Fragrance comparison

Handbook For The Recently Deceased vs Terre Initiale

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 79 ratings analysed

Handbook For The Recently Deceased

DS&Durga · 2021

2.789 votes

Rank #23,052 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

Terre Initiale

Jardin de France

3.9770 votes

Rank #30,908 FruityAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Terre Initiale
Choose it for a fruity and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Handbook For The Recently Deceased2/4

Terre Initiale2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Sillage & projection: Terre Initiale
Value for money: Terre Initiale
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

Terre InitialeJardin de France

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

2.78/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 8%Had 1%Want 91%

3.97/ 5 · 70 votes

Have 44%Had 18%Want 39%

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

33%Love

47%Like

6%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

70 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate44

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityHandbook For The Recently Deceased

SillageTerre Initiale

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value61

Category winnerTerre InitialeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

smoky84%

beeswax77%

balsamic69%

warm spicy61%

fruity100%

aromatic92%

woody84%

herbal77%

fresh spicy69%

sweet61%

Scent match24%Clearly different · both woody

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

Red BerriesMandarin Orange

Heart

ArtemisiaWormwood

Base

PatchouliCedarIncense

InformationalShared notesIncense, Artemisia and Patchouli. 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

Spring71

Summer46

Fall100

Winter46

Day100

Night62

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men57

Unisex43

Women0

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

Men24

Unisex71

Women6

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,052

PerfumerDavid Seth Moltz

Launched2021

Reviews7

Overall rank#30,908

PerfumerJustine Brivet

Launched—

Reviews0

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 →

Terre Initiale opens with bright red berries and tart mandarin orange, immediately colliding with a bitter herbal heart of artemisia and wormwood. As the crisp fruitiness cools on skin, earthy patchouli and dry cedar anchor the base alongside a smoky touch of incense. It feels crisp, forest-like, and slightly medicina…

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 Terre Initiale?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Handbook For The Recently Deceased is rated 2.78/5 from 9 votes; Terre Initiale is rated 3.97/5 from 70 votes. Choose Handbook For The Recently Deceased for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Terre Initiale for a fruity and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Terre Initiale?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased lasts longest (Handbook For The Recently Deceased 73/100, Terre Initiale 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Terre Initiale?

Terre Initiale projects furthest (Terre Initiale 59/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Terre Initiale smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Incense, Artemisia and Patchouli.

Is Handbook For The Recently Deceased or Terre Initiale better for summer or winter?

Handbook For The Recently Deceased suits evening wear; Terre Initiale suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Handbook For The Recently Deceased and Terre Initiale?

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. Terre Initiale has top notes of Red Berries and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Artemisia and Wormwood, a base of Patchouli, Cedar and Incense.