Fragrance comparison

Espelette vs Narcotic Intense

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

Updated 23 Oct 2026 32 ratings analysed

Espelette

Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

4.1020 votes

Rank #38,529 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

21%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Narcotic Intense

Mad Parfumeur

4.1712 votes

Rank #46,498 CitrusFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Narcotic Intense takes 4 of 5 categories.

Espelette
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, daytime wear.
Narcotic Intense
Choose it for a citrus and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.

Espelette1/5

Narcotic Intense4/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

EspeletteParfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque

Narcotic IntenseMad Parfumeur

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.10/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 35%Had 19%Want 46%

4.17/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 77%Had 8%Want 15%

Category winnerNarcotic IntenseRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

45%Like

0%Ok

15%Dislike

0%Hate

20 votes · too few to score

58%Love

17%Like

17%Ok

0%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

〰 Sillage78

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage83

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityNarcotic Intense

SillageNarcotic Intense

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value90

Category winnerNarcotic IntenseBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

patchouli77%

powdery69%

vanilla61%

citrus100%

floral92%

white floral84%

fresh spicy77%

fresh69%

musky61%

Scent match21%Clearly different · both fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Sichuan PepperPepper

Heart2-4 hrs

CardamomYlang-YlangPeach

Base6-8+ hrs

PatchouliVanillaSandalwoodMusk

Top

BergamotMandarinPepperPeach

Heart

JasminePeonyCardamomCinnamonNutmeg

Base

MuskAmberMossSandalwoodelemi

InformationalShared notesPepper, Cardamom, Peach and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Espelette, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer33

Fall67

Winter100

Day100

Night69

Spring86

Summer43

Fall86

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Date 33%Casual 30%Work 21%Party 16%

Men86

Unisex14

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#38,529

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#46,498

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEspeletteHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Espelette by Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque is a dry, crackling spice scent anchored by deep earth. The first spray delivers a stinging burst of real Sichuan pepper and black pepper. It tingles in the nose. Within ten minutes, that fiery blast softens as green cardamom, ripe peach, and sunny ylang-ylang round off …

Reviews →

Mad Parfumeur Narcotic Intense opens with a sudden burst of sharp bergamot, sweet mandarin, and juicy peach, spiked immediately by crushed black pepper. That initial tart fruitiness gives way to a lush floral core where peony and jasmine take control. Warm cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg cut through the white petals, a…

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, Espelette or Narcotic Intense?

Narcotic Intense takes 4 of 5 categories. Espelette is rated 4.10/5 from 20 votes; Narcotic Intense is rated 4.17/5 from 12 votes. Choose Espelette for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, daytime wear. Choose Narcotic Intense for a citrus and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Espelette or Narcotic Intense?

Narcotic Intense lasts longest (Narcotic Intense 83/100, Espelette 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Espelette or Narcotic Intense?

Narcotic Intense projects furthest (Narcotic Intense 83/100, Espelette 78/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Espelette and Narcotic Intense smell similar?

Clearly different: a 21% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Pepper, Cardamom, Peach and Sandalwood.

Is Espelette or Narcotic Intense better for summer or winter?

Espelette suits daytime wear; Narcotic Intense suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Espelette and Narcotic Intense?

Espelette has top notes of Sichuan Pepper and Pepper, heart notes of Cardamom, Ylang-Ylang and Peach, a base of Patchouli, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Musk. Narcotic Intense has top notes of Bergamot, Mandarin, Pepper and Peach, heart notes of Jasmine, Peony, Cardamom and Cinnamon, a base of Musk, Amber, Moss and Sandalwood.