Fragrance comparison

Essential for Him vs Notre-Dame

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 33 ratings analysed

2 wins

Essential for Him

Replay

3.7232 votes

Rank #29,656 AmberCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

Notre-Dame

Claude Andre Hebert

4.001 votes

Rank #65,516 CitrusWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essential for Him takes 2 of 3 categories.

Essential for Him
Choose it for a amber and citrus character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Notre-Dame
Choose it for a citrus and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Essential for Him2/3

Notre-Dame1/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Essential for HimReplay

Notre-DameClaude Andre Hebert

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.72/ 5 · 32 votes

Have 44%Had 29%Want 27%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 17%Had 0%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

19%Love

50%Like

22%Ok

3%Dislike

6%Hate

32 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

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate68

⏱ Longevity20

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityEssential for Him

SillageNotre-Dame

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value74

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

citrus92%

woody84%

musky77%

aromatic69%

white floral61%

citrus100%

warm spicy92%

white floral84%

powdery77%

fresh spicy69%

amber61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both citrus, amber and white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotWater NotesRed BerriesMandarin OrangeCardamomPetitgrainGinger

Heart

Sea NotesLilyMagnoliaOrange BlossomCedarCashmere WoodJasmineCarnation

Base

MuskTonka BeanAmberBenzoinPatchouliLabdanumVetiverTolu Balsam

Top15 to 30 minutes

Mandarin OrangeBergamotCinnamonRed BerriesPepperGinger

Heart1 to 2 hours

IrisLilyOrange Blossom

Base2 to 3 hours

IncenseTonka BeanHeliotropeWhite Musk

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Red Berries, Mandarin Orange and Ginger. Durations are only published for Notre-Dame, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring89

Summer100

Fall74

Winter37

Day100

Night29

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men88

Unisex13

Women0

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#29,656

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#65,516

PerfumerClaude André Héber

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssential for HimHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Replay Essential for Him starts with crisp bergamot, synthetic water notes, and a sharp bite of ginger. As the bright citrus settles, warm cedar and cashmere wood emerge alongside clean orange blossom. A quiet amber and musk base keeps the dry-down lingering close to the skin during warm summer mornings.

Reviews →

Notre-Dame by Claude Andre Hebert presents a lively collision of bright orchard fruit and sharp counterpoints. The opening delivers a sharp burst of mandarin orange and bergamot, rapidly charged by cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and red berries. As the initial zest settles, an elegant floral core emerges through powdery ir…

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, Essential for Him or Notre-Dame?

Essential for Him takes 2 of 3 categories. Essential for Him is rated 3.72/5 from 32 votes; Notre-Dame is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Essential for Him for a amber and citrus character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Notre-Dame for a citrus and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Essential for Him or Notre-Dame?

Essential for Him lasts longest (Essential for Him 60/100, Notre-Dame 20/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essential for Him or Notre-Dame?

Notre-Dame projects furthest (Notre-Dame 63/100, Essential for Him 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essential for Him and Notre-Dame smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, amber and white floral accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Red Berries, Mandarin Orange and Ginger.

Is Essential for Him or Notre-Dame better for summer or winter?

Essential for Him suits daytime wear; Notre-Dame suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essential for Him and Notre-Dame?

Essential for Him has top notes of Bergamot, Water Notes, Red Berries and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Sea Notes, Lily, Magnolia and Orange Blossom, a base of Musk, Tonka Bean, Amber and Benzoin. Notre-Dame has top notes of Mandarin Orange, Bergamot, Cinnamon and Red Berries, heart notes of Iris, Lily and Orange Blossom, a base of Incense, Tonka Bean, Heliotrope and White Musk.