Fragrance comparison

Hermessence Poivre Samarcande vs Quixotic

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 1,101 ratings analysed

Hermessence Poivre Samarcande

Hermès · 2004

4.191,019 votes

Rank #2,159 WoodyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Quixotic

Amway

3.9782 votes

Rank #7,154 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Quixotic takes 4 of 7 categories.

Hermessence Poivre Samarcande
Choose it for a woody and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Quixotic
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Hermessence Poivre Samarcande3/7

Quixotic4/7

Ratings & consensus: Hermessence Poivre Samarcande
Community sentiment: Hermessence Poivre Samarcande
Longevity: Quixotic
Sillage & projection: Quixotic
Value for money: Quixotic
Versatility: Quixotic
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Hermessence Poivre Samarcande

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Hermessence Poivre SamarcandeHermès

QuixoticAmway

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.19/ 5 · 1,019 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

3.97/ 5 · 82 votes

Have 28%Had 47%Want 25%

Category winnerHermessence Poivre SamarcandeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

43%Like

6%Ok

7%Dislike

1%Hate

1,019 votes

45%Love

28%Like

10%Ok

14%Dislike

3%Hate

29 votes

Category winnerHermessence Poivre SamarcandeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity59

〰 Sillage52

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityQuixotic

SillageQuixotic

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value31

¤ Price value54

Category winnerQuixoticBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

fresh spicy88%

warm spicy77%

aromatic65%

earthy53%

mossy42%

citrus100%

aromatic90%

fresh spicy80%

green50%

woody30%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both fresh spicy, aromatic and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PepperOakVirginia CedarCarawayPaprikaoak mossPatchouliGreen Notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

GrapefruitAldehydesGreen NotesGeraniumPepper

Heart

LemonJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyApricotFreesiaBirch LeafCardamomRose

Base

Virginia CedarSandalwoodMuskoak moss

InformationalShared notesPepper, Virginia Cedar, oak moss and Green Notes. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter74

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer100

Fall56

Winter33

Day100

Night19

Category winnerQuixoticMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men46

Unisex49

Women5

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#2,159

PerfumerJean-Claude Ellena

Launched2004

Reviews111

Overall rank#7,154

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews43

Category winnerHermessence Poivre SamarcandeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Hermessence Poivre Samarcande opens with a vivid rush of freshly crushed black peppercorns and sweet paprika, creating a dry and energetic warmth without any stinging harshness. As the initial spice settles, seasoned oak wood and Virginia cedar shavings take center stage, giving the scent a calm, organic forest textur…

Reviews →

Quixotic by Amway is a sharp, green-leaning floral-aldehyde composition built for the office. It opens with vibrant grapefruit and bright aldehydes, grounding itself through a heart of jasmine and lily-of-the-valley. The dry-down introduces a distinct herbal bitterness from mate and vetiver, resulting in a crisp, prof…

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, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande or Quixotic?

Quixotic takes 4 of 7 categories. Hermessence Poivre Samarcande is rated 4.19/5 from 1,019 votes; Quixotic is rated 3.97/5 from 82 votes. Choose Hermessence Poivre Samarcande for a woody and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring. Choose Quixotic for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande or Quixotic?

Quixotic lasts longest (Quixotic 78/100, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande or Quixotic?

Quixotic projects furthest (Quixotic 71/100, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande 52/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hermessence Poivre Samarcande and Quixotic smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy, aromatic and woody accords. Common notes include Pepper, Virginia Cedar, oak moss and Green Notes.

Is Hermessence Poivre Samarcande or Quixotic better for summer or winter?

For summer, Quixotic is the stronger pick. For winter, Hermessence Poivre Samarcande is the stronger pick. Quixotic suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Hermessence Poivre Samarcande and Quixotic?

Hermessence Poivre Samarcande features Pepper, Oak, Virginia Cedar, Caraway and Paprika. Quixotic has top notes of Grapefruit, Aldehydes, Green Notes and Geranium, heart notes of Lemon, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley and Apricot, a base of Virginia Cedar, Sandalwood, Musk and oak moss.