Fragrance comparison

Essence of Patchouli vs Just Black

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 12 ratings analysed

4 wins

Essence of Patchouli

The Dua Brand

4.673 votes

Rank #38,264 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

61%scent match

Closely related

Just Black

Shirley May

3.569 votes

Rank #60,874 WoodyLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essence of Patchouli takes 4 of 4 categories.

Essence of Patchouli
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.
Just Black
Choose it for a woody and leather character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Essence of Patchouli4/4

Just Black0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Essence of PatchouliThe Dua Brand

Just BlackShirley May

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 44%Had 0%Want 56%

3.56/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 21%Had 36%Want 43%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

22%Love

56%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

22%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity90

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate92

⏱ Longevity57

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate64

Category winners

LongevityEssence of Patchouli

SillageEssence of Patchouli

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value81

Category winnerEssence of PatchouliBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic88%

leather77%

patchouli65%

fresh spicy53%

animalic42%

woody100%

leather86%

aromatic72%

powdery58%

fresh spicy44%

warm spicy30%

Scent match61%Closely related · both woody, leather and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PatchouliClearwoodRosemaryLeather

No top / heart / base split published

Top

BergamotLemonRosemary

Heart

Woody NotesBasilAmberPatchouli

Base

SandalwoodLeatherCedar

InformationalShared notesPatchouli, Rosemary and Leather. Durations are only published for Essence of Patchouli, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Spring75

Summer100

Fall100

Winter50

Day100

Night75

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#38,264

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#60,874

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssence of PatchouliHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Essence of Patchouli by The Dua Brand is an earthy Extrait de Parfum centered on raw patchouli and smooth leather. Released in 2020, this fragrance strips away sugary distractions to focus on herbal clarity and dark woodiness. The opening brings an invigorating herbal bite of rosemary oil alongside clean, modern clear…

Reviews →

Shirley May Just Black introduces itself with a sharp, cooling splash of rosemary, bergamot, and lemon. This citrus opening behaves like a crisp morning splash, clean but fleeting, before it quickly yields to a dry, aromatic heart where basil and patchouli take over. It is a straightforward, budget-friendly option tha…

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, Essence of Patchouli or Just Black?

Essence of Patchouli takes 4 of 4 categories. Essence of Patchouli is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes; Just Black is rated 3.56/5 from 9 votes. Choose Essence of Patchouli for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear. Choose Just Black for a woody and leather character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Essence of Patchouli or Just Black?

Essence of Patchouli lasts longest (Essence of Patchouli 90/100, Just Black 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essence of Patchouli or Just Black?

Essence of Patchouli projects furthest (Essence of Patchouli 75/100, Just Black 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essence of Patchouli and Just Black smell similar?

Closely related: a 61% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, leather and aromatic accords. Common notes include Patchouli, Rosemary and Leather.

Is Essence of Patchouli or Just Black better for summer or winter?

Essence of Patchouli suits day or night wear; Just Black suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essence of Patchouli and Just Black?

Essence of Patchouli features Patchouli, Clearwood, Rosemary and Leather. Just Black has top notes of Bergamot, Lemon and Rosemary, heart notes of Woody Notes, Basil, Amber and Patchouli, a base of Sandalwood, Leather and Cedar.