Fragrance comparison

Man's Illusion vs Patchouli Memory

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

Updated 27 Oct 2026 54 ratings analysed

5 wins

Man's Illusion

In The Box

4.5330 votes

Rank #23,721 Warm SpicyChocolate

Full profile Similar & dupes

36%scent match

Some overlap

Patchouli Memory

Ex Nihilo

4.0824 votes

Rank #33,139 WoodyPatchouli

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Man's Illusion takes 5 of 5 categories.

Man's Illusion
Choose it for a warm spicy and chocolate character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Patchouli Memory
Choose it for a woody and patchouli character. Best in winter, evening wear.

Man's Illusion5/5

Patchouli Memory0/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Man's IllusionIn The Box

Patchouli MemoryEx Nihilo

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.53/ 5 · 30 votes

Have 46%Had 2%Want 52%

4.08/ 5 · 24 votes

Have 29%Had 3%Want 68%

Category winnerMan's IllusionRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

73%Love

10%Like

13%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

30 votes

42%Love

38%Like

8%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

24 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity91

〰 Sillage83

♥ Love / hate88

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityMan's Illusion

SillageMan's Illusion

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value77

¤ Price value38

Category winnerMan's IllusionBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

chocolate92%

soft spicy84%

citrus77%

patchouli69%

aromatic61%

woody100%

patchouli86%

warm spicy72%

oud58%

yellow floral44%

earthy30%

Scent match36%Some overlap · both warm spicy and patchouli

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Pink PepperBergamotCitrus

Heart

Dark ChocolateClary Sage

Base

Patchouli

Top20-30 mins

BergamotClary SagePink Pepper

Heart2-4 hrs

Ylang-YlangNutmegJasmine

Base6-8+ hrs

PatchouliAkigalawoodCedarwoodLabdanumVanilla

InformationalShared notesPink Pepper, Bergamot, Clary Sage and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Patchouli Memory, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer17

Fall92

Winter100

Day36

Night100

Spring67

Summer42

Fall83

Winter100

Day86

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men89

Unisex11

Women0

Men30

Unisex60

Women10

Work 33%Casual 28%Date 26%Party 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,721

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#33,139

PerfumerJordi Fernández

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerMan's IllusionHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Man's Illusion opens with a bright citrus and pink pepper lift, then turns warmer and thicker as dark chocolate, clary sage, and patchouli come forward. It reads spicy, sweet, and earthy rather than fresh. Based on the available feedback, this is a better fit for cold weather and night wear than casual daytime use. Sa…

Reviews →

Patchouli Memory by Ex Nihilo reimagines a notoriously heavy ingredient as something crisp, modern, and surprisingly airy. The scent opens with a lively splash of bergamot and cracked pink pepper, cut through with clean herbal clary sage instead of dark smoke. As it settles onto skin, sunny ylang-ylang and nutmeg soft…

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, Man's Illusion or Patchouli Memory?

Man's Illusion takes 5 of 5 categories. Man's Illusion is rated 4.53/5 from 30 votes; Patchouli Memory is rated 4.08/5 from 24 votes. Choose Man's Illusion for a warm spicy and chocolate character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Patchouli Memory for a woody and patchouli character. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Man's Illusion or Patchouli Memory?

Man's Illusion lasts longest (Man's Illusion 91/100, Patchouli Memory 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Man's Illusion or Patchouli Memory?

Man's Illusion projects furthest (Man's Illusion 83/100, Patchouli Memory 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Man's Illusion and Patchouli Memory smell similar?

Some overlap: a 36% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy and patchouli accords. Common notes include Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Clary Sage and Patchouli.

Is Man's Illusion or Patchouli Memory better for summer or winter?

Man's Illusion suits evening wear; Patchouli Memory suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Man's Illusion and Patchouli Memory?

Man's Illusion has top notes of Pink Pepper, Bergamot and Citrus, heart notes of Dark Chocolate and Clary Sage, a base of Patchouli. Patchouli Memory has top notes of Bergamot, Clary Sage and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Nutmeg and Jasmine, a base of Patchouli, Akigalawood, Cedarwood and Labdanum.