Fragrance comparison

Message in a Bottle vs More Beauty Than Beast

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 69 ratings analysed

4 wins

Message in a Bottle

Mark Buxton

3.9462 votes

Rank #16,999 White FloralFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

30%scent match

Clearly different

More Beauty Than Beast

The Rising Phoenix Perfumery

3.717 votes

Rank #59,841 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Message in a Bottle takes 4 of 4 categories.

Message in a Bottle
Choose it for a white floral and floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
More Beauty Than Beast
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Message in a Bottle4/4

More Beauty Than Beast0/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Message in a Bottle
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

More Beauty Than BeastThe Rising Phoenix Perfumery

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.94/ 5 · 62 votes

Have 28%Had 21%Want 51%

3.71/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 3%Had 0%Want 97%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

57%Love

14%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

29%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityMessage in a Bottle

SillageMessage in a Bottle

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value0

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%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

fresh spicy77%

vanilla69%

yellow floral61%

Scent match30%Clearly different · both amber and yellow floral

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

Pink GrapefruitBlood GrapefruitAllspice

Heart

Ylang-YlangClovesJasmine SambacJasmineBrazilian RosewoodNutmegCassiaRose de Mai

Base

BenzoinVanillaLabdanumOlibanumSandalwoodCivet

InformationalShared notesJasmine Sambac, Ylang-Ylang, Civet and Sandalwood. 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

Spring33

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day33

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex40

Women60

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#16,999

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews7

Overall rank#59,841

PerfumerJK DeLapp

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 →

More Beauty Than Beast by The Rising Phoenix Perfumery opens with a bright burst of grapefruit and allspice, settling into a dense heart of rose de mai, jasmine, and warm cloves. JK DeLapp anchors this 2013 release with a rich base of real sandalwood, resinous benzoin, and animalic civet, creating a warm, intimate sce…

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 More Beauty Than Beast?

Message in a Bottle takes 4 of 4 categories. Message in a Bottle is rated 3.94/5 from 62 votes; More Beauty Than Beast is rated 3.71/5 from 7 votes. Choose Message in a Bottle for a white floral and floral character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose More Beauty Than Beast for a amber and woody character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Message in a Bottle or More Beauty Than Beast?

They last about the same: Message in a Bottle 61/100, More Beauty Than Beast 60/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Message in a Bottle or More Beauty Than Beast?

Message in a Bottle projects furthest (Message in a Bottle 62/100, More Beauty Than Beast 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Message in a Bottle and More Beauty Than Beast smell similar?

Clearly different: a 30% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and yellow floral accords. Common notes include Jasmine Sambac, Ylang-Ylang, Civet and Sandalwood.

Is Message in a Bottle or More Beauty Than Beast better for summer or winter?

Message in a Bottle suits daytime wear; More Beauty Than Beast suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Message in a Bottle and More Beauty Than Beast?

Message in a Bottle features Jasmine Sambac, Ylang-Ylang, Neroli, Magnolia and Ambergris. More Beauty Than Beast has top notes of Pink Grapefruit, Blood Grapefruit and Allspice, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Cloves, Jasmine Sambac and Jasmine, a base of Benzoin, Vanilla, Labdanum and Olibanum.