Fragrance comparison

Moonlight vs Desirade

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 244 ratings analysed

Moonlight

Gulf Orchid

—0 votes

Rank #73,907 VioletFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

2 wins

Desirade

Aubusson

3.84244 votes

Rank #7,542 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Desirade takes 2 of 3 categories.

Moonlight
Choose it for a violet and fruity character. Wins on longevity.
Desirade
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Moonlight1/3

Desirade2/3

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MoonlightGulf Orchid

DesiradeAubusson

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 3%Had 0%Want 97%

3.84/ 5 · 244 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

Not enough votes yet

34%Love

51%Like

4%Ok

11%Dislike

0%Hate

207 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hateN/A

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate76

Category winners

LongevityMoonlight

SillageDesirade

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value85

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

violet100%

fruity92%

powdery84%

patchouli77%

white floral69%

woody61%

fruity100%

sweet92%

woody84%

white floral77%

floral69%

powdery61%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both fruity, white floral and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

VioletPlumFruity Notes

Heart2-4 hrs

PatchouliJasmineRose

Base6-10 hrs

AmbergrisVanillaMusk

Top

Madagascar Ylang-YlangAldehydesPineappleCorianderBergamot

Heart

Chinese OsmanthusTuberoseCassiaJasmineOrange BlossomVioletRose

Base

SandalwoodSomalian OpoponaxPlumVanillaMuskPatchouliRaspberry

InformationalShared notesViolet, Plum, Patchouli and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Moonlight, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring–

Summer–

Fall–

Winter–

Day37

Night100

Spring86

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 39%Party 30%Casual 17%Work 14%

Men0

Unisex12

Women88

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#73,907

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#7,542

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews10

Category winnerDesiradeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Moonlight by Gulf Orchid opens with a noticeable burst of dark plum, powdery violet, and tart mixed fruit. The alcohol flash evaporates within three minutes, leaving a thick, velvety fruitiness on the skin. The plum hits right away. As the scent settles, a dramatic crimson rose steps forward alongside earthy patchouli…

Reviews →

Desirade by Aubusson is a dense, fruity, and floral composition for women, launched in 1990. It centers on an intense combination of Madagascar ylang-ylang, pineapple, and tuberose, supported by a warm, resinous base of opoponax and sandalwood. This fragrance offers a bold, retro profile that performs best in cooler w…

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 lasts longer, Moonlight or Desirade?

Moonlight lasts longest (Moonlight 80/100, Desirade 75/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Moonlight or Desirade?

Desirade projects furthest (Desirade 70/100, Moonlight 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Moonlight and Desirade smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, white floral and powdery accords. Common notes include Violet, Plum, Patchouli and Jasmine.

Is Moonlight or Desirade better for summer or winter?

Moonlight suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Moonlight and Desirade?

Moonlight has top notes of Violet, Plum and Fruity Notes, heart notes of Patchouli, Jasmine and Rose, a base of Ambergris, Vanilla and Musk. Desirade has top notes of Madagascar Ylang-Ylang, Aldehydes, Pineapple and Coriander, heart notes of Chinese Osmanthus, Tuberose, Cassia and Jasmine, a base of Sandalwood, Somalian Opoponax, Plum and Vanilla.