Fragrance comparison

Merit vs Mud

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 411 ratings analysed

4 wins

Merit

Nilafar du Nil

4.2020 votes

Rank #34,480 SweetFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

31%scent match

Clearly different

Mud

BORNTOSTANDOUT®

3.74391 votes

Rank #10,318 VanillaSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Merit takes 4 of 5 categories.

Merit
Choose it for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear.
Mud
Choose it for a vanilla and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Merit4/5

Mud1/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MeritNilafar du Nil

MudBORNTOSTANDOUT®

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.20/ 5 · 20 votes

Have 16%Had 4%Want 80%

3.74/ 5 · 391 votes

Have 77%Had 23%Want 0%

Category winnerMeritRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

55%Love

30%Like

5%Ok

0%Dislike

10%Hate

20 votes · too few to score

26%Love

37%Like

25%Ok

9%Dislike

4%Hate

297 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity90

〰 Sillage83

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevityMerit

SillageMerit

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value93

¤ Price value42

Category winnerMeritBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

fruity92%

white floral84%

powdery77%

floral69%

yellow floral61%

vanilla100%

sweet92%

aromatic84%

fruity77%

lactonic69%

balsamic61%

Scent match31%Clearly different · both sweet and fruity

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

QuinceNeroliAlmondTobacco LeafCoconut

Heart

MimosaTiare FlowerSuedeMatePatchouliPlumelemiTolu Balsam

Base

Violet LeafCedarMuskVanillaOakmoss

Top

MilkAlmond

Heart

ChocolatePlumTurkish Rose

Base

VanillaelemiSandalwoodAmber

InformationalShared notesAlmond, Plum, elemi and Vanilla. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer83

Fall92

Winter83

Day92

Night100

Spring93

Summer48

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex30

Women70

Men12

Unisex52

Women37

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#34,480

PerfumerAbdelFattah Nassar

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#10,318

PerfumerNathalie Lorson

Launched—

Reviews36

Category winnerMudHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Merit by Nilafar du Nil is a complex, sweet chypre floral that hinges on a rich blend of creamy coconut and almond against an earthy oakmoss base. It is a mature, gourmand-leaning scent that performs remarkably well, making it a bold choice for cooler weather days or evening outings when you want a signature that proj…

Reviews →

Mud is a soft, milky gourmand built around almond, chocolate, plum and vanilla, with a smooth rose touch that keeps the sweetness from feeling too flat. Despite the name, it reads far more creamy and comforting than earthy. On skin, it usually feels cozy, slightly powdery and gently woody, with moderate projection and…

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, Merit or Mud?

Merit takes 4 of 5 categories. Merit is rated 4.20/5 from 20 votes; Mud is rated 3.74/5 from 391 votes. Choose Merit for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Mud for a vanilla and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Merit or Mud?

Merit lasts longest (Merit 90/100, Mud 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Merit or Mud?

Merit projects furthest (Merit 83/100, Mud 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Merit and Mud smell similar?

Clearly different: a 31% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet and fruity accords. Common notes include Almond, Plum, elemi and Vanilla.

Is Merit or Mud better for summer or winter?

Merit suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Merit and Mud?

Merit has top notes of Quince, Neroli, Almond and Tobacco Leaf, heart notes of Mimosa, Tiare Flower, Suede and Mate, a base of Violet Leaf, Cedar, Musk and Vanilla. Mud has top notes of Milk and Almond, heart notes of Chocolate, Plum and Turkish Rose, a base of Vanilla, elemi, Sandalwood and Amber.