Initiation vs Animale
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
43%scent match
Some overlap
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Initiation takes 4 of 7 categories.
InitiationChoose it for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.
AnimaleChoose it for a woody and floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Initiation4/7
Animale3/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Initiation
- Community sentiment
- Initiation
- Longevity
- Animale
- Sillage & projection
- Animale
- Value for money
- Initiation
- Versatility
- Initiation
- Note pyramid (duration)
- Not scored
- Fragranxe ranking
- Animale
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
InitiationMolyneuxAnimaleAnimaleWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split4.23/ 5 · 75 votes
Have 38%Had 19%Want 43%
3.95/ 5 · 1,254 votes
Have 63%Had 37%Want 0%
Category winnerInitiationRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate40%Love
52%Like
1%Ok
4%Dislike
3%Hate
75 votes
41%Love
30%Like
3%Ok
22%Dislike
3%Hate
1,178 votes
Category winnerInitiationMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityAnimale
SillageAnimale
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerInitiationBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothwhite floral100%
sweet92%
woody84%
floral77%
yellow floral69%
animalic61%
woody100%
floral92%
earthy84%
musky77%
aromatic69%
mossy61%
Scent match43%Some overlap · both woody and floral
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
PeachGardeniaBrazilian RosewoodAldehydesMandarin OrangeBergamot
Heart
TuberoseYlang-YlangRoseNarcissusHeliotropeJasmineCarnationLily-of-the-Valley
Base
HoneyAmberCivetOakmossCoconutPatchouliVetiver
Top
CorianderBrazilian RosewoodHiacynthGreen NotesBergamotNeroli
Heart
HoneyRoseCarnationYlang-YlangOrris RootJasmineLily-of-the-Valley
Base
OakmossCivetPatchouliVetiverMuskCoconut
InformationalShared notesBrazilian Rosewood, Bergamot, Ylang-Ylang and Rose. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.
Seasons & time of day
Relative to each fragrance's best seasonSpring47
Summer40
Fall100
Winter80
Day100
Night94
Spring45
Summer0
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Category winnerInitiationMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#15,067
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews8
Overall rank#1,044
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews140
Category winnerAnimaleHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotInitiation by Molyneux is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women. Initiation was launched in 1990. Top notes are Peach, Gardenia, Brazilian Rosewood, Aldehydes, Mandarin Orange and Bergamot; middle notes are Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Rose, Narcissus, Heliotrope, Jasmine, Carnation and Lily-of-the-Valley; base notes are Ho…
Reviews →Animale by Animale opens with a sharp burst of coriander, bergamot, and green notes before revealing a dense heart of honeyed carnation and rose. The base settles into a heavy blend of oakmoss, civet, and dark patchouli. It carries the weighty, textured feel of late 1980s chypres, making it best suited for crisp autum…
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.
Guided comparison
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Initiation or Animale?
Initiation takes 4 of 7 categories. Initiation is rated 4.23/5 from 75 votes; Animale is rated 3.95/5 from 1,254 votes. Choose Initiation for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Animale for a woody and floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Which lasts longer, Initiation or Animale?
Animale lasts longest (Animale 81/100, Initiation 66/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Initiation or Animale?
Animale projects furthest (Animale 76/100, Initiation 56/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Initiation and Animale smell similar?
Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and floral accords. Common notes include Brazilian Rosewood, Bergamot, Ylang-Ylang and Rose.
Is Initiation or Animale better for summer or winter?
For summer, Initiation is the stronger pick. For winter, Animale is the stronger pick. Initiation suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Initiation and Animale?
Initiation has top notes of Peach, Gardenia, Brazilian Rosewood and Aldehydes, heart notes of Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Rose and Narcissus, a base of Honey, Amber, Civet and Oakmoss. Animale has top notes of Coriander, Brazilian Rosewood, Hiacynth and Green Notes, heart notes of Honey, Rose, Carnation and Ylang-Ylang, a base of Oakmoss, Civet, Patchouli and Vetiver.
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