Fragrance comparison

Holy Thistle vs Russian Leather

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 1,417 ratings analysed

Holy Thistle

Union

3.6715 votes

Rank #23,294 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Russian Leather

Memo Paris

3.911,402 votes

Rank #3,376 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Russian Leather takes 4 of 5 categories.

Holy Thistle
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Russian Leather
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in winter.

Holy Thistle1/5

Russian Leather4/5

Ratings & consensus: Russian Leather
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Russian Leather
Sillage & projection: Holy Thistle
Value for money: Russian Leather
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Russian Leather

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Holy ThistleUnion

Russian LeatherMemo Paris

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.67/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 11%Had 2%Want 87%

3.91/ 5 · 1,402 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

Category winnerRussian LeatherRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

20%Love

53%Like

0%Ok

27%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

34%Love

39%Like

15%Ok

11%Dislike

2%Hate

1,402 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity46

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityRussian Leather

SillageHoly Thistle

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value25

¤ Price value33

Category winnerRussian LeatherBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

fresh spicy83%

earthy65%

herbal48%

woody30%

aromatic100%

woody83%

fresh spicy65%

green48%

leather30%

Scent match50%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

FernThistleBay LeafPine Tree

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

Pine TreeCypressRussian LeatherLavenderFernCedar NeedlesRosemaryBasilClary SageMintGuaiac WoodPatchouli

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesFern and Pine Tree. Durations are only published for Holy Thistle, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer83

Fall17

Winter17

Day100

Night35

Spring99

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex0

Women50

Casual 42%Work 37%Date 13%Party 8%

Men73

Unisex25

Women2

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,294

PerfumerAnastasia Brozler

Launched—

Reviews7

Overall rank#3,376

PerfumerAlienor Massenet

Launched—

Reviews136

Category winnerRussian LeatherHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Holy Thistle by Union captures the damp, windswept greenery of a Scottish moor after rainfall. Created by British perfumer Anastasia Brozler, the fragrance opens with a sharp burst of wild thistle and damp fern leaves, delivering an immediate rush of crushed herbal foliage. As the brisk alcohol evaporates, aromatic ba…

Reviews →

Memo Paris Russian Leather opens with a freezing blast of pine needles, cypress, and crushed mint. As the frosty herbal opening softens, rosemary and clary sage bring a dry barbershop quality over a muted birch-leather base. It fits crisp autumn mornings and freezing winter days when you want a clean, coniferous green…

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, Holy Thistle or Russian Leather?

Russian Leather takes 4 of 5 categories. Holy Thistle is rated 3.67/5 from 15 votes; Russian Leather is rated 3.91/5 from 1,402 votes. Choose Holy Thistle for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Russian Leather for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and value for money. Best in winter.