Fragrance comparison

Essential vs Legasi

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 51 ratings analysed

3 wins

Essential

Paul Smith

3.4850 votes

Rank #39,610 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

60%scent match

Closely related

Legasi

Armaf

4.001 votes

Rank #67,537 AromaticGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essential takes 3 of 4 categories.

Essential
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Legasi
Choose it for a aromatic and green character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Essential3/4

Legasi1/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

EssentialPaul Smith

LegasiArmaf

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.48/ 5 · 50 votes

Have 48%Had 23%Want 29%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 26%Had 0%Want 74%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

16%Love

48%Like

4%Ok

32%Dislike

0%Hate

50 votes

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate62

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityEssential

SillageEssential

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value100

Category winnerLegasiBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic91%

fresh spicy83%

lavender74%

ozonic65%

patchouli56%

aromatic100%

green90%

woody80%

fresh spicy70%

lavender60%

herbal50%

Scent match60%Closely related · both aromatic, woody and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Ozonic notes

Heart

LavenderRosemaryOrangeSage

Base

PatchouliCedarMusk

Top

LavenderRosemary

Heart

GalbanumJasmineRoseSage

Base

Sandalwoodoak mossCedarMusk

InformationalShared notesLavender, Rosemary, Sage and Cedar. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring95

Summer79

Fall100

Winter21

Day100

Night20

Spring100

Summer100

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#39,610

PerfumerHamid Merati-Kashani

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#67,537

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssentialHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Paul Smith Essential opens with crisp ozonic notes before settling into a green, clean heart of lavender, rosemary, and sage. Released in 2015 and composed by Hamid Merati-Kashani, the scent blends light citrus sweetness from orange with an earthy base of cedar, patchouli, and musk. It offers a tidy, professional prof…

Reviews →

Armaf Legasi is a sharp, green aromatic fragrance that channels the clean, soapy vibe of traditional barbershop scents. The opening is a punchy blast of fresh rosemary and clean lavender, quickly drying down to a bitter, leafy middle of galbanum and clean sage. It maintains a clean, herbaceous edge that sits on a dry,…

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, Essential or Legasi?

Essential takes 3 of 4 categories. Essential is rated 3.48/5 from 50 votes; Legasi is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Essential for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Legasi for a aromatic and green character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Essential or Legasi?

Essential lasts longest (Essential 67/100, Legasi 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essential or Legasi?

Essential projects furthest (Essential 63/100, Legasi 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essential and Legasi smell similar?

Closely related: a 60% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, woody and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Lavender, Rosemary, Sage and Cedar.

Is Essential or Legasi better for summer or winter?

Essential suits daytime wear; Legasi suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essential and Legasi?

Essential has top notes of Ozonic notes, heart notes of Lavender, Rosemary, Orange and Sage, a base of Patchouli, Cedar and Musk. Legasi has top notes of Lavender and Rosemary, heart notes of Galbanum, Jasmine, Rose and Sage, a base of Sandalwood, oak moss, Cedar and Musk.