Fragrance comparison

Marc Jacobs vs Y

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 2,513 ratings analysed

Marc Jacobs

4.131,288 votes

Rank #1,538 White FloralTuberose

Full profile Similar & dupes

24%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Yves Saint Laurent

4.161,225 votes

Rank #24,157 GreenWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Y takes 5 of 7 categories.

Marc Jacobs
Choose it for a white floral and tuberose character. Wins on community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Y
Choose it for a green and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.

Marc Jacobs2/7

Y5/7

Ratings & consensus: Y
Community sentiment: Marc Jacobs
Longevity: Y
Sillage & projection: Y
Value for money: Y
Versatility: Y
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Marc Jacobs

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Marc JacobsMarc Jacobs

YYves Saint Laurent

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.13/ 5 · 1,288 votes

Have 55%Had 45%Want 0%

4.16/ 5 · 1,225 votes

Have 68%Had 32%Want 0%

Category winnerYRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

41%Love

44%Like

3%Ok

12%Dislike

0%Hate

1,288 votes

44%Love

40%Like

4%Ok

12%Dislike

0%Hate

1,225 votes

Category winnerMarc JacobsMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityY

SillageY

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value54

¤ Price value55

Category winnerYBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

tuberose83%

fresh spicy65%

animalic48%

lactonic30%

green100%

white floral92%

earthy84%

woody77%

aldehydic69%

mossy61%

Scent match24%Clearly different · both white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

GardeniaBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

TuberoseJasmineHoneysuckleWhite Pepper

Base6-8 hrs

GingerCedarMusk

Top

AldehydesGreen NotesGalbanumHoneysucklePeachGardeniaMirabelle Plum

Heart

HiacynthOrris RootYlang-YlangJasmineTuberoseBulgarian Rose

Base

OakmossCivetVetiverPatchouliSandalwoodBenzoinStyraxAmber

InformationalShared notesGardenia, Tuberose, Jasmine and Honeysuckle. Durations are only published for Marc Jacobs, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter37

Day100

Night33

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter43

Day–

Night–

Category winnerYMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex11

Women88

Work 37%Casual 32%Date 24%Party 8%

Men11

Unisex41

Women48

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,538

PerfumerLoc Dong, Steve DeMercado

Launched—

Reviews191

Overall rank#24,157

PerfumerMichel Hy

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerMarc JacobsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Marc Jacobs Eau de Parfum captures the scent of fresh gardenias floating in cold water. Created in 2001 by perfumers Steve DeMercado and Loc Dong, this scent avoids the heavy, cloying butteriness often associated with vintage white florals. Instead, it opens with a clean burst of bergamot and dewy gardenia petals that…

Reviews →

Y by Yves Saint Laurent is a crisp, bitter-green chypre perfume that opens with a sharp burst of galbanum, aldehydes, and tart mirabelle plum before settling into dewy hyacinth, creamy gardenia, and earthy oakmoss. First released in 1964, it balances brisk botanical freshness with a warm, mossy base of vetiver and pat…

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, Marc Jacobs or Y?

Y takes 5 of 7 categories. Marc Jacobs is rated 4.13/5 from 1,288 votes; Y is rated 4.16/5 from 1,225 votes. Choose Marc Jacobs for a white floral and tuberose character. Wins on community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Y for a green and white floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Marc Jacobs or Y?

They last about the same: Y 68/100, Marc Jacobs 66/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Marc Jacobs or Y?

Y projects furthest (Y 61/100, Marc Jacobs 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Marc Jacobs and Y smell similar?

Clearly different: a 24% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share white floral accords. Common notes include Gardenia, Tuberose, Jasmine and Honeysuckle.

Is Marc Jacobs or Y better for summer or winter?

For summer, Marc Jacobs is the stronger pick. For winter, Y is the stronger pick. Marc Jacobs suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Marc Jacobs and Y?

Marc Jacobs has top notes of Gardenia and Bergamot, heart notes of Tuberose, Jasmine, Honeysuckle and White Pepper, a base of Ginger, Cedar and Musk. Y has top notes of Aldehydes, Green Notes, Galbanum and Honeysuckle, heart notes of Hiacynth, Orris Root, Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine, a base of Oakmoss, Civet, Vetiver and Patchouli.