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring51

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring75

Summer75

Fall100

Winter50

Day100

Night75

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men49

Unisex46

Women4

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#11,486

PerfumerMark Constantine

Launched—

Reviews17

Overall rank#25,148

PerfumerJoAnne Bassett

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerDear JohnHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Dear John is a dry, smoky woody scent with clove spice, cedar, vetiver and a small but noticeable coffee twist. It opens brighter with lime and aromatic lift, then settles into something warmer, earthier and more nostalgic. The overall feel is unisex, slightly masculine leaning, and best suited to cool weather or anyo…

Reviews →

Napoleon by JoAnne Bassett opens with an invigorating burst of tart lime, Amalfi lemon, and crushed herbal verbena before plunging into a dense thicket of black spruce, juniper berries, and cured tobacco. It smells like a crisp conifer forest laced with warm clove pomanders and bittersweet myrrh resin. You get pungent…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Dear John or Napoleon?

Napoleon takes 2 of 3 categories. Dear John is rated 3.77/5 from 358 votes; Napoleon is rated 3.50/5 from 8 votes. Choose Dear John for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Napoleon for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Dear John or Napoleon?

Napoleon lasts longest (Napoleon 70/100, Dear John 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Dear John or Napoleon?

Napoleon projects furthest (Napoleon 86/100, Dear John 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Dear John and Napoleon smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aromatic and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Lime, Clove, Vetiver and Virginia Cedar.

Is Dear John or Napoleon better for summer or winter?

Napoleon suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dear John and Napoleon?

Dear John features Lime, Clove, Vetiver, Pine and Virginia Cedar. Napoleon has top notes of Lime, Amalfi Lemon and Verbena, heart notes of Juniper Berries, Clove, Tobacco and Pepper, a base of Virginia Cedar, Myrhh, Black Spruce and Labdanum.