Fragrance comparison

Hairdresser's Husband vs Royal Black

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 139 ratings analysed

Hairdresser's Husband

Lush

3.99116 votes

Rank #15,928 CitrusVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Royal Black

Arno Sorel

4.2623 votes

Rank #25,071 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Royal Black takes 3 of 5 categories.

Hairdresser's Husband
Choose it for a citrus and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer.
Royal Black
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Hairdresser's Husband2/5

Royal Black3/5

Ratings & consensus: Royal Black
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Royal Black
Sillage & projection: Hairdresser's Husband
Value for money: Royal Black
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Hairdresser's Husband

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Hairdresser's HusbandLush

Royal BlackArno Sorel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.99/ 5 · 116 votes

Have 35%Had 4%Want 61%

4.26/ 5 · 23 votes

Have 56%Had 25%Want 19%

Category winnerRoyal BlackRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

50%Like

10%Ok

6%Dislike

1%Hate

106 votes

43%Love

48%Like

0%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

23 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity56

〰 Sillage51

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage47

♥ Love / hate82

Category winners

LongevityRoyal Black

SillageHairdresser's Husband

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value27

¤ Price value85

Category winnerRoyal BlackBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

vanilla83%

aromatic65%

sweet48%

fresh spicy30%

citrus100%

aromatic92%

musky84%

warm spicy77%

woody69%

amber61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both citrus and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

LemonOrangeGrapefruit

Heart

LimeMyrtle

Base

Tonka BeanVanilla Absolute

Top

OrangeLimeLemonGrapefruit

Heart

SageCinnamonThymePepperCardamom

Base

White MuskSandalwoodOakmossLabdanumAmberCedar

InformationalShared notesLemon, Orange, Grapefruit and Lime. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring76

Summer100

Fall45

Winter16

Day–

Night–

Spring67

Summer100

Fall47

Winter27

Day100

Night47

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men8

Unisex56

Women36

Men93

Unisex7

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#15,928

PerfumerMark Constantine

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#25,071

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews4

Category winnerHairdresser's HusbandHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Hairdresser's Husband opens with a burst of lemon, orange and grapefruit that feels crisp, juicy and slightly bitter, then settles into a softer citrus-aromatic dry-down with lime, myrtle, tonka and a touch of vanilla. It usually reads bright, clean and easy to wear, especially in warm weather, though the sweeter base…

Reviews →

Royal Black opens with a bright citrus burst, then settles into an aromatic, slightly spicy heart with sage, cardamom and cinnamon. As it dries down, the musk, woods and amber give it a softer, sweeter finish. It reads as an easy everyday men's fragrance with good value appeal. If you like fresh scents with a warmer e…

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, Hairdresser's Husband or Royal Black?

Royal Black takes 3 of 5 categories. Hairdresser's Husband is rated 3.99/5 from 116 votes; Royal Black is rated 4.26/5 from 23 votes. Choose Hairdresser's Husband for a citrus and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer. Choose Royal Black for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Hairdresser's Husband or Royal Black?

They last about the same: Royal Black 58/100, Hairdresser's Husband 56/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Hairdresser's Husband or Royal Black?

Hairdresser's Husband projects furthest (Hairdresser's Husband 51/100, Royal Black 47/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hairdresser's Husband and Royal Black smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus and aromatic accords. Common notes include Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit and Lime.

Is Hairdresser's Husband or Royal Black better for summer or winter?

Royal Black suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Hairdresser's Husband and Royal Black?

Hairdresser's Husband has top notes of Lemon, Orange and Grapefruit, heart notes of Lime and Myrtle, a base of Tonka Bean and Vanilla Absolute. Royal Black has top notes of Orange, Lime, Lemon and Grapefruit, heart notes of Sage, Cinnamon, Thyme and Pepper, a base of White Musk, Sandalwood, Oakmoss and Labdanum.