Fragrance comparison

Empress vs Madison

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 253 ratings analysed

Empress

Sean John

3.55155 votes

Rank #12,621 FruityCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

6 wins

Madison

Brooks Brothers

4.1898 votes

Rank #8,078 LeatherFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Madison takes 6 of 7 categories.

Empress
Choose it for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring.
Madison
Choose it for a leather and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Empress1/7

Madison6/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

EmpressSean John

MadisonBrooks Brothers

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.55/ 5 · 155 votes

Have 46%Had 21%Want 33%

4.18/ 5 · 98 votes

Have 43%Had 14%Want 43%

Category winnerMadisonRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

17%Love

53%Like

5%Ok

24%Dislike

1%Hate

150 votes

43%Love

44%Like

3%Ok

9%Dislike

1%Hate

98 votes

Category winnerMadisonMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate65

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityMadison

SillageMadison

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value73

Category winnerEmpressBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

citrus92%

sweet84%

tropical77%

floral69%

caramel61%

leather100%

fruity92%

sweet84%

rose77%

warm spicy69%

amber61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both fruity and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

LimeCarambola (Star Fruit)Mandarin OrangeCranberry

Heart

RaspberryCardamomPassion FlowerAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Peony

Base

CaramelSandalwoodVanilleMusk

Top

RaspberryPink PepperPeonyMandarin OrangeJasmine

Heart

SaffronRoseAmber

Base

LeatherVanillePatchouliBenzoinMusk

InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange, Raspberry, Peony and Vanille. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter45

Day–

Night–

Spring88

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerMadisonMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men18

Unisex27

Women55

Men0

Unisex38

Women63

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#12,621

PerfumerIFF

Launched—

Reviews58

Overall rank#8,078

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews21

Category winnerMadisonHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Empress by Sean John is a fruity floral fragrance launched in 2011. It blends bright lime, star fruit, and cranberry with a heart of raspberry and passion flower, settling onto a base of caramel and vanilla. This composition creates a sparkling, clean, and subtly sweet scent profile that sits comfortably on the skin d…

Reviews →

Madison by Brooks Brothers brings a surprising contrast to the table. It wraps a bright raspberry and pink pepper opening around a dry, clean Toscana leather base. This floral-oriental is designed for women who want a sweet, sparkling scent that finishes with a sophisticated, slightly rugged dry-down.

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, Empress or Madison?

Madison takes 6 of 7 categories. Empress is rated 3.55/5 from 155 votes; Madison is rated 4.18/5 from 98 votes. Choose Empress for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring. Choose Madison for a leather and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Empress or Madison?

Madison lasts longest (Madison 69/100, Empress 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Empress or Madison?

Madison projects furthest (Madison 63/100, Empress 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Empress and Madison smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity and sweet accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange, Raspberry, Peony and Vanille.

Is Empress or Madison better for summer or winter?

For summer, Empress is the stronger pick. For winter, Madison is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Empress and Madison?

Empress has top notes of Lime, Carambola (Star Fruit), Mandarin Orange and Cranberry, heart notes of Raspberry, Cardamom, Passion Flower and Ambrette (Musk Mallow), a base of Caramel, Sandalwood, Vanille and Musk. Madison has top notes of Raspberry, Pink Pepper, Peony and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Saffron, Rose and Amber, a base of Leather, Vanille, Patchouli and Benzoin.