Fragrance comparison

Emerald Musk vs Cartago

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 60 ratings analysed

Emerald Musk

Carolina Herrera

4.4448 votes

Rank #13,651 PowderyMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

76%scent match

Very similar

3 wins

Cartago

Azha Perfumes

4.2512 votes

Rank #18,004 RosePowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cartago takes 3 of 5 categories.

Emerald Musk
Choose it for a powdery and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cartago
Choose it for a rose and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Emerald Musk2/5

Cartago3/5

Ratings & consensus: Emerald Musk
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Cartago
Sillage & projection: Cartago
Value for money: Cartago
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Emerald Musk

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Emerald MuskCarolina Herrera

CartagoAzha Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.44/ 5 · 48 votes

Have 16%Had 3%Want 81%

4.25/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 71%Had 8%Want 21%

Category winnerEmerald MuskRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

60%Love

27%Like

8%Ok

4%Dislike

0%Hate

48 votes

67%Love

17%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

8%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate86

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityCartago

SillageCartago

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value27

¤ Price value85

Category winnerCartagoBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

musky92%

leather84%

iris77%

rose69%

animalic61%

rose100%

powdery92%

iris84%

musky77%

amber69%

leather61%

Scent match76%Very similar · both powdery, musky and rose

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Pink Pepper

Heart2-4 hrs

LeatherOrrisRose

Base6-8+ hrs

MuskVanilla BeanAmber

Top

RoseRed FruitsPink Pepper

Heart

OrrisLeatherJasmine

Base

MuskAmberPatchouli

InformationalShared notesPink Pepper, Leather, Orris and Rose. Durations are only published for Emerald Musk, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring83

Summer48

Fall100

Winter87

Day64

Night100

Spring100

Summer56

Fall100

Winter33

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men10

Unisex60

Women30

Date 34%Work 27%Casual 23%Party 17%

Men38

Unisex38

Women23

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,651

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#18,004

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews34

Category winnerEmerald MuskHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Emerald Musk by Carolina Herrera turns the traditional animalic category on its head. Do not expect a raw, pungent barnyard musk here. Instead, the first spray unleashes a spirited crackle of pink pepper that quickly yields to butter-soft leather, earthy orris root, and a subtle hint of morning rose. As the perfume wa…

Reviews →

Cartago opens with a bold rose note sharpened by pink pepper and softened by sweet red fruits. As it settles, the scent turns more powdery and polished, with orris and jasmine giving it a lipstick-like floral texture over musk, amber, and patchouli. It reads dressy, rosy, and fairly linear, with stronger appeal for we…

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, Emerald Musk or Cartago?

Cartago takes 3 of 5 categories. Emerald Musk is rated 4.44/5 from 48 votes; Cartago is rated 4.25/5 from 12 votes. Choose Emerald Musk for a powdery and musky character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cartago for a rose and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Emerald Musk or Cartago?

Cartago lasts longest (Cartago 78/100, Emerald Musk 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Emerald Musk or Cartago?

Cartago projects furthest (Cartago 75/100, Emerald Musk 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Emerald Musk and Cartago smell similar?

Very similar: a 76% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, musky and rose accords. Common notes include Pink Pepper, Leather, Orris and Rose.

Is Emerald Musk or Cartago better for summer or winter?

Emerald Musk suits evening wear; Cartago suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Emerald Musk and Cartago?

Emerald Musk has top notes of Pink Pepper, heart notes of Leather, Orris and Rose, a base of Musk, Vanilla Bean and Amber. Cartago has top notes of Rose, Red Fruits and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Orris, Leather and Jasmine, a base of Musk, Amber and Patchouli.