Fragrance comparison

Hot! Fragrances Brown vs The Penthouse

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 19 ratings analysed

Hot! Fragrances Brown

Ulric de Varens · 2008

3.3315 votes

Rank #63,601 PowderyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

The Penthouse

Henry Jacques

4.254 votes

Rank #40,686 Warm SpicyFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

The Penthouse takes 2 of 3 categories.

Hot! Fragrances Brown
Choose it for a powdery and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear.
The Penthouse
Choose it for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Hot! Fragrances Brown1/3

The Penthouse2/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: The Penthouse
Sillage & projection: Hot! Fragrances Brown
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: The Penthouse

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Hot! Fragrances BrownUlric de Varens

The PenthouseHenry Jacques

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.33/ 5 · 15 votes

Have 44%Had 15%Want 41%

4.25/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 20%Had 0%Want 80%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

13%Love

47%Like

0%Ok

40%Dislike

0%Hate

15 votes · too few to score

50%Love

25%Like

25%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate58

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityThe Penthouse

SillageHot! Fragrances Brown

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value42

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

powdery100%

fresh spicy83%

warm spicy65%

musky48%

woody30%

warm spicy100%

fresh spicy92%

woody84%

amber77%

vanilla69%

aromatic61%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both fresh spicy, warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PepperPowdery NotesClovesMuskNutmegSandalwoodPatchouli

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Bitter OrangeNutmegCinnamon LeafPink PepperCypressCocoaBergamot

Heart

ClovesCedarwoodPatchouliPepperGeraniumJasmine

Base

BenzoinSandalwoodTonka BeanVanillaOudCumin

InformationalShared notesPepper, Cloves, Nutmeg and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Hot! Fragrances Brown, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring40

Summer40

Fall100

Winter80

Day100

Night64

Spring40

Summer20

Fall100

Winter80

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Casual 38%Work 34%Date 18%Party 9%

Men40

Unisex60

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#63,601

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2008

Reviews0

Overall rank#40,686

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerThe PenthouseHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Hot! Fragrances Brown by Ulric de Varens combines dry kitchen spice with soft barber-clean powder. The scent pushes out an immediate kick of black pepper and pungent cloves before settling into a warm core of freshly grated nutmeg. Do not overspray this early. A brief alcohol rush clears in two minutes, revealing clea…

Reviews →

The Penthouse by Henry Jacques opens with a crisp burst of bitter orange, pink pepper, and sharp nutmeg before settling into a deep, woody interior. As the top notes fade, a dense spine of cedarwood, patchouli, and warm cloves takes control, giving the fragrance a rich, structural weight on skin. The dry-down brings o…

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, Hot! Fragrances Brown or The Penthouse?

The Penthouse takes 2 of 3 categories. Hot! Fragrances Brown is rated 3.33/5 from 15 votes; The Penthouse is rated 4.25/5 from 4 votes. Choose Hot! Fragrances Brown for a powdery and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose The Penthouse for a warm spicy and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Hot! Fragrances Brown or The Penthouse?

The Penthouse lasts longest (The Penthouse 80/100, Hot! Fragrances Brown 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Hot! Fragrances Brown or The Penthouse?

Hot! Fragrances Brown projects furthest (Hot! Fragrances Brown 59/100, The Penthouse 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hot! Fragrances Brown and The Penthouse smell similar?

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg and Sandalwood.

Is Hot! Fragrances Brown or The Penthouse better for summer or winter?

Hot! Fragrances Brown suits daytime wear; The Penthouse suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Hot! Fragrances Brown and The Penthouse?

Hot! Fragrances Brown features Pepper, Powdery Notes, Cloves, Musk and Nutmeg. The Penthouse has top notes of Bitter Orange, Nutmeg, Cinnamon Leaf and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Cloves, Cedarwood, Patchouli and Pepper, a base of Benzoin, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean and Vanilla.