Fragrance comparison

Mars Violet vs Private Code

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 259 ratings analysed

3 wins

Mars Violet

DSH Perfumes

3.676 votes

Rank #60,099 SweetAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

46%scent match

Some overlap

Private Code

Haute Fragrance Company HFC

4.04253 votes

Rank #26,089 SweetFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Mars Violet takes 3 of 4 categories.

Mars Violet
Choose it for a sweet and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Private Code
Choose it for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Mars Violet3/4

Private Code1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Mars Violet
Sillage & projection: Mars Violet
Value for money: Mars Violet
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Private Code

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Mars VioletDSH Perfumes

Private CodeHaute Fragrance Company HFC

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.67/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 6%Had 6%Want 88%

4.04/ 5 · 253 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

33%Dislike

0%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

37%Love

40%Like

14%Ok

7%Dislike

2%Hate

253 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityMars Violet

SillageMars Violet

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value34

Category winnerMars VioletBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

amber92%

fruity84%

woody77%

balsamic69%

tobacco61%

sweet100%

fruity92%

amber84%

cherry77%

warm spicy69%

leather61%

Scent match46%Some overlap · both sweet, amber and fruity

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

DatesSugarTobaccoBulgarian RoseAmberPlumTolu BalsamOakmossPeru BalsamTonka BeanSandalwoodCassis

No top / heart / base split published

Top

PlumSour CherryOlibanumOsmanthus

Heart

DatesLeatherRoseOrris Root

Base

Agarwood (Oud)Tolu BalsamBenzoinIncenseMusk

InformationalShared notesDates, Bulgarian Rose, Plum and Tolu Balsam. Durations are only published for Mars Violet, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring60

Summer20

Fall100

Winter100

Day80

Night100

Spring28

Summer20

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Men14

Unisex58

Women28

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#60,099

PerfumerDawn Spencer Hurwitz

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#26,089

PerfumerVincent Ricord

Launched—

Reviews4

Category winnerPrivate CodeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mars Violet by DSH Perfumes is an earthy, fruit-laced chypre built around dark plum, chewy dates, and warm tobacco. Despite the presence of sugar and tonka bean, the blend is far from a standard dessert scent. The sweetness stays measured, held in check by damp oakmoss, woody notes, and the resinous warmth of tolu bal…

Reviews →

Private Code by Haute Fragrance Company HFC opens with a rich pour of dark sour cherry, stewed plum, and sweet resinous frankincense. As it settles onto the skin, sticky dried dates blend into supple jacket leather, earthy orris root, and a velvety dusting of rose petals. The base lingers for hours with warm tolu bals…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Mars Violet or Private Code?

Mars Violet takes 3 of 4 categories. Mars Violet is rated 3.67/5 from 6 votes; Private Code is rated 4.04/5 from 253 votes. Choose Mars Violet for a sweet and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Private Code for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Mars Violet or Private Code?

Mars Violet lasts longest (Mars Violet 80/100, Private Code 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Mars Violet or Private Code?

Projection is very close: Mars Violet 58/100, Private Code 57/100 for sillage.

Do Mars Violet and Private Code smell similar?

Some overlap: a 46% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, amber and fruity accords. Common notes include Dates, Bulgarian Rose, Plum and Tolu Balsam.

Is Mars Violet or Private Code better for summer or winter?

Mars Violet suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mars Violet and Private Code?

Mars Violet features Dates, Sugar, Tobacco, Bulgarian Rose and Amber. Private Code has top notes of Plum, Sour Cherry, Olibanum and Osmanthus, heart notes of Dates, Leather, Rose and Orris Root, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Tolu Balsam, Benzoin and Incense.