Fragrance comparison

Encounter Fresh vs Tabac Santal

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

Updated 7 Nov 2026 351 ratings analysed

Encounter Fresh

Calvin Klein

3.67221 votes

Rank #32,777 CitrusWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

62%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Tabac Santal

Annette Neuffer

3.81130 votes

Rank #3,429 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Tabac Santal takes 4 of 5 categories.

Encounter Fresh
Choose it for a citrus and warm spicy character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Tabac Santal
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Encounter Fresh1/5

Tabac Santal4/5

Ratings & consensus: Tabac Santal
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Tabac Santal
Sillage & projection: Tabac Santal
Value for money: Encounter Fresh
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Tabac Santal

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Encounter FreshCalvin Klein

Tabac SantalAnnette Neuffer

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.67/ 5 · 221 votes

Have 52%Had 23%Want 25%

3.81/ 5 · 130 votes

Have 11%Had 5%Want 84%

Category winnerTabac SantalRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

13%Love

60%Like

10%Ok

17%Dislike

0%Hate

221 votes

33%Love

22%Like

17%Ok

28%Dislike

0%Hate

18 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage48

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityTabac Santal

SillageTabac Santal

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value62

¤ Price value49

Category winnerEncounter FreshBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

warm spicy92%

woody84%

aromatic77%

rum69%

fresh spicy61%

woody100%

aromatic92%

fresh spicy84%

warm spicy77%

earthy69%

citrus61%

Scent match62%Closely related · both woody, warm spicy and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

MojitoBergamot

Heart1 to 2 hours

RumCardamomLavender

Base2 to 4 hours

SandalwoodPatchouliLabdanum

Top

BergamotRumNutmegCognacLimeBitter OrangeJuniper BerriesGinger

Heart

LavenderelemiTobaccoOlibanumOrris RootRose

Base

OakmossAtlas CedarVirginia CedarVetiverSandalwoodPatchouliLabdanum

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Rum, Lavender and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Encounter Fresh, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring76

Summer100

Fall29

Winter19

Day100

Night25

Spring100

Summer40

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men71

Unisex29

Women0

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#32,777

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#3,429

PerfumerAnnette Neuffer

Launched—

Reviews68

Category winnerTabac SantalHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Encounter Fresh by Calvin Klein offers an easygoing, aromatic take on warm-weather grooming. It opens with an uplifting splash of bergamot paired with a crisp mojito accord, delivering an instant citrus and green freshness. As the initial brightness settles, the scent reveals a smooth heart of rum, spicy cardamom, and…

Reviews →

Tabac Santal is a dense, earthy tobacco and sandalwood fragrance with a fresh aromatic lift. Reviewers describe heavy pipe tobacco, grainy woods, cacao-like patchouli, lavender, oakmoss and vetiver, giving it a brown, resinous, slightly smoky feel rather than a clean tobacco-shop sweetness. It suits wearers who like r…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

PiscesBellaVitaWINNER vs

Montabaco VeranoOrmonde JayneRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

NO 4 Saffron, Oud, VanillaRosendo Mateu Olfactive ExpressionsRUNNER-UP vs

TurathThe Spirit of DubaiWINNER

1 person compared this today

Lime & NeroliMahdi PerfumesWINNER vs

BanditRobert PiguetRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Plum de VeloursSuperfumistaWINNER vs

Royal FlushTestament LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Encounter Fresh or Tabac Santal?

Tabac Santal takes 4 of 5 categories. Encounter Fresh is rated 3.67/5 from 221 votes; Tabac Santal is rated 3.81/5 from 130 votes. Choose Encounter Fresh for a citrus and warm spicy character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Tabac Santal for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Encounter Fresh or Tabac Santal?

Tabac Santal lasts longest (Tabac Santal 83/100, Encounter Fresh 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Encounter Fresh or Tabac Santal?

Tabac Santal projects furthest (Tabac Santal 69/100, Encounter Fresh 48/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Encounter Fresh and Tabac Santal smell similar?

Closely related: a 62% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and aromatic accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Rum, Lavender and Sandalwood.

Is Encounter Fresh or Tabac Santal better for summer or winter?

Encounter Fresh suits daytime wear; Tabac Santal suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Encounter Fresh and Tabac Santal?

Encounter Fresh has top notes of Mojito and Bergamot, heart notes of Rum, Cardamom and Lavender, a base of Sandalwood, Patchouli and Labdanum. Tabac Santal has top notes of Bergamot, Rum, Nutmeg and Cognac, heart notes of Lavender, elemi, Tobacco and Olibanum, a base of Oakmoss, Atlas Cedar, Virginia Cedar and Vetiver.