Fragrance comparison

L'Eau du Navigateur vs Shihan (Sensei)

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 933 ratings analysed

4 wins

L'Eau du Navigateur

L'Artisan Parfumeur

4.18527 votes

Rank #4,327 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

60%scent match

Closely related

Shihan (Sensei)

Piotr Czarnecki

4.07406 votes

Rank #3,731 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

L'Eau du Navigateur takes 4 of 7 categories.

L'Eau du Navigateur
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shihan (Sensei)
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

L'Eau du Navigateur4/7

Shihan (Sensei)3/7

Ratings & consensus: L'Eau du Navigateur
Community sentiment: L'Eau du Navigateur
Longevity: Shihan (Sensei)
Sillage & projection: Shihan (Sensei)
Value for money: L'Eau du Navigateur
Versatility: L'Eau du Navigateur
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Shihan (Sensei)

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

L'Eau du NavigateurL'Artisan Parfumeur

Shihan (Sensei)Piotr Czarnecki

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.18/ 5 · 527 votes

Have 64%Had 36%Want 0%

4.07/ 5 · 406 votes

Have 63%Had 38%Want 0%

Category winnerL'Eau du NavigateurRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

44%Like

2%Ok

12%Dislike

0%Hate

527 votes

39%Love

43%Like

5%Ok

12%Dislike

1%Hate

406 votes

Category winnerL'Eau du NavigateurMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityShihan (Sensei)

SillageShihan (Sensei)

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value52

¤ Price value51

Category winnerL'Eau du NavigateurBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

amber84%

tobacco77%

coffee69%

balsamic61%

warm spicy100%

amber92%

whiskey84%

coffee77%

tobacco69%

woody61%

Scent match60%Closely related · both warm spicy, amber and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

SpicesRumTobaccoWoodsy NotesCoffeeResinIncenseLeatherMyrrhCedarFloral Notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

WhiskeyCoffeeTobacco

Heart

Spicy NotesMyrrhIncense

Base

AmberLabdanumAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Musk

InformationalShared notesTobacco, Coffee, Incense and Myrrh. Durations are only published for L'Eau du Navigateur, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring35

Summer25

Fall100

Winter74

Day56

Night100

Spring23

Summer6

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerL'Eau du NavigateurMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men49

Unisex49

Women3

Casual 35%Date 30%Work 19%Party 16%

Men50

Unisex44

Women6

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#4,327

PerfumerJean-Claude Ellena, Jean-Francois Laporte

Launched—

Reviews34

Overall rank#3,731

PerfumerPiotr Czarnecki

Launched—

Reviews56

Category winnerShihan (Sensei)Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

L'Eau du Navigateur opens with an immediate kick of dark roasted coffee beans, sweet pipe tobacco, and aged dark rum. Created in 1979 by Jean-Claude Ellena and Jean-Francois Laporte, this pioneering woody spicy blend smells like the hold of a historic wooden trading vessel packed with dried spices, resins, and leather…

Reviews →

Shihan (Sensei) opens with a heavy splash of warm whiskey and roasted coffee beans. This unisex blend settles into a dry, resinous cloud of myrrh and incense, wrapping the wearer in a dense amber haze. It is best suited for freezing winter nights when you want a rich, dark scent that clings to wool coats.

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, L'Eau du Navigateur or Shihan (Sensei)?

L'Eau du Navigateur takes 4 of 7 categories. L'Eau du Navigateur is rated 4.18/5 from 527 votes; Shihan (Sensei) is rated 4.07/5 from 406 votes. Choose L'Eau du Navigateur for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Shihan (Sensei) for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, L'Eau du Navigateur or Shihan (Sensei)?

They last about the same: Shihan (Sensei) 70/100, L'Eau du Navigateur 68/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, L'Eau du Navigateur or Shihan (Sensei)?

Shihan (Sensei) projects furthest (Shihan (Sensei) 65/100, L'Eau du Navigateur 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Do L'Eau du Navigateur and Shihan (Sensei) smell similar?

Closely related: a 60% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, amber and woody accords. Common notes include Tobacco, Coffee, Incense and Myrrh.

Is L'Eau du Navigateur or Shihan (Sensei) better for summer or winter?

For summer, L'Eau du Navigateur is the stronger pick. For winter, Shihan (Sensei) is the stronger pick. L'Eau du Navigateur suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in L'Eau du Navigateur and Shihan (Sensei)?

L'Eau du Navigateur features Spices, Rum, Tobacco, Woodsy Notes and Coffee. Shihan (Sensei) has top notes of Whiskey, Coffee and Tobacco, heart notes of Spicy Notes, Myrrh and Incense, a base of Amber, Labdanum, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Musk.