Fragrance comparison

Joy vs Lover's Complain

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 33 ratings analysed

Joy

Blend Oud

4.1730 votes

Rank #27,427 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

94%scent match

Very similar

3 wins

Lover's Complain

Shakespeare Perfumes

4.003 votes

Rank #49,034 AromaticAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Lover's Complain takes 3 of 4 categories.

Joy
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Lover's Complain
Choose it for a aromatic and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Joy1/4

Lover's Complain3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Lover's Complain
Sillage & projection: Lover's Complain
Value for money: Lover's Complain
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Joy

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

JoyBlend Oud

Lover's ComplainShakespeare Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.17/ 5 · 30 votes

Have 22%Had 6%Want 72%

4.00/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 20%Had 0%Want 80%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

23%Like

13%Ok

7%Dislike

3%Hate

30 votes

33%Love

33%Like

33%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity79

〰 Sillage80

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage85

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityLover's Complain

SillageLover's Complain

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value44

¤ Price value63

Category winnerLover's ComplainBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

fresh spicy88%

leather77%

amber65%

woody53%

vanilla42%

aromatic100%

amber90%

fresh spicy80%

leather70%

vanilla60%

animalic50%

Scent match94%Very similar · both aromatic, fresh spicy and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Juniper BerriesMate

Heart

LeatherAmber

Base

Tonka Bean

Notes

Juniper BerriesTonka BeanLeatherAmberMate

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesJuniper Berries, Mate, Leather and Amber. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer60

Fall70

Winter70

Day100

Night75

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter0

Day100

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#27,427

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Overall rank#49,034

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerJoyHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Joy by Blend Oud opens with an intense blast of gin-like juniper berries and bitter mate tea. The opening feels cold, green, and aggressively herbal before turning into a raw, smoky leather heart. As the scent settles on skin, soft amber and sweet tonka bean filter through the heavy leather accord, preventing the herb…

Reviews →

Lover's Complain by Shakespeare Perfumes offers a dry, aromatic take on leather, warmed by amber and sweetened with tonka bean. Perfect for autumn days, this scent wraps the wearer in a crisp, herbal cloud that feels both historical and thoroughly modern.

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Joy or Lover's Complain?

Lover's Complain takes 3 of 4 categories. Joy is rated 4.17/5 from 30 votes; Lover's Complain is rated 4.00/5 from 3 votes. Choose Joy for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Lover's Complain for a aromatic and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Joy or Lover's Complain?

Lover's Complain lasts longest (Lover's Complain 87/100, Joy 79/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Joy or Lover's Complain?

Lover's Complain projects furthest (Lover's Complain 85/100, Joy 80/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Joy and Lover's Complain smell similar?

Very similar: a 94% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, fresh spicy and amber accords. Common notes include Juniper Berries, Mate, Leather and Amber.

Is Joy or Lover's Complain better for summer or winter?

Joy suits daytime wear; Lover's Complain suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Joy and Lover's Complain?

Joy has top notes of Juniper Berries and Mate, heart notes of Leather and Amber, a base of Tonka Bean. Lover's Complain features Juniper Berries, Tonka Bean, Leather, Amber and Mate.