Fragrance comparison

Essence of Patchouli vs JV x NJ

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 349 ratings analysed

4 wins

Essence of Patchouli

The Dua Brand

4.673 votes

Rank #38,264 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

JV x NJ

John Varvatos

3.79346 votes

Rank #7,136 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essence of Patchouli takes 4 of 5 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.
JV x NJ
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Essence of Patchouli4/5

JV x NJ1/5

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): Essence of Patchouli
Fragranxe ranking: JV x NJ

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Essence of PatchouliThe Dua Brand

JV x NJJohn Varvatos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 44%Had 0%Want 56%

3.79/ 5 · 346 votes

Have 82%Had 18%Want 0%

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

23%Love

51%Like

10%Ok

16%Dislike

1%Hate

346 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity90

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate92

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevityEssence of Patchouli

SillageEssence of Patchouli

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value71

Category winnerEssence of PatchouliBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic88%

leather77%

patchouli65%

fresh spicy53%

animalic42%

aromatic100%

woody92%

citrus84%

fresh spicy77%

green69%

aquatic61%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both woody, aromatic and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PatchouliClearwoodRosemaryLeather

No top / heart / base split published

Top15-30 mins

CascaloneMandarin OrangeLimePink Pepper

Heart2-4 hrs

LavenderMintSageRosemaryHedione

Base4-6+ hrs

ClearwoodSandalwood

Category winnerEssence of PatchouliLongest dry-down: 6 to 8 hours

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer94

Fall0

Winter24

Day100

Night55

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men93

Unisex6

Women1

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#38,264

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#7,136

PerfumerHarry Fremont

Launched—

Reviews77

Category winnerJV x NJHigher 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 →

John Varvatos JV x NJ is a modern aromatic blue fragrance that opens with a splash of crisp kaffir lime, zesty mandarin orange, and breezy cascalone. That aquatic melon-tinted burst quickly meets an herbal core of French lavender, cooling garden mint, and crushed sage. It feels like stepping out of a clean shower into…

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 JV x NJ?

Essence of Patchouli takes 4 of 5 categories. Essence of Patchouli is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes; JV x NJ is rated 3.79/5 from 346 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 JV x NJ for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Essence of Patchouli or JV x NJ?

Essence of Patchouli lasts longest (Essence of Patchouli 90/100, JV x NJ 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essence of Patchouli or JV x NJ?

Essence of Patchouli projects furthest (Essence of Patchouli 75/100, JV x NJ 53/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essence of Patchouli and JV x NJ smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aromatic and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Clearwood and Rosemary.

Is Essence of Patchouli or JV x NJ better for summer or winter?

Essence of Patchouli suits day or night wear; JV x NJ suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essence of Patchouli and JV x NJ?

Essence of Patchouli features Patchouli, Clearwood, Rosemary and Leather. JV x NJ has top notes of Cascalone, Mandarin Orange, Lime and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Lavender, Mint, Sage and Rosemary, a base of Clearwood and Sandalwood.