Fragrance comparison

Imperial Emerald vs Pheromone Red

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 447 ratings analysed

4 wins

Imperial Emerald

The Merchant of Venice

3.97435 votes

Rank #5,991 White FloralCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

38%scent match

Some overlap

Pheromone Red

Marilyn Miglin

3.9212 votes

Rank #23,597 Yellow FloralWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Imperial Emerald takes 4 of 5 categories.

Imperial Emerald
Choose it for a white floral and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Pheromone Red
Choose it for a yellow floral and white floral character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Imperial Emerald4/5

Pheromone Red1/5

Ratings & consensus: Imperial Emerald
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Imperial Emerald
Sillage & projection: Imperial Emerald
Value for money: Pheromone Red
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Imperial Emerald

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Imperial EmeraldThe Merchant of Venice

Pheromone RedMarilyn Miglin

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.97/ 5 · 435 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

3.92/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 43%Had 11%Want 46%

Category winnerImperial EmeraldRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

39%Love

34%Like

13%Ok

11%Dislike

2%Hate

435 votes

42%Love

33%Like

8%Ok

8%Dislike

8%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityImperial Emerald

SillageImperial Emerald

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value34

¤ Price value88

Category winnerPheromone RedBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

citrus92%

tuberose84%

amber77%

powdery69%

sweet61%

yellow floral100%

white floral83%

sweet65%

woody48%

patchouli30%

Scent match38%Some overlap · both white floral and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

IrisMandarin OrangeBergamotPink Pepper

Heart

TuberoseLilyYlang-YlangOrange BlossomLily-of-the-ValleyRose

Base

White MuskPatchouliBenzoinVanillaAmber

Top30 to 45 minutes

Jasmine SambacLily

Heart2 to 3 hours

BroomYlang-YlangOrange Blossom

Base2 to 3 hours

PatchouliWhite MuskAmber

InformationalShared notesLily, Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom and White Musk. Durations are only published for Pheromone Red, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer55

Fall95

Winter70

Day100

Night–

Spring100

Summer67

Fall67

Winter100

Day100

Night75

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men3

Unisex14

Women84

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#5,991

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews33

Overall rank#23,597

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews5

Category winnerImperial EmeraldHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Imperial Emerald by The Merchant of Venice opens with a lively splash of mandarin orange, bergamot, and a bright pinch of pink pepper that quickly yields to an opulent powdery iris. At its core, the scent blooms into a lush bouquet of creamy tuberose, sweet orange blossom, and sunny ylang-ylang, creating a rich white …

Reviews →

Pheromone Red by Marilyn Miglin is a bright floral fragrance that surprises many who expect a heavy, spicy profile from its fiery name. It opens with an airy bouquet of jasmine sambac and crisp lily, introducing a clean, petal-forward character right away. As the scent settles, broom and sweet ylang-ylang take over th…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Poseidon VictoriaInstituto EspañolRUNNER-UP vs

Guipure & SilkJeanne ArthesWINNER

1 person compared this today

Mrs. Sultan's Elixir 56The Dua BrandWINNER vs

ZafafiAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

PontevecchioNobile 1942RUNNER-UP vs

Exceptional Florence BridgeThe Dua BrandWINNER

1 person compared this today

The Most WantedAzzaroWINNER vs

ChromeAzzaroRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Imperial Emerald or Pheromone Red?

Imperial Emerald takes 4 of 5 categories. Imperial Emerald is rated 3.97/5 from 435 votes; Pheromone Red is rated 3.92/5 from 12 votes. Choose Imperial Emerald for a white floral and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Pheromone Red for a yellow floral and white floral character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Imperial Emerald or Pheromone Red?

Imperial Emerald lasts longest (Imperial Emerald 74/100, Pheromone Red 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Imperial Emerald or Pheromone Red?

Imperial Emerald projects furthest (Imperial Emerald 67/100, Pheromone Red 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Imperial Emerald and Pheromone Red smell similar?

Some overlap: a 38% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral and sweet accords. Common notes include Lily, Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom and White Musk.

Is Imperial Emerald or Pheromone Red better for summer or winter?

Imperial Emerald suits daytime wear; Pheromone Red suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Imperial Emerald and Pheromone Red?

Imperial Emerald has top notes of Iris, Mandarin Orange, Bergamot and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Tuberose, Lily, Ylang-Ylang and Orange Blossom, a base of White Musk, Patchouli, Benzoin and Vanilla. Pheromone Red has top notes of Jasmine Sambac and Lily, heart notes of Broom, Ylang-Ylang and Orange Blossom, a base of Patchouli, White Musk and Amber.