Fragrance comparison

Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI vs Esprit du Roi

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

Updated 23 Oct 2026 369 ratings analysed

Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI

Cartier

4.05131 votes

Rank #10,421 CitrusAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

34%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Esprit du Roi

Penhaligon's

3.80238 votes

Rank #6,870 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Esprit du Roi takes 4 of 7 categories.

Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI
Choose it for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and sillage & projection. Best in spring.
Esprit du Roi
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, value for money and versatility. Best in spring.

Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI2/7

Esprit du Roi4/7

Ratings & consensus: Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI
Community sentiment: Tie
Longevity: Esprit du Roi
Sillage & projection: Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI
Value for money: Esprit du Roi
Versatility: Esprit du Roi
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Esprit du Roi

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VICartier

Esprit du RoiPenhaligon's

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.05/ 5 · 131 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

3.80/ 5 · 238 votes

Have 72%Had 28%Want 0%

Category winnerLes Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VIRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

27%Love

57%Like

8%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

131 votes

42%Love

44%Like

5%Ok

8%Dislike

1%Hate

180 votes

Category winnerTieMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate76

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityEsprit du Roi

SillageLes Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value47

Category winnerEsprit du RoiBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aldehydic86%

fresh72%

aromatic58%

woody44%

soapy30%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

citrus84%

green77%

woody69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match34%Clearly different · both citrus, aromatic and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Amalfi LemonAldehydesGin

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Tomato LeafMintAldehydesCitrusesBergamotCitronAmalfi LemonArtemisia

Heart

GeraniumClovesJasmineYlang-YlangHoneysuckle

Base

oak mossVetiverRaspberryAmbergrisSandalwoodPatchouliMuskVirginia Cedar

InformationalShared notesAmalfi Lemon and Aldehydes. 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

Summer0

Fall0

Winter21

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer80

Fall0

Winter28

Day–

Night–

Category winnerEsprit du RoiMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex73

Women23

Men81

Unisex14

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,421

PerfumerMathilde Laurent

Launched—

Reviews15

Overall rank#6,870

PerfumerBertrand Duchaufour

Launched—

Reviews35

Category winnerEsprit du RoiHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mathilde Laurent composed Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI for Cartier in 2009 as a sharp, transparent aromatic scent. The opening hits immediately with sour Amalfi lemon juice and crushed green citrus peel, lifted by a heavy dose of soapy aldehydes that give the air a frosty, effervescent brightness. As t…

Reviews →

Esprit du Roi is a crisp green aromatic from Penhaligon's, built around tomato leaf, mint, citrus, geranium, clove, oakmoss and musky woods. Reviewers often describe it as clean, classy and traditional, with a lively herb garden opening rather than a simple lemon cologne. It suits people who like old-school aromatic c…

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, Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI or Esprit du Roi?

Esprit du Roi takes 4 of 7 categories. Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI is rated 4.05/5 from 131 votes; Esprit du Roi is rated 3.80/5 from 238 votes. Choose Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI for a citrus and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and sillage & projection. Best in spring. Choose Esprit du Roi for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on longevity, value for money and versatility. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI or Esprit du Roi?

Esprit du Roi lasts longest (Esprit du Roi 63/100, Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI or Esprit du Roi?

Projection is very close: Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI 58/100, Esprit du Roi 57/100 for sillage.

Do Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI and Esprit du Roi smell similar?

Clearly different: a 34% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, aromatic and woody accords. Common notes include Amalfi Lemon and Aldehydes.

Is Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI or Esprit du Roi better for summer or winter?

For summer, Esprit du Roi is the stronger pick. For winter, Esprit du Roi is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI and Esprit du Roi?

Les Heures de Cartier: L'Heure Brilliant VI features Amalfi Lemon, Aldehydes and Gin. Esprit du Roi has top notes of Tomato Leaf, Mint, Aldehydes and Citruses, heart notes of Geranium, Cloves, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang, a base of oak moss, Vetiver, Raspberry and Ambergris.