Fragrance comparison

Mandarine Mandarin vs 21

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 447 ratings analysed

Mandarine Mandarin

Serge Lutens

3.57446 votes

Rank #6,152 CitrusAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

The Fragrance Kitchen

4.001 votes

Rank #59,233 CitrusPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

21 takes 2 of 4 categories.

Mandarine Mandarin
Choose it for a citrus and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
21
Choose it for a citrus and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Mandarine Mandarin1/4

212/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: 21
Sillage & projection: Tie
Value for money: 21
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Mandarine Mandarin

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Mandarine MandarinSerge Lutens

21The Fragrance Kitchen

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.57/ 5 · 446 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 18%Had 0%Want 82%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

29%Love

46%Like

4%Ok

20%Dislike

1%Hate

377 votes

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity90

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

Longevity21

SillageTie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value100

Category winner21Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

amber83%

fresh spicy65%

sweet48%

green30%

citrus100%

powdery92%

musky84%

fresh spicy77%

amber69%

violet61%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both citrus, amber and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Chinese OrangeNutmeg

Heart

Orange PeelMandarin OrangeTea

Base

AmberLabdanumTonka BeanRose Hip

Top

Mandarin OrangeBergamotOrange

Heart

VioletTonka BeanNutmeg

Base

MuskPatchouliLabdanum

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, Mandarin Orange, Labdanum and Tonka Bean. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring45

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring100

Summer100

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men6

Unisex79

Women15

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#6,152

PerfumerChristopher Sheldrake

Launched—

Reviews52

Overall rank#59,233

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerMandarine MandarinHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mandarine Mandarin by Serge Lutens is a complex oriental spicy scent built around photorealistic orange peel. Launched in 2006, it blends bright citrus with darker, resinous base notes like amber and labdanum. This unisex composition offers a warm, mature character that suits crisp autumn days and cold winter weather …

Reviews →

21 by The Fragrance Kitchen opens with sharp mandarin orange and crisp bergamot before settling into soft violet and warm tonka bean. Clean white musk and earthy patchouli form a calm, grounded base that stays quiet on the skin. It wears best during cool spring mornings and professional office settings where heavy gou…

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, Mandarine Mandarin or 21?

21 takes 2 of 4 categories. Mandarine Mandarin is rated 3.57/5 from 446 votes; 21 is rated 4.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Mandarine Mandarin for a citrus and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose 21 for a citrus and powdery character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Mandarine Mandarin or 21?

21 lasts longest (21 90/100, Mandarine Mandarin 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Mandarine Mandarin or 21?

Projection is very close: Mandarine Mandarin 63/100, 21 63/100 for sillage.

Do Mandarine Mandarin and 21 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, amber and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Mandarin Orange, Labdanum and Tonka Bean.

Is Mandarine Mandarin or 21 better for summer or winter?

21 suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mandarine Mandarin and 21?

Mandarine Mandarin has top notes of Chinese Orange and Nutmeg, heart notes of Orange Peel, Mandarin Orange and Tea, a base of Amber, Labdanum, Tonka Bean and Rose Hip. 21 has top notes of Mandarin Orange, Bergamot and Orange, heart notes of Violet, Tonka Bean and Nutmeg, a base of Musk, Patchouli and Labdanum.