Fragrance comparison

Initiation vs Montée Rouge

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 76 ratings analysed

1 wins

Initiation

Molyneux

4.2375 votes

Rank #14,460 White FloralSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

Montée Rouge

Charles de Beaune

4.001 votes

Rank #69,310 Warm SpicySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Initiation takes 1 of 1 categories.

Initiation
Choose it for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Montée Rouge
Choose it for a warm spicy and sweet character. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Initiation1/1

Montée Rouge0/1

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

InitiationMolyneux

Montée RougeCharles de Beaune

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.23/ 5 · 75 votes

Have 38%Had 19%Want 43%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

52%Like

1%Ok

4%Dislike

3%Hate

75 votes

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate81

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value81

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

sweet92%

woody84%

floral77%

yellow floral69%

animalic61%

warm spicy100%

sweet92%

white floral84%

vanilla77%

amber69%

powdery61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both white floral and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

PeachGardeniaBrazilian RosewoodAldehydesMandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart

TuberoseYlang-YlangRoseNarcissusHeliotropeJasmineCarnationLily-of-the-Valley

Base

HoneyAmberCivetOakmossCoconutPatchouliVetiver

Top15-30 mins

CoconutPeachCloveHoney

Heart2-4 hrs

RoseYlang-YlangJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyPatchouliSaffron

Base6-10+ hrs

Tonka BeanAmberMuskVanilla

InformationalShared notesPeach, Ylang-Ylang, Rose and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Montée Rouge, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring47

Summer40

Fall100

Winter80

Day100

Night94

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex10

Women90

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#14,460

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews8

Overall rank#69,310

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerInitiationHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Initiation 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 →

Montée Rouge by Charles de Beaune is a rich, honeyed amber fragrance with a plush tropical edge. Golden peach and sweet coconut greet you first, quickly dusted by sharp, fiery clove buds. The heart blossoms into heady jasmine and spicy saffron before settling on a thick bed of vanilla and warm tonka bean. It feels opu…

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, Initiation or Montée Rouge?

Initiation takes 1 of 1 categories. Initiation is rated 4.23/5 from 75 votes; Montée Rouge is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Initiation for a white floral and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Montée Rouge for a warm spicy and sweet character. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Do Initiation and Montée Rouge smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral and sweet accords. Common notes include Peach, Ylang-Ylang, Rose and Jasmine.

Is Initiation or Montée Rouge better for summer or winter?

Initiation suits day or night wear; Montée Rouge suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Initiation and Montée Rouge?

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. Montée Rouge has top notes of Coconut, Peach, Clove and Honey, heart notes of Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley, a base of Tonka Bean, Amber, Musk and Vanilla.