Fragrance comparison

Le Essence Men vs Al Fares

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 45 ratings analysed

Le Essence Men

In The Box

3.6414 votes

Rank #45,475 VanillaLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

21%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Al Fares

Gulf Orchid

4.3931 votes

Rank #23,800 Warm SpicyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Al Fares takes 5 of 5 categories.

Le Essence Men
Choose it for a vanilla and leather character. Best in winter, evening wear.
Al Fares
Choose it for a warm spicy and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Le Essence Men0/5

Al Fares5/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Le Essence MenIn The Box

Al FaresGulf Orchid

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.64/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 46%Had 19%Want 35%

4.39/ 5 · 31 votes

Have 51%Had 3%Want 46%

Category winnerAl FaresRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

36%Love

36%Like

0%Ok

14%Dislike

14%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

55%Love

29%Like

16%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

31 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage52

♥ Love / hate66

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityAl Fares

SillageAl Fares

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value75

Category winnerAl FaresBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

leather90%

lavender80%

animalic70%

aromatic60%

sweet50%

warm spicy100%

aromatic92%

woody84%

green77%

amber69%

nutty61%

Scent match21%Clearly different · both aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CardamomPepperBergamotArtemisia

Heart

LeatherLavenderSageCinnamon

Base

VanillaCoumarinCostusAmberwoodMusk

Top15-30 mins

MintPink PepperCardamom

Heart2-4 hrs

CinnamonLavenderSage

Base6-8 hrs

ChestnutAmberwoodCedar

InformationalShared notesCardamom, Lavender, Sage and Cinnamon. Durations are only published for Al Fares, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring11

Summer0

Fall44

Winter100

Day33

Night100

Spring37

Summer21

Fall100

Winter95

Day44

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men90

Unisex10

Women0

Men88

Unisex13

Women0

Date 33%Casual 30%Party 24%Work 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#45,475

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#23,800

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerAl FaresHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Le Essence Men opens spicy and aromatic, then quickly turns darker with leather, lavender and cinnamon over a warm vanilla base. The overall feel is sweet, smoky and slightly animalic rather than fresh. It reads clearly masculine and better suited to evening wear, cooler weather, and anyone who enjoys a fuller orient…

Reviews →

Al Fares by Gulf Orchid is a warm, aromatic fragrance built for crisp fall days and cold winter evenings. The scent hits your skin with a cool burst of fresh mint balanced by tingling pink pepper and crushed green cardamom pods. That initial freshness does not linger for long. Within twenty minutes, the fragrance shif…

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, Le Essence Men or Al Fares?

Al Fares takes 5 of 5 categories. Le Essence Men is rated 3.64/5 from 14 votes; Al Fares is rated 4.39/5 from 31 votes. Choose Le Essence Men for a vanilla and leather character. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Al Fares for a warm spicy and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Le Essence Men or Al Fares?

They last about the same: Al Fares 68/100, Le Essence Men 67/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Le Essence Men or Al Fares?

Al Fares projects furthest (Al Fares 55/100, Le Essence Men 52/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Le Essence Men and Al Fares smell similar?

Clearly different: a 21% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic accords. Common notes include Cardamom, Lavender, Sage and Cinnamon.

Is Le Essence Men or Al Fares better for summer or winter?

Le Essence Men suits evening wear; Al Fares suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Le Essence Men and Al Fares?

Le Essence Men has top notes of Cardamom, Pepper, Bergamot and Artemisia, heart notes of Leather, Lavender, Sage and Cinnamon, a base of Vanilla, Coumarin, Costus and Amberwood. Al Fares has top notes of Mint, Pink Pepper and Cardamom, heart notes of Cinnamon, Lavender and Sage, a base of Chestnut, Amberwood and Cedar.