Fragrance comparison

Free vs Opium Collector Edition 2008

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 138 ratings analysed

4 wins

Free

Mark Buxton

4.1871 votes

Rank #24,332 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

61%scent match

Closely related

Opium Collector Edition 2008

Yves Saint Laurent

3.9667 votes

Rank #25,051 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Free takes 4 of 7 categories.

Free
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Opium Collector Edition 2008
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Free4/7

Opium Collector Edition 20083/7

Ratings & consensus: Free
Community sentiment: Free
Longevity: Opium Collector Edition 2008
Sillage & projection: Opium Collector Edition 2008
Value for money: Free
Versatility: Opium Collector Edition 2008
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

Opium Collector Edition 2008Yves Saint Laurent

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.18/ 5 · 71 votes

Have 26%Had 9%Want 64%

3.96/ 5 · 67 votes

Have 34%Had 20%Want 46%

Category winnerFreeRating 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

43%Love

31%Like

3%Ok

22%Dislike

0%Hate

67 votes

Category winnerFreeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityOpium Collector Edition 2008

SillageOpium Collector Edition 2008

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value52

¤ Price value44

Category winnerFreeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy83%

balsamic65%

woody48%

smoky30%

amber100%

warm spicy92%

balsamic84%

woody77%

aromatic69%

sweet61%

Scent match61%Closely related · 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

ClovesWest Indian BayMandarin OrangePlumJasmineCitrusesCorianderPepper

Heart

CarnationCinnamonRoseSandalwoodPatchouliOrris RootPeachLily-of-the-Valley

Base

MyrrhAmberIncenseOpoponaxVanillaBenzoinTolu BalsamLabdanum

InformationalShared notesIncense, Benzoin, Labdanum and Patchouli. 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

Spring46

Summer46

Fall100

Winter92

Day50

Night100

Category winnerOpium Collector Edition 2008Most year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men42

Unisex47

Women11

Men0

Unisex20

Women80

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,332

PerfumerDavid Chieze

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#25,051

PerfumerJean Amic, Jean-Louis Sieuzac

Launched—

Reviews3

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 →

Opium Collector Edition 2008 by Yves Saint Laurent delivers a bold blast of spiced cloves, dark stewed plum, and sun-warmed resins. Built on the iconic spicy DNA created by Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac, this limited release opens with fiery black pepper and sharp mandarin orange before settling into velvety carnat…

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 Opium Collector Edition 2008?

Free takes 4 of 7 categories. Free is rated 4.18/5 from 71 votes; Opium Collector Edition 2008 is rated 3.96/5 from 67 votes. Choose Free for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Opium Collector Edition 2008 for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Free or Opium Collector Edition 2008?

Opium Collector Edition 2008 lasts longest (Opium Collector Edition 2008 80/100, Free 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Free or Opium Collector Edition 2008?

Opium Collector Edition 2008 projects furthest (Opium Collector Edition 2008 73/100, Free 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Free and Opium Collector Edition 2008 smell similar?

Closely related: a 61% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and balsamic accords. Common notes include Incense, Benzoin, Labdanum and Patchouli.

Is Free or Opium Collector Edition 2008 better for summer or winter?

For summer, Opium Collector Edition 2008 is the stronger pick. For winter, Opium Collector Edition 2008 is the stronger pick. Free suits evening wear; Opium Collector Edition 2008 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Free and Opium Collector Edition 2008?

Free has top notes of Olibanum, Incense and Bergamot, heart notes of Benzoin and Labdanum, a base of Patchouli, Amber and Vanilla. Opium Collector Edition 2008 has top notes of Cloves, West Indian Bay, Mandarin Orange and Plum, heart notes of Carnation, Cinnamon, Rose and Sandalwood, a base of Myrrh, Amber, Incense and Opoponax.