Fragrance comparison

Dreaming With Ghosts vs Qessence

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 314 ratings analysed

Dreaming With Ghosts

Mark Buxton

3.85226 votes

Rank #16,846 SweetFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

14%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Qessence

Missala

3.7988 votes

Rank #13,433 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Qessence takes 4 of 7 categories.

Dreaming With Ghosts
Choose it for a sweet and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Qessence
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Dreaming With Ghosts3/7

Qessence4/7

Ratings & consensus: Dreaming With Ghosts
Community sentiment: Dreaming With Ghosts
Longevity: Qessence
Sillage & projection: Qessence
Value for money: Qessence
Versatility: Dreaming With Ghosts
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Qessence

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Dreaming With GhostsMark Buxton

QessenceMissala

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.85/ 5 · 226 votes

Have 42%Had 13%Want 44%

3.79/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 25%Had 17%Want 58%

Category winnerDreaming With GhostsRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

30%Love

40%Like

18%Ok

8%Dislike

4%Hate

226 votes

27%Love

50%Like

2%Ok

20%Dislike

2%Hate

66 votes

Category winnerDreaming With GhostsMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage51

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityQessence

SillageQessence

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price value64

Category winnerQessenceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

floral92%

fruity84%

aromatic77%

leather69%

fresh61%

woody100%

aromatic92%

warm spicy84%

earthy77%

amber69%

rose61%

Scent match14%Clearly different · both aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top1 to 2 hours

QuinceMarigold

Heart2 to 4 hours

LeatherPeony

Base3 to 6 hours

VetiverVanilla

Top

ChamomileMarigoldSaffronCorianderCinnamonOrange

Heart

Damask RoseelemiYlang-YlangIrisJasmineCalamus

Base

OakmossOlibanumPatchouliAgarwood (Oud)LabdanumVirginia CedarMuskVetiver

InformationalShared notesMarigold and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Dreaming With Ghosts, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring84

Summer58

Fall100

Winter48

Day100

Night37

Spring48

Summer26

Fall100

Winter74

Day100

Night94

Category winnerDreaming With GhostsMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men7

Unisex48

Women45

Men10

Unisex40

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#16,846

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#13,433

PerfumerJean-Claude Astier

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerQessenceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Dreaming With Ghosts by Mark Buxton is an unusual fruity leather fragrance built on unexpected contrasts. It opens with tart, honeyed quince paired with the sharp, herbal brightness of marigold. As that vivid fruitiness softens, a smooth middle tier of supple leather and airy peony steps forward, preventing the scent …

Reviews →

Qessence is a dry, spicy rose and incense scent with an old-school oriental feel. It opens herbal and warm, then settles into a balsamic, mossy, woody base with powdery edges. It suits someone who enjoys complex, mature perfumes more than easy crowd-pleasers. The rose, resins and woods can read quite unisex, especial…

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, Dreaming With Ghosts or Qessence?

Qessence takes 4 of 7 categories. Dreaming With Ghosts is rated 3.85/5 from 226 votes; Qessence is rated 3.79/5 from 88 votes. Choose Dreaming With Ghosts for a sweet and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Qessence for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Dreaming With Ghosts or Qessence?

Qessence lasts longest (Qessence 83/100, Dreaming With Ghosts 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Dreaming With Ghosts or Qessence?

Qessence projects furthest (Qessence 75/100, Dreaming With Ghosts 51/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Dreaming With Ghosts and Qessence smell similar?

Clearly different: a 14% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic accords. Common notes include Marigold and Vetiver.

Is Dreaming With Ghosts or Qessence better for summer or winter?

For summer, Dreaming With Ghosts is the stronger pick. For winter, Qessence is the stronger pick. Dreaming With Ghosts suits daytime wear; Qessence suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Dreaming With Ghosts and Qessence?

Dreaming With Ghosts has top notes of Quince and Marigold, heart notes of Leather and Peony, a base of Vetiver and Vanilla. Qessence has top notes of Chamomile, Marigold, Saffron and Coriander, heart notes of Damask Rose, elemi, Ylang-Ylang and Iris, a base of Oakmoss, Olibanum, Patchouli and Agarwood (Oud).