Fragrance comparison

Message in a Bottle vs Jardanel

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 85 ratings analysed

3 wins

Message in a Bottle

Mark Buxton

3.9462 votes

Rank #16,999 White FloralFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

21%scent match

Clearly different

Jardanel

Jean Desprez

4.7423 votes

Rank #37,216 AmberBalsamic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Message in a Bottle takes 3 of 5 categories.

Message in a Bottle
Choose it for a white floral and floral character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Jardanel
Choose it for a amber and balsamic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Message in a Bottle3/5

Jardanel2/5

Ratings & consensus: Jardanel
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Jardanel
Sillage & projection: Message in a Bottle
Value for money: Message in a Bottle
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Message in a Bottle

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Message in a BottleMark Buxton

JardanelJean Desprez

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.94/ 5 · 62 votes

Have 28%Had 21%Want 51%

4.74/ 5 · 23 votes

Have 23%Had 6%Want 71%

Category winnerJardanelRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

37%Love

39%Like

8%Ok

13%Dislike

3%Hate

62 votes

78%Love

17%Like

4%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

23 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate93

Category winners

LongevityJardanel

SillageMessage in a Bottle

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value56

Category winnerMessage in a BottleBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

white floral100%

floral92%

amber84%

yellow floral77%

animalic69%

citrus61%

amber100%

balsamic92%

powdery84%

warm spicy77%

sweet69%

citrus61%

Scent match21%Clearly different · both amber and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Jasmine SambacYlang-YlangNeroliMagnoliaAmbergrisCivetSandalwoodLabdanum

No top / heart / base split published

Top

OrangeAldehydesBergamotNeroliFruity Notes

Heart

MyrrhNarcissusOrchidJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyCarnationRosePatchouli

Base

Tolu BalsamPeru BalsamCivetLeatherAmberBenzoinOakmossVanilla

InformationalShared notesNeroli and Civet. Durations are only published for Message in a Bottle, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer71

Fall33

Winter10

Day100

Night42

Spring50

Summer40

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex40

Women60

Men0

Unisex33

Women67

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#16,999

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews7

Overall rank#37,216

PerfumerJean Desprez

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerMessage in a BottleHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Message in a Bottle by Mark Buxton is a bold floral blend anchored by deep animalic warmth. The scent opens with a bright burst of neroli paired with powdery magnolia and sweet ylang-ylang, creating an immediate yellow floral and white floral presence. Beneath the sunny blossoms lies an earthy foundation of ambergris,…

Reviews →

Jardanel by Jean Desprez is an elusive, vintage chypre from 1917. Built on a traditional structural spine of oakmoss, civet, and leather, it wraps a dense bouquet of narcissus, patchouli, and ylang-ylang in bright aldehydes. This rare fragrance offers collectors a stark, animalic, and resinous experience that contrast…

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, Message in a Bottle or Jardanel?

Message in a Bottle takes 3 of 5 categories. Message in a Bottle is rated 3.94/5 from 62 votes; Jardanel is rated 4.74/5 from 23 votes. Choose Message in a Bottle for a white floral and floral character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Jardanel for a amber and balsamic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Message in a Bottle or Jardanel?

Jardanel lasts longest (Jardanel 78/100, Message in a Bottle 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Message in a Bottle or Jardanel?

Message in a Bottle projects furthest (Message in a Bottle 62/100, Jardanel 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Message in a Bottle and Jardanel smell similar?

Clearly different: a 21% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and citrus accords. Common notes include Neroli and Civet.

Is Message in a Bottle or Jardanel better for summer or winter?

Message in a Bottle suits daytime wear; Jardanel suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Message in a Bottle and Jardanel?

Message in a Bottle features Jasmine Sambac, Ylang-Ylang, Neroli, Magnolia and Ambergris. Jardanel has top notes of Orange, Aldehydes, Bergamot and Neroli, heart notes of Myrrh, Narcissus, Orchid and Jasmine, a base of Tolu Balsam, Peru Balsam, Civet and Leather.