Fragrance comparison

Hellstone vs African Magic

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 234 ratings analysed

Hellstone

Lush

3.31186 votes

Rank #15,235 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

47%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

African Magic

Alexandria Fragrances

3.9248 votes

Rank #24,364 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

African Magic takes 4 of 7 categories.

Hellstone
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
African Magic
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Hellstone3/7

African Magic4/7

Ratings & consensus: African Magic
Community sentiment: African Magic
Longevity: Hellstone
Sillage & projection: Hellstone
Value for money: African Magic
Versatility: African Magic
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Hellstone

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

HellstoneLush

African MagicAlexandria Fragrances

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.31/ 5 · 186 votes

Have 37%Had 18%Want 45%

3.92/ 5 · 48 votes

Have 38%Had 11%Want 51%

Category winnerAfrican MagicRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

38%Love

34%Like

1%Ok

25%Dislike

1%Hate

154 votes

49%Love

30%Like

7%Ok

9%Dislike

5%Hate

43 votes

Category winnerAfrican MagicMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate68

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityHellstone

SillageHellstone

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value56

¤ Price value68

Category winnerAfrican MagicBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

woody84%

beeswax77%

animalic69%

musky61%

warm spicy100%

fresh spicy92%

aromatic84%

leather77%

woody69%

animalic61%

Scent match47%Some overlap · both aromatic, fresh spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

CuminVetiverBeeswaxAmbrette (Musk Mallow)

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

CuminLeatherSaffronPatchouliCardamomVetiverMuskAgarwood (Oud)GeraniumBergamot

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesCumin and Vetiver. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring23

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring48

Summer24

Fall81

Winter100

Day78

Night100

Category winnerAfrican MagicMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men23

Unisex68

Women9

Men71

Unisex29

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#15,235

PerfumerMark Constantine, Simon Constantine

Launched—

Reviews10

Overall rank#24,364

PerfumerHany Hafez

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerHellstoneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Hellstone is an earthy, spicy Lush perfume built around cumin, vetiver, ambrette and beeswax. It opens dry, rooty and warm, then settles into something musky, waxy and slightly animalic on skin. This is a strong taste fragrance, best for cool weather and for wearers who enjoy rugged, unusual scents over easy crowd-pl…

Reviews →

African Magic is a warm, spicy leather fragrance with cardamom, saffron, cumin and oud giving it a darker, more textured feel from the start. It usually wears as earthy, aromatic and slightly animalic, with vetiver, patchouli and musk smoothing the dry-down. This suits someone who enjoys bold leather scents with spice…

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, Hellstone or African Magic?

African Magic takes 4 of 7 categories. Hellstone is rated 3.31/5 from 186 votes; African Magic is rated 3.92/5 from 48 votes. Choose Hellstone for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose African Magic for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Hellstone or African Magic?

Hellstone lasts longest (Hellstone 74/100, African Magic 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Hellstone or African Magic?

Projection is very close: Hellstone 65/100, African Magic 64/100 for sillage.

Do Hellstone and African Magic smell similar?

Some overlap: a 47% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, fresh spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Cumin and Vetiver.

Is Hellstone or African Magic better for summer or winter?

For summer, African Magic is the stronger pick. For winter, Hellstone is the stronger pick. African Magic suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.