Fragrance comparison

Handbook For The Recently Deceased vs Majestic Radiance

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 16 ratings analysed

2 wins

Handbook For The Recently Deceased

DS&Durga · 2021

2.789 votes

Rank #23,052 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

54%scent match

Some overlap

Majestic Radiance

Alexander

4.007 votes

Rank #42,504 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased takes 2 of 4 categories.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Majestic Radiance
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased2/4

Majestic Radiance1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Tie
Sillage & projection: Majestic Radiance
Value for money: Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Handbook For The Recently Deceased

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Handbook For The Recently DeceasedDS&Durga

Majestic RadianceAlexander

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

2.78/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 8%Had 1%Want 91%

4.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 19%Had 0%Want 81%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

22%Love

11%Like

22%Ok

11%Dislike

33%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

29%Love

43%Like

29%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate44

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageMajestic Radiance

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value30

Category winnerHandbook For The Recently DeceasedBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

smoky84%

beeswax77%

balsamic69%

warm spicy61%

woody100%

amber90%

musky80%

smoky70%

beeswax60%

animalic50%

Scent match54%Some overlap · both woody, amber and smoky

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

IncenseChalk

Heart2-4 hrs

Woody NotesArtemisia

Base6-8 hrs

BeeswaxPaperPatchouli

Top

Gurjan balsamIncenseCedar

Heart

Woody NotesBeeswaxLabdanumSandalwood

Base

MuskCastoreumVanilla

InformationalShared notesIncense, Woody Notes and Beeswax. Durations are only published for Handbook For The Recently Deceased, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer20

Fall100

Winter80

Day69

Night100

Spring33

Summer0

Fall83

Winter100

Day60

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men57

Unisex43

Women0

Casual 41%Work 26%Date 22%Party 11%

Men67

Unisex33

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,052

PerfumerDavid Seth Moltz

Launched2021

Reviews7

Overall rank#42,504

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerHandbook For The Recently DeceasedHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

DS&Durga Handbook For The Recently Deceased brings an eerie, atmospheric character to life through dry incense, blackboard chalk, and aged paper. The initial spray releases a cool mineral breeze that feels like striking cold limestone inside a shadowed chapel. Within twenty minutes, the mineral edge softens as green a…

Reviews →

Majestic Radiance is a deep, smoky woods and amber scent built around resinous gurjan balsam, incense, and cedar. As it warms on skin, it turns more tactile, with beeswax and labdanum giving a slightly golden, balsamic feel, then a musky, vanilla base with a clear animalic edge from castoreum. It suits cool weather an…

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, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Majestic Radiance?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased takes 2 of 4 categories. Handbook For The Recently Deceased is rated 2.78/5 from 9 votes; Majestic Radiance is rated 4.00/5 from 7 votes. Choose Handbook For The Recently Deceased for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Majestic Radiance for a woody and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Majestic Radiance?

They last about the same: Handbook For The Recently Deceased 73/100, Majestic Radiance 73/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Majestic Radiance?

Majestic Radiance projects furthest (Majestic Radiance 67/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Majestic Radiance smell similar?

Some overlap: a 54% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and smoky accords. Common notes include Incense, Woody Notes and Beeswax.

Is Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Majestic Radiance better for summer or winter?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased suits evening wear; Majestic Radiance suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Majestic Radiance?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased has top notes of Incense and Chalk, heart notes of Woody Notes and Artemisia, a base of Beeswax, Paper and Patchouli. Majestic Radiance has top notes of Gurjan balsam, Incense and Cedar, heart notes of Woody Notes, Beeswax, Labdanum and Sandalwood, a base of Musk, Castoreum and Vanilla.