Fragrance comparison

Essential vs Sea+Zephyr

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 113 ratings analysed

4 wins

Essential

Paul Smith

3.4850 votes

Rank #39,610 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

Sea+Zephyr

Michael Malul London

4.2163 votes

Rank #33,321 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essential takes 4 of 7 categories.

Essential
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Sea+Zephyr
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Essential4/7

Sea+Zephyr3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

EssentialPaul Smith

Sea+ZephyrMichael Malul London

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.48/ 5 · 50 votes

Have 48%Had 23%Want 29%

4.21/ 5 · 63 votes

Have 47%Had 4%Want 49%

Category winnerSea+ZephyrRating 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

49%Love

32%Like

11%Ok

6%Dislike

2%Hate

63 votes

Category winnerSea+ZephyrMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate62

⏱ Longevity59

〰 Sillage44

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityEssential

SillageEssential

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value57

Category winnerEssentialBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic91%

fresh spicy83%

lavender74%

ozonic65%

patchouli56%

aromatic100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

citrus77%

herbal69%

green61%

Scent match55%Closely related · both woody, aromatic 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

GrapefruitBasilEucalyptusApple

Heart

RosemaryLavenderSageNeroli

Base

OakmossCedarOrcanox™MuskPatchouli

InformationalShared notesLavender, Rosemary, Sage and Patchouli. 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

Summer0

Fall0

Winter24

Day–

Night–

Category winnerEssentialMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men63

Unisex37

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#33,321

PerfumerRichard Herpin

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerSea+ZephyrHigher 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 →

Sea+Zephyr leans aromatic, woody, and fresh spicy, with grapefruit, basil, and eucalyptus giving it a crisp herbal opening before lavender, sage, and neroli smooth things out. The dry-down brings cedar, moss, musk, and patchouli for a cleaner, earthier finish. It reads like a coastal aromatic with a slightly masculine…

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 Sea+Zephyr?

Essential takes 4 of 7 categories. Essential is rated 3.48/5 from 50 votes; Sea+Zephyr is rated 4.21/5 from 63 votes. Choose Essential for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Sea+Zephyr for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Essential or Sea+Zephyr?

Essential lasts longest (Essential 67/100, Sea+Zephyr 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essential or Sea+Zephyr?

Essential projects furthest (Essential 63/100, Sea+Zephyr 44/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essential and Sea+Zephyr smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aromatic and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Lavender, Rosemary, Sage and Patchouli.

Is Essential or Sea+Zephyr better for summer or winter?

For summer, Essential is the stronger pick. For winter, Sea+Zephyr is the stronger pick. Essential suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essential and Sea+Zephyr?

Essential has top notes of Ozonic notes, heart notes of Lavender, Rosemary, Orange and Sage, a base of Patchouli, Cedar and Musk. Sea+Zephyr has top notes of Grapefruit, Basil, Eucalyptus and Apple, heart notes of Rosemary, Lavender, Sage and Neroli, a base of Oakmoss, Cedar, Orcanox™ and Musk.