Fragrance comparison

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume vs Free

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 165 ratings analysed

5 wins

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume

Roja Dove

4.3894 votes

Rank #7,032 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

57%scent match

Closely related

Free

Mark Buxton

4.1871 votes

Rank #24,332 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume takes 5 of 7 categories.

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.
Free
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume5/7

Free2/7

Ratings & consensus: Fortnum & Mason The Perfume
Community sentiment: Free
Longevity: Fortnum & Mason The Perfume
Sillage & projection: Fortnum & Mason The Perfume
Value for money: Free
Versatility: Fortnum & Mason The Perfume
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Fortnum & Mason The Perfume

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Fortnum & Mason The PerfumeRoja Dove

FreeMark Buxton

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.38/ 5 · 94 votes

Have 43%Had 8%Want 49%

4.18/ 5 · 71 votes

Have 26%Had 9%Want 64%

Category winnerFortnum & Mason The PerfumeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

66%Love

18%Like

7%Ok

5%Dislike

3%Hate

94 votes

41%Love

39%Like

17%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

71 votes

Category winnerFreeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity79

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityFortnum & Mason The Perfume

SillageFortnum & Mason The Perfume

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value36

¤ Price value52

Category winnerFreeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

leather84%

warm spicy77%

aromatic69%

smoky61%

amber100%

warm spicy83%

balsamic65%

woody48%

smoky30%

Scent match57%Closely related · both amber, warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

LemonBergamot

Heart

PeachLabdanumMay RoseJasmineGeraniumOrange Blossom

Base

SaffronAmberCastoreumVanillaAmyrisBirchOlibanumBenzoin

Top30 to 45 minutes

OlibanumIncenseBergamot

Heart2 to 3 hours

BenzoinLabdanum

Base4 to 6 hours

PatchouliAmberVanilla

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Labdanum, Amber and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Free, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring89

Summer24

Fall100

Winter97

Day68

Night100

Spring44

Summer22

Fall100

Winter89

Day58

Night100

Category winnerFortnum & Mason The PerfumeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men23

Unisex60

Women17

Men42

Unisex47

Women11

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#7,032

PerfumerRoja Dove

Launched—

Reviews14

Overall rank#24,332

PerfumerDavid Chieze

Launched—

Reviews4

Category winnerFortnum & Mason The PerfumeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume opens with bright citrus and a surprisingly candy-like peach effect, then turns richer, darker, and more textured as leather, saffron, smoke, and resin come forward. It wears as a plush amber-woody oriental with a slightly animalic edge. This suits someone who enjoys sweetness with grit rat…

Reviews →

Free by Mark Buxton is a resinous amber fragrance built around warm balsamic woods and dry smoke. The scent opens with a crisp flash of bergamot that quickly gives way to aromatic olibanum and cool incense. As it warms, labdanum and sweet benzoin fill the center, creating a rich resin core without heavy syrup. Earthy …

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, Fortnum & Mason The Perfume or Free?

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume takes 5 of 7 categories. Fortnum & Mason The Perfume is rated 4.38/5 from 94 votes; Free is rated 4.18/5 from 71 votes. Choose Fortnum & Mason The Perfume for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Free for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Fortnum & Mason The Perfume or Free?

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume lasts longest (Fortnum & Mason The Perfume 79/100, Free 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Fortnum & Mason The Perfume or Free?

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume projects furthest (Fortnum & Mason The Perfume 73/100, Free 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Fortnum & Mason The Perfume and Free smell similar?

Closely related: a 57% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Labdanum, Amber and Vanilla.

Is Fortnum & Mason The Perfume or Free better for summer or winter?

For summer, Fortnum & Mason The Perfume is the stronger pick. For winter, Fortnum & Mason The Perfume is the stronger pick. Fortnum & Mason The Perfume suits evening wear; Free suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Fortnum & Mason The Perfume and Free?

Fortnum & Mason The Perfume has top notes of Lemon and Bergamot, heart notes of Peach, Labdanum, May Rose and Jasmine, a base of Saffron, Amber, Castoreum and Vanilla. Free has top notes of Olibanum, Incense and Bergamot, heart notes of Benzoin and Labdanum, a base of Patchouli, Amber and Vanilla.