Fragrance comparison

Istanbul IST vs Playful Woman

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 43 ratings analysed

Istanbul IST

The Scent of Departure

3.5424 votes

Rank #54,825 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

Playful Woman

Otto Kern

3.7419 votes

Rank #44,020 CitrusRose

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 5 categories split 2–2.

Istanbul IST
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Playful Woman
Choose it for a citrus and rose character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Istanbul IST2/5

Playful Woman2/5

Ratings & consensus: Playful Woman
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Istanbul IST
Sillage & projection: Istanbul IST
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Playful Woman

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Istanbul ISTThe Scent of Departure

Playful WomanOtto Kern

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.54/ 5 · 24 votes

Have 9%Had 16%Want 75%

3.74/ 5 · 19 votes

Have 19%Had 26%Want 55%

Category winnerPlayful WomanRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

13%Love

58%Like

0%Ok

29%Dislike

0%Hate

24 votes · too few to score

5%Love

79%Like

0%Ok

16%Dislike

0%Hate

19 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate64

⏱ Longevity48

〰 Sillage39

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityIstanbul IST

SillageIstanbul IST

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

fruity77%

sweet69%

rose61%

citrus100%

rose92%

Champagne84%

fruity77%

sweet69%

aldehydic61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both fruity, rose and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

SpiceselemiBergamotRed BerriesGrapefruit

Heart

LitchiRosePepperSweet NotesLotusRaspberryViolet

Base

Woodsy NotesSandalwoodCinnamonMusk

Top

ChampagneRaspberryGrapefruit

Heart

Turkish RoseChampacaCinnamon

Base

CedarPatchouliMusk

InformationalShared notesGrapefruit, Rose, Raspberry and Cinnamon. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring86

Summer100

Fall71

Winter43

Day100

Night75

Spring100

Summer45

Fall18

Winter18

Day100

Night11

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#54,825

PerfumerGerald Ghislain

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#44,020

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerPlayful WomanHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Istanbul IST by The Scent of Departure opens with a sharp burst of bergamot and grapefruit, layered over a warm, peppery core. It settles into a soft cedarwood base, capturing the breezy vibe of the Bosporus. It works well for casual daytime wear during warm spring months.

Reviews →

Otto Kern Playful Woman opens with a bright pop of champagne, tart grapefruit, and sweet raspberry. As the initial fizzy sweetness settles, a heart of Turkish rose, champaca flower, and warm cinnamon brings a gentle spicy floral layer into focus. The dry down turns softer on skin, anchoring the bright top notes with d…

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, Istanbul IST or Playful Woman?

No clear winner: the 5 categories split 2–2. Istanbul IST is rated 3.54/5 from 24 votes; Playful Woman is rated 3.74/5 from 19 votes. Choose Istanbul IST for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Playful Woman for a citrus and rose character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Istanbul IST or Playful Woman?

Istanbul IST lasts longest (Istanbul IST 65/100, Playful Woman 48/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Istanbul IST or Playful Woman?

Istanbul IST projects furthest (Istanbul IST 58/100, Playful Woman 39/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Istanbul IST and Playful Woman smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, rose and sweet accords. Common notes include Grapefruit, Rose, Raspberry and Cinnamon.

Is Istanbul IST or Playful Woman better for summer or winter?

Istanbul IST suits daytime wear; Playful Woman suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Istanbul IST and Playful Woman?

Istanbul IST has top notes of Spices, elemi, Bergamot and Red Berries, heart notes of Litchi, Rose, Pepper and Sweet Notes, a base of Woodsy Notes, Sandalwood, Cinnamon and Musk. Playful Woman has top notes of Champagne, Raspberry and Grapefruit, heart notes of Turkish Rose, Champaca and Cinnamon, a base of Cedar, Patchouli and Musk.