Fragrance comparison

Excellence vs Diaghilev

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 2,670 ratings analysed

Excellence

Alexander

3.504 votes

Rank #54,463 Soft SpicyAnis

Full profile Similar & dupes

8%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Diaghilev

Roja Dove

4.252,666 votes

Rank #36 WoodyMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Diaghilev takes 4 of 4 categories.

Excellence
Choose it for a soft spicy and anis character. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Diaghilev
Choose it for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Excellence0/4

Diaghilev4/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

ExcellenceAlexander

DiaghilevRoja Dove

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.50/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 25%Had 6%Want 69%

4.25/ 5 · 2,666 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

25%Love

25%Like

25%Ok

25%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

62%Love

21%Like

6%Ok

8%Dislike

3%Hate

1,669 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate63

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage80

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityDiaghilev

SillageDiaghilev

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value33

¤ Price value34

Category winnerDiaghilevBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

soft spicy100%

anis92%

warm spicy84%

sweet77%

vanilla69%

leather61%

woody100%

musky92%

animalic84%

powdery77%

amber69%

mossy61%

Scent match8%Clearly different

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

AniseVioletClovesYlang-Ylang

Heart

FennelPatchouliJasmineRoseSandalwood

Base

LicoriceLeatherTonka BeanVanillaBenzoin

Top

CuminBergamotTarragonOrangeLemonLime

Heart

PeachYlang-YlangJasmineRoseHeliotropeVioletTuberoseBlack Currant

Base

oak mossCivetLeatherMuskLabdanumClovesAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Peru Balsam

InformationalShared notesViolet, Cloves, Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night75

Spring60

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men14

Unisex71

Women14

Men53

Unisex39

Women8

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#54,463

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Overall rank#36

PerfumerRoja Dove

Launched—

Reviews535

Category winnerDiaghilevHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Excellence by Alexander is an anise and licorice led oriental floral that leans spicy, sweet, and slightly leathery. It opens with anise and clove, softened by violet and ylang ylang, then moves into a fennel and patchouli heart with jasmine, rose, and sandalwood. The dry down brings vanilla, tonka, benzoin warmth, pl…

Reviews →

Diaghilev is a grand, vintage-leaning chypre with citrus, peach, florals, oakmoss, leather and a distinctly animalic base. It opens sharp, powdery and old-world, then turns richer, smoother and more resinous as it dries down. This is the kind of scent chypre lovers may find thrilling and everyone else may want to samp…

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, Excellence or Diaghilev?

Diaghilev takes 4 of 4 categories. Excellence is rated 3.50/5 from 4 votes; Diaghilev is rated 4.25/5 from 2,666 votes. Choose Excellence for a soft spicy and anis character. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Diaghilev for a woody and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Excellence or Diaghilev?

Diaghilev lasts longest (Diaghilev 91/100, Excellence 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Excellence or Diaghilev?

Diaghilev projects furthest (Diaghilev 80/100, Excellence 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Excellence and Diaghilev smell similar?

Clearly different: a 8% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Violet, Cloves, Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine.

Is Excellence or Diaghilev better for summer or winter?

Excellence suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Excellence and Diaghilev?

Excellence has top notes of Anise, Violet, Cloves and Ylang-Ylang, heart notes of Fennel, Patchouli, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Licorice, Leather, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Diaghilev has top notes of Cumin, Bergamot, Tarragon and Orange, heart notes of Peach, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Rose, a base of oak moss, Civet, Leather and Musk.