Fragrance comparison

Mandarine Mandarin vs Ivoire de Balmain

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 1,553 ratings analysed

Mandarine Mandarin

Serge Lutens

3.57446 votes

Rank #6,152 CitrusAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

19%scent match

Clearly different

6 wins

Ivoire de Balmain

Pierre Balmain

4.131,107 votes

Rank #23,646 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Ivoire de Balmain takes 6 of 7 categories.

Mandarine Mandarin
Choose it for a citrus and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Ivoire de Balmain
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring.

Mandarine Mandarin1/7

Ivoire de Balmain6/7

Ratings & consensus: Ivoire de Balmain
Community sentiment: Ivoire de Balmain
Longevity: Ivoire de Balmain
Sillage & projection: Ivoire de Balmain
Value for money: Ivoire de Balmain
Versatility: Ivoire de Balmain
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

Ivoire de BalmainPierre Balmain

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.57/ 5 · 446 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

4.13/ 5 · 1,107 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

Category winnerIvoire de BalmainRating 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

42%Love

43%Like

2%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

1,107 votes

Category winnerIvoire de BalmainMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityIvoire de Balmain

SillageIvoire de Balmain

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value38

¤ Price value50

Category winnerIvoire de BalmainBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

amber83%

fresh spicy65%

sweet48%

green30%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy92%

herbal84%

woody77%

floral69%

green61%

Scent match19%Clearly different · both fresh spicy and green

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

AldehydesChamomileGalbanumMarigoldAsafoetidaArtemisiaBergamotLemon

Heart

Orris RootNarcissusCarnationNutmegTurkish RosePepperYlang-YlangIris

Base

OakmossVetiverSandalwoodIncensePatchouliLabdanumMuskTonka Bean

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, 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

Summer0

Fall0

Winter68

Day–

Night–

Category winnerIvoire de BalmainMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men6

Unisex79

Women15

Men3

Unisex37

Women60

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#6,152

PerfumerChristopher Sheldrake

Launched—

Reviews52

Overall rank#23,646

PerfumerFrancis Camail, Michel Hy

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 →

Ivoire de Balmain stands as a definitive green chypre. It opens with a sharp, herbal punch of galbanum and marigold before settling into a sophisticated, mossy floral core. This is a scent for those who appreciate traditional, crisp structure. It feels most at home during cool spring mornings, providing an immediate s…

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 Ivoire de Balmain?

Ivoire de Balmain takes 6 of 7 categories. Mandarine Mandarin is rated 3.57/5 from 446 votes; Ivoire de Balmain is rated 4.13/5 from 1,107 votes. Choose Mandarine Mandarin for a citrus and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Ivoire de Balmain for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Mandarine Mandarin or Ivoire de Balmain?

They last about the same: Ivoire de Balmain 71/100, Mandarine Mandarin 70/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Mandarine Mandarin or Ivoire de Balmain?

Projection is very close: Ivoire de Balmain 64/100, Mandarine Mandarin 63/100 for sillage.

Do Mandarine Mandarin and Ivoire de Balmain smell similar?

Clearly different: a 19% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fresh spicy and green accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Labdanum and Tonka Bean.

Is Mandarine Mandarin or Ivoire de Balmain better for summer or winter?

For summer, Mandarine Mandarin is the stronger pick. For winter, Mandarine Mandarin is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mandarine Mandarin and Ivoire de Balmain?

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. Ivoire de Balmain has top notes of Aldehydes, Chamomile, Galbanum and Marigold, heart notes of Orris Root, Narcissus, Carnation and Nutmeg, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Incense.