Fragrance comparison

Kill The Lights vs The Essence

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 206 ratings analysed

4 wins

Kill The Lights

Gritti

3.76151 votes

Rank #13,599 LeatherAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

17%scent match

Clearly different

The Essence

Sergio Tacchini

3.6755 votes

Rank #15,692 WoodyPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Kill The Lights takes 4 of 7 categories.

Kill The Lights
Choose it for a leather and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.
The Essence
Choose it for a woody and powdery character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Kill The Lights4/7

The Essence3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Kill The LightsGritti

The EssenceSergio Tacchini

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.76/ 5 · 151 votes

Have 28%Had 10%Want 62%

3.67/ 5 · 55 votes

Have 70%Had 8%Want 22%

Category winnerKill The LightsRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

36%Love

26%Like

16%Ok

21%Dislike

1%Hate

151 votes

32%Love

40%Like

22%Ok

6%Dislike

0%Hate

50 votes

Category winnerThe EssenceMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity47

〰 Sillage43

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityKill The Lights

SillageKill The Lights

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value48

¤ Price value90

Category winnerThe EssenceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

aromatic91%

green83%

herbal74%

woody65%

fresh spicy56%

woody100%

powdery92%

amber84%

vanilla77%

balsamic69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match17%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

DavanaArtemisiaJuniper

Heart2 to 3 hours

LeatherHayPink Pepper

Base5 to 8 hours

Birch TarMastic or LentisqueGuaiac Wood

Top

BergamotArtemisiaWormwoodJuniper

Heart

MyrrhIrisIncense

Base

VanillaSandalwoodGuaiac WoodMusk

InformationalShared notesArtemisia, Juniper and Guaiac Wood. Durations are only published for Kill The Lights, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring70

Summer37

Fall100

Winter81

Day59

Night100

Spring100

Summer81

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night67

Category winnerThe EssenceMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men32

Unisex61

Women7

Men44

Unisex47

Women9

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,599

PerfumerLuca Gritti

Launched—

Reviews10

Overall rank#15,692

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews13

Category winnerKill The LightsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Kill The Lights by Gritti is a dry, smoky leather scent built around bold aromatic and herbal contrasts. The scent opens with bitter artemisia, fruity davana, and brisk juniper berries before settling into an assertive core of rugged leather, dry hay, and a dash of pink pepper. As the wear develops, dense birch tar an…

Reviews →

The Essence by Sergio Tacchini is a woody aromatic fragrance for men, released in 2022. It opens with sharp juniper and wormwood, transitioning into a powdery iris and myrrh heart. The base offers a soft blend of vanilla and sandalwood. It provides a clean, transparent scent profile that works well for office wear or …

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, Kill The Lights or The Essence?

Kill The Lights takes 4 of 7 categories. Kill The Lights is rated 3.76/5 from 151 votes; The Essence is rated 3.67/5 from 55 votes. Choose Kill The Lights for a leather and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose The Essence for a woody and powdery character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Kill The Lights or The Essence?

Kill The Lights lasts longest (Kill The Lights 73/100, The Essence 47/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Kill The Lights or The Essence?

Kill The Lights projects furthest (Kill The Lights 65/100, The Essence 43/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Kill The Lights and The Essence smell similar?

Clearly different: a 17% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Artemisia, Juniper and Guaiac Wood.

Is Kill The Lights or The Essence better for summer or winter?

For summer, The Essence is the stronger pick. For winter, The Essence is the stronger pick. Kill The Lights suits evening wear; The Essence suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Kill The Lights and The Essence?

Kill The Lights has top notes of Davana, Artemisia and Juniper, heart notes of Leather, Hay and Pink Pepper, a base of Birch Tar, Mastic or Lentisque and Guaiac Wood. The Essence has top notes of Bergamot, Artemisia, Wormwood and Juniper, heart notes of Myrrh, Iris and Incense, a base of Vanilla, Sandalwood, Guaiac Wood and Musk.