Fragrance comparison

Mystery & Excellence vs Royal Marina Intense

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

Updated 7 Nov 2026 156 ratings analysed

Mystery & Excellence

Linn Young

3.8976 votes

Rank #26,620 SweetPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Royal Marina Intense

Princesse Marina De Bourbon

4.1480 votes

Rank #26,604 VanillaPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Royal Marina Intense takes 5 of 7 categories.

Mystery & Excellence
Choose it for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on value for money and versatility. Best in spring.
Royal Marina Intense
Choose it for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.

Mystery & Excellence2/7

Royal Marina Intense5/7

Ratings & consensus: Royal Marina Intense
Community sentiment: Royal Marina Intense
Longevity: Royal Marina Intense
Sillage & projection: Royal Marina Intense
Value for money: Mystery & Excellence
Versatility: Mystery & Excellence
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Royal Marina Intense

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Mystery & ExcellenceLinn Young

Royal Marina IntensePrincesse Marina De Bourbon

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.89/ 5 · 76 votes

Have 24%Had 22%Want 55%

4.14/ 5 · 80 votes

Have 26%Had 19%Want 56%

Category winnerRoyal Marina IntenseRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

45%Like

4%Ok

16%Dislike

3%Hate

76 votes

45%Love

38%Like

4%Ok

14%Dislike

0%Hate

80 votes

Category winnerRoyal Marina IntenseMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity65

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityRoyal Marina Intense

SillageRoyal Marina Intense

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value82

¤ Price value60

Category winnerMystery & ExcellenceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

powdery92%

soft spicy84%

anis77%

vanilla69%

violet61%

vanilla100%

powdery92%

patchouli84%

fruity77%

iris69%

woody61%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both powdery and vanilla

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

AniseVioletIvyLemonPineappleMahogany

Heart

LicoriceIrisJasmineVetiverAmaryllisLily-of-the-ValleyOrris Root

Base

VanillaTonka BeanAlmondWhite MuskChocolateHeliotropeTobacco

Top30 to 45 minutes

Acai BerryAmaryllis

Heart2 to 3 hours

Tonka BeanIrisJasmine

Base5 to 8 hours

VanillaPatchouliMusk

InformationalShared notesIris, Jasmine, Amaryllis and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Royal Marina Intense, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer46

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring34

Summer0

Fall74

Winter100

Day38

Night100

Category winnerMystery & ExcellenceMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex13

Women88

Men0

Unisex20

Women80

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,620

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Overall rank#26,604

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerRoyal Marina IntenseHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Linn Young Mystery & Excellence opens with an immediate blast of star anise and powdery violet, settled over dark ivy. As it dries down on skin during cold autumn evenings, a syrupy licorice heart mixes with vanilla, tonka bean, and almond. The dark gourmand trail stays sweet, cozy, and distinctly warm for casual wint…

Reviews →

Royal Marina Intense by Princesse Marina De Bourbon delivers a rich, sweet blend centered on deep vanilla, powdery iris, and warm tonka bean. The scent opens with a tart burst of dark acai berry and floral amaryllis before settling into a dense heart of jasmine and earthy patchouli. Soft musk anchors the base, giving …

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, Mystery & Excellence or Royal Marina Intense?

Royal Marina Intense takes 5 of 7 categories. Mystery & Excellence is rated 3.89/5 from 76 votes; Royal Marina Intense is rated 4.14/5 from 80 votes. Choose Mystery & Excellence for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on value for money and versatility. Best in spring. Choose Royal Marina Intense for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Mystery & Excellence or Royal Marina Intense?

Royal Marina Intense lasts longest (Royal Marina Intense 65/100, Mystery & Excellence 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Mystery & Excellence or Royal Marina Intense?

Royal Marina Intense projects furthest (Royal Marina Intense 64/100, Mystery & Excellence 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Mystery & Excellence and Royal Marina Intense smell similar?

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery and vanilla accords. Common notes include Iris, Jasmine, Amaryllis and Vanilla.

Is Mystery & Excellence or Royal Marina Intense better for summer or winter?

For summer, Mystery & Excellence is the stronger pick. For winter, Mystery & Excellence is the stronger pick. Royal Marina Intense suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mystery & Excellence and Royal Marina Intense?

Mystery & Excellence has top notes of Anise, Violet, Ivy and Lemon, heart notes of Licorice, Iris, Jasmine and Vetiver, a base of Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Almond and White Musk. Royal Marina Intense has top notes of Acai Berry and Amaryllis, heart notes of Tonka Bean, Iris and Jasmine, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli and Musk.