Fragrance comparison

Mandarine Mandarin vs Garson Libre

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 467 ratings analysed

Mandarine Mandarin

Serge Lutens

3.57446 votes

Rank #6,152 CitrusAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Garson Libre

LPDO

4.0021 votes

Rank #20,898 AmberAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Garson Libre takes 3 of 5 categories.

Mandarine Mandarin
Choose it for a citrus and amber character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Garson Libre
Choose it for a amber and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Mandarine Mandarin2/5

Garson Libre3/5

Ratings & consensus: Garson Libre
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Mandarine Mandarin
Sillage & projection: Garson Libre
Value for money: Garson Libre
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

Garson LibreLPDO

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.57/ 5 · 446 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

4.00/ 5 · 21 votes

Have 18%Had 8%Want 74%

Category winnerGarson LibreRating 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

29%Love

48%Like

19%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

21 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityMandarine Mandarin

SillageGarson Libre

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value93

Category winnerGarson LibreBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

amber83%

fresh spicy65%

sweet48%

green30%

amber100%

aldehydic92%

citrus84%

musky77%

woody69%

fresh61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both citrus and amber

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

AldehydesMandarin OrangeAngelicaMate

Heart

MagnoliaNutmegCarawayCinnamonCorianderPimento

Base

IncenseVetiverAmberPatchouliCedarLabdanum

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, Mandarin Orange, Amber and Labdanum. 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

Summer75

Fall75

Winter25

Day100

Night44

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men6

Unisex79

Women15

Men47

Unisex35

Women18

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#6,152

PerfumerChristopher Sheldrake

Launched—

Reviews52

Overall rank#20,898

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews7

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 →

Garson Libre by LPDO opens with a sharp, metallic burst of aldehydes and bright mandarin orange. This unisex composition settles into a meditative base of incense, vetiver, and labdanum. It works well as a crisp, professional scent for office wear or cool spring mornings. The blend remains light and airy, avoiding hea…

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 Garson Libre?

Garson Libre takes 3 of 5 categories. Mandarine Mandarin is rated 3.57/5 from 446 votes; Garson Libre is rated 4.00/5 from 21 votes. Choose Mandarine Mandarin for a citrus and amber character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Garson Libre for a amber and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Mandarine Mandarin or Garson Libre?

Mandarine Mandarin lasts longest (Mandarine Mandarin 70/100, Garson Libre 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Mandarine Mandarin or Garson Libre?

Projection is very close: Garson Libre 64/100, Mandarine Mandarin 63/100 for sillage.

Do Mandarine Mandarin and Garson Libre smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus and amber accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Mandarin Orange, Amber and Labdanum.

Is Mandarine Mandarin or Garson Libre better for summer or winter?

Garson Libre suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mandarine Mandarin and Garson Libre?

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. Garson Libre has top notes of Aldehydes, Mandarin Orange, Angelica and Mate, heart notes of Magnolia, Nutmeg, Caraway and Cinnamon, a base of Incense, Vetiver, Amber and Patchouli.