Fragrance comparison

Grain de Sable vs Xenium for Men

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

Updated 17 Oct 2026 27 ratings analysed

5 wins

Grain de Sable

Nicky Verfaillie

4.1414 votes

Rank #21,000 White FloralFresh

Full profile Similar & dupes

28%scent match

Clearly different

Xenium for Men

JAFRA

4.0813 votes

Rank #34,781 MuskyGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Grain de Sable takes 5 of 5 categories.

Grain de Sable
Choose it for a white floral and fresh character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Xenium for Men
Choose it for a musky and green character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Grain de Sable5/5

Xenium for Men0/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Grain de SableNicky Verfaillie

Xenium for MenJAFRA

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.14/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 36%Had 25%Want 39%

4.08/ 5 · 13 votes

Have 54%Had 31%Want 14%

Category winnerGrain de SableRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

36%Love

50%Like

7%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

38%Love

38%Like

15%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

13 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage48

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityGrain de Sable

SillageGrain de Sable

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value72

Category winnerGrain de SableBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

fresh92%

green84%

fresh spicy77%

tropical69%

sweet61%

musky100%

green88%

woody77%

fresh65%

powdery53%

citrus42%

Scent match28%Clearly different · both green and fresh

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BasilMelonCitrusesCalonePeach

Heart

LilyLily-of-the-ValleyPapayaJasmineYlang-YlangRoseIrisHyacinth

Base

OakmossVetiverPatchouliMuskSandalwood

Top

Woody NotesCitruses

Heart

Green NotesCalone

Base

Musk

InformationalShared notesCitruses, Calone and Musk. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer100

Fall40

Winter20

Day100

Night20

Spring78

Summer100

Fall33

Winter11

Day100

Night20

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex25

Women75

Men89

Unisex11

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,000

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#34,781

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerGrain de SableHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Grain de Sable is a 1977 release that captures the essence of a beach holiday through a blend of juicy melon, papaya, and white florals. This classic scent provides a crisp, aquatic profile balanced by earthy oakmoss. It is ideal for those who appreciate vintage perfumery with a tropical lean, making it an excellent c…

Reviews →

Xenium for Men by JAFRA is a woody aromatic fragrance introduced in 2012. It balances citrus and wood notes in the opening, leading into a green, aquatic heart defined by calone, and resting on a clean musk base. This composition offers a straightforward, fresh profile suitable for daily wear during warmer months, par…

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, Grain de Sable or Xenium for Men?

Grain de Sable takes 5 of 5 categories. Grain de Sable is rated 4.14/5 from 14 votes; Xenium for Men is rated 4.08/5 from 13 votes. Choose Grain de Sable for a white floral and fresh character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Xenium for Men for a musky and green character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Grain de Sable or Xenium for Men?

Grain de Sable lasts longest (Grain de Sable 68/100, Xenium for Men 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Grain de Sable or Xenium for Men?

Grain de Sable projects furthest (Grain de Sable 55/100, Xenium for Men 48/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Grain de Sable and Xenium for Men smell similar?

Clearly different: a 28% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share green and fresh accords. Common notes include Citruses, Calone and Musk.

Is Grain de Sable or Xenium for Men better for summer or winter?

Grain de Sable suits daytime wear; Xenium for Men suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Grain de Sable and Xenium for Men?

Grain de Sable has top notes of Basil, Melon, Citruses and Calone, heart notes of Lily, Lily-of-the-Valley, Papaya and Jasmine, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Patchouli and Musk. Xenium for Men has top notes of Woody Notes and Citruses, heart notes of Green Notes and Calone, a base of Musk.