Fragrance comparison

Free vs Shanghai Lily

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 1,395 ratings analysed

5 wins

Free

Mark Buxton

4.1871 votes

Rank #24,332 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

Shanghai Lily

Tom Ford

4.221,324 votes

Rank #25,009 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Free takes 5 of 7 categories.

Free
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shanghai Lily
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in winter.

Free5/7

Shanghai Lily2/7

Ratings & consensus: Shanghai Lily
Community sentiment: Free
Longevity: Shanghai Lily
Sillage & projection: Free
Value for money: Free
Versatility: Free
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

Shanghai LilyTom Ford

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.18/ 5 · 71 votes

Have 26%Had 9%Want 64%

4.22/ 5 · 1,324 votes

Have 75%Had 25%Want 0%

Category winnerShanghai LilyRating 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

48%Love

37%Like

4%Ok

11%Dislike

1%Hate

1,324 votes

Category winnerFreeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityShanghai Lily

SillageFree

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value52

¤ Price value36

Category winnerFreeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy83%

balsamic65%

woody48%

smoky30%

warm spicy100%

amber92%

floral84%

woody77%

smoky69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match55%Closely related · both amber, warm spicy and woody

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

Notes

ClovesFloral NotesSpicy NotesIncenseBlack PepperPink PepperVanillaTuberoseBenzoinOlibanumJasmineCashmere Wood

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesOlibanum, Incense, Benzoin and Vanilla. 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

Spring62

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerFreeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men42

Unisex47

Women11

Men3

Unisex37

Women60

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,332

PerfumerDavid Chieze

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#25,009

PerfumerAntoine Maisondieu

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 →

Shanghai Lily opens with a sharp burst of bitter orange and cracked black pepper before settling into a dense, spiced floral heart. Cloves and pink pepper dominate the early stages, creating a dry, warm heat that prevents the jasmine and tuberose from becoming overly sweet. As it sits on the skin, the floral elements …

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 Shanghai Lily?

Free takes 5 of 7 categories. Free is rated 4.18/5 from 71 votes; Shanghai Lily is rated 4.22/5 from 1,324 votes. Choose Free for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Shanghai Lily for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Free or Shanghai Lily?

Shanghai Lily lasts longest (Shanghai Lily 73/100, Free 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Free or Shanghai Lily?

Projection is very close: Free 67/100, Shanghai Lily 66/100 for sillage.

Do Free and Shanghai Lily smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Olibanum, Incense, Benzoin and Vanilla.

Is Free or Shanghai Lily better for summer or winter?

For summer, Free is the stronger pick. For winter, Shanghai Lily is the stronger pick. Free suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Free and Shanghai Lily?

Free has top notes of Olibanum, Incense and Bergamot, heart notes of Benzoin and Labdanum, a base of Patchouli, Amber and Vanilla. Shanghai Lily features Cloves, Floral Notes, Spicy Notes, Incense and Black Pepper.