Fragrance comparison

Free vs Jardanel

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 94 ratings analysed

Free

Mark Buxton

4.1871 votes

Rank #24,332 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Jardanel

Jean Desprez

4.7423 votes

Rank #37,216 AmberBalsamic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Jardanel takes 3 of 5 categories.

Free
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Jardanel
Choose it for a amber and balsamic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Free2/5

Jardanel3/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

FreeMark Buxton

JardanelJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.18/ 5 · 71 votes

Have 26%Had 9%Want 64%

4.74/ 5 · 23 votes

Have 23%Had 6%Want 71%

Category winnerJardanelRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

41%Love

39%Like

17%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

71 votes

78%Love

17%Like

4%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

23 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate93

Category winners

LongevityJardanel

SillageFree

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value52

¤ Price value56

Category winnerJardanelBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy83%

balsamic65%

woody48%

smoky30%

amber100%

balsamic92%

powdery84%

warm spicy77%

sweet69%

citrus61%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both amber, warm spicy and balsamic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

OlibanumIncenseBergamot

Heart2 to 3 hours

BenzoinLabdanum

Base4 to 6 hours

PatchouliAmberVanilla

Top

OrangeAldehydesBergamotNeroliFruity Notes

Heart

MyrrhNarcissusOrchidJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyCarnationRosePatchouli

Base

Tolu BalsamPeru BalsamCivetLeatherAmberBenzoinOakmossVanilla

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

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring44

Summer22

Fall100

Winter89

Day58

Night100

Spring50

Summer40

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men42

Unisex47

Women11

Men0

Unisex33

Women67

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,332

PerfumerDavid Chieze

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#37,216

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerFreeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Jardanel by Jean Desprez is an elusive, vintage chypre from 1917. Built on a traditional structural spine of oakmoss, civet, and leather, it wraps a dense bouquet of narcissus, patchouli, and ylang-ylang in bright aldehydes. This rare fragrance offers collectors a stark, animalic, and resinous experience that contrast…

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, Free or Jardanel?

Jardanel takes 3 of 5 categories. Free is rated 4.18/5 from 71 votes; Jardanel is rated 4.74/5 from 23 votes. Choose Free for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Jardanel for a amber and balsamic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Free or Jardanel?

Jardanel lasts longest (Jardanel 78/100, Free 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Free or Jardanel?

Free projects furthest (Free 67/100, Jardanel 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Free and Jardanel smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and balsamic accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Benzoin, Patchouli and Amber.

Is Free or Jardanel better for summer or winter?

Free suits evening wear; Jardanel suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Free and Jardanel?

Free has top notes of Olibanum, Incense and Bergamot, heart notes of Benzoin and Labdanum, a base of Patchouli, Amber and Vanilla. Jardanel has top notes of Orange, Aldehydes, Bergamot and Neroli, heart notes of Myrrh, Narcissus, Orchid and Jasmine, a base of Tolu Balsam, Peru Balsam, Civet and Leather.