Fragrance comparison

Emotional Drop vs Presence

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 203 ratings analysed

Emotional Drop

Mark Buxton

4.00148 votes

Rank #13,734 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

35%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Presence

Houbigant

4.1555 votes

Rank #31,463 MossyFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Presence takes 5 of 8 categories.

Emotional Drop
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Presence
Choose it for a mossy and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Emotional Drop3/8

Presence5/8

Ratings & consensus: Presence
Community sentiment: Presence
Longevity: Emotional Drop
Sillage & projection: Presence
Value for money: Emotional Drop
Versatility: Presence
Note pyramid (duration): Presence
Fragranxe ranking: Emotional Drop

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Emotional DropMark Buxton

PresenceHoubigant

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 148 votes

Have 36%Had 10%Want 54%

4.15/ 5 · 55 votes

Have 44%Had 11%Want 45%

Category winnerPresenceRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

34%Love

43%Like

12%Ok

11%Dislike

0%Hate

148 votes

42%Love

44%Like

2%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

55 votes

Category winnerPresenceMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityEmotional Drop

SillagePresence

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value65

¤ Price value64

Category winnerEmotional DropBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic92%

fruity84%

sweet77%

earthy69%

green61%

mossy100%

floral92%

earthy84%

woody77%

fresh69%

fruity61%

Scent match35%Some overlap · both woody, earthy and fruity

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

GooseberryViolet LeavesNeroli

Heart2 to 3 hours

Black Currant BlossomOrrisRose Oil

Base4 to 6 hours

VetiverBalsam FirSandalwood

Top15-30 mins

AppleAldehydesNeroliLemonBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

OrrisHeliotropeCarnationJasmine

Base6-8+ hrs

OakmossMuskCedarVetiverSpicesAmbergrisPatchouliSandalwood

Category winnerPresenceLongest dry-down: 6-8+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer80

Fall82

Winter32

Day100

Night56

Spring79

Summer50

Fall100

Winter71

Day100

Night71

Category winnerPresenceMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men51

Unisex45

Women4

Men7

Unisex20

Women73

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,734

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#31,463

PerfumerRaymond Kling

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEmotional DropHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Emotional Drop by Mark Buxton is a crisp woody floral fragrance built around earthy vetiver and tangy wild berries. The composition opens with a sharp burst of sour gooseberry, green violet leaves, and crisp neroli. In the heart, black currant blossom pairs with powdery orris and rose oil to create a natural botanical…

Reviews →

Houbigant Presence is a crisp, historic chypre built on striking contrasts. The first spray releases a brisk wash of tart green apple, fizzy aldehydes, and sharp lemon zest. Give it ten minutes. The top burns off rapidly to reveal a velvety, dry heart of earthy orris root and spicy carnation blossoms. It smells like v…

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, Emotional Drop or Presence?

Presence takes 5 of 8 categories. Emotional Drop is rated 4.00/5 from 148 votes; Presence is rated 4.15/5 from 55 votes. Choose Emotional Drop for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Presence for a mossy and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Emotional Drop or Presence?

They last about the same: Emotional Drop 69/100, Presence 68/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Emotional Drop or Presence?

Presence projects furthest (Presence 62/100, Emotional Drop 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Emotional Drop and Presence smell similar?

Some overlap: a 35% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, earthy and fruity accords. Common notes include Neroli, Orris, Vetiver and Sandalwood.

Is Emotional Drop or Presence better for summer or winter?

For summer, Emotional Drop is the stronger pick. For winter, Presence is the stronger pick. Emotional Drop suits daytime wear; Presence suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Emotional Drop and Presence?

Emotional Drop has top notes of Gooseberry, Violet Leaves and Neroli, heart notes of Black Currant Blossom, Orris and Rose Oil, a base of Vetiver, Balsam Fir and Sandalwood. Presence has top notes of Apple, Aldehydes, Neroli and Lemon, heart notes of Orris, Heliotrope, Carnation and Jasmine, a base of Oakmoss, Musk, Cedar and Vetiver.