Mystery & Excellence vs Secondscent
Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.
40%scent match
Some overlap
Quick verdict
Which one should you pick?
Mystery & Excellence takes 4 of 7 categories.
Mystery & ExcellenceChoose it for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring.
SecondscentChoose it for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Mystery & Excellence4/7
Secondscent3/7
- Ratings & consensus
- Secondscent
- Community sentiment
- Secondscent
- Longevity
- Mystery & Excellence
- Sillage & projection
- Mystery & Excellence
- Value for money
- Mystery & Excellence
- Versatility
- Secondscent
- Note pyramid (duration)
- Not scored
- Fragranxe ranking
- Mystery & Excellence
Head-to-head breakdown
Every category side by side, with the winner called out.
Fragrance
Mystery & ExcellenceLinn YoungSecondscentTed BakerWinner
Ratings & consensus
Average rating and ownership split3.89/ 5 · 76 votes
Have 24%Had 22%Want 55%
4.24/ 5 · 33 votes
Have 26%Had 21%Want 53%
Category winnerSecondscentRating weighted by vote count
Community sentiment
How voters split from love to hate33%Love
45%Like
4%Ok
16%Dislike
3%Hate
76 votes
24%Love
76%Like
0%Ok
0%Dislike
0%Hate
33 votes
Category winnerSecondscentMost positive mix (25+ votes)
Longevity & sillage
0–100 community performance scores
Category winners
LongevityMystery & Excellence
SillageMystery & Excellence
Value for money
How fairly priced voters find itCategory winnerMystery & ExcellenceBest value score
Main accords
Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by bothsweet100%
powdery92%
soft spicy84%
anis77%
vanilla69%
violet61%
vanilla100%
powdery91%
white floral83%
floral74%
anis65%
almond56%
Scent match40%Some overlap · both powdery, vanilla and anis
Note pyramid (duration)
Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = sharedTop
AniseVioletIvyLemonPineappleMahogany
Heart
LicoriceIrisJasmineVetiverAmaryllisLily-of-the-ValleyOrris Root
Base
VanillaTonka BeanAlmondWhite MuskChocolateHeliotropeTobacco
Top
AniseHawthornLily-of-the-Valley
Heart
HeliotropeJasmineTiare Flower
Base
VanillaMuskSandalwood
InformationalShared notesAnise, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley 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 seasonSpring100
Summer46
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Spring56
Summer22
Fall100
Winter100
Day100
Night54
Category winnerSecondscentMost year-round
Who wears it
Gender appeal votesInformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored
Ranking & credits
Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launchOverall rank#27,563
PerfumerNot listed
Launched—
Reviews3
Overall rank#33,016
PerfumerSophie Labbé
Launched—
Reviews4
Category winnerMystery & ExcellenceHigher overall rank
In a nutshell
Description & review snapshotLinn 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 →Secondscent by Ted Baker leans into powdery comfort with sweet anise and soft florals. The scent opens with a light, spicy kick of star anise before melting into cozy heliotrope and warm vanilla. It fits quiet office wear on cool autumn days when you want a gentle skin scent that stays private rather than filling a wh…
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.
Guided comparison
Ask about this matchup
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Common questions
Straight answers from the data above.
Which is better, Mystery & Excellence or Secondscent?
Mystery & Excellence takes 4 of 7 categories. Mystery & Excellence is rated 3.89/5 from 76 votes; Secondscent is rated 4.24/5 from 33 votes. Choose Mystery & Excellence for a sweet and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring. Choose Secondscent for a vanilla and powdery character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Which lasts longer, Mystery & Excellence or Secondscent?
Mystery & Excellence lasts longest (Mystery & Excellence 60/100, Secondscent 37/100), based on community performance votes.
Which projects more, Mystery & Excellence or Secondscent?
Mystery & Excellence projects furthest (Mystery & Excellence 56/100, Secondscent 43/100), based on community performance votes.
Do Mystery & Excellence and Secondscent smell similar?
Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, vanilla and anis accords. Common notes include Anise, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley and Vanilla.
Is Mystery & Excellence or Secondscent better for summer or winter?
For summer, Mystery & Excellence is the stronger pick. For winter, Mystery & Excellence is the stronger pick. Secondscent suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.
What are the notes in Mystery & Excellence and Secondscent?
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. Secondscent has top notes of Anise, Hawthorn and Lily-of-the-Valley, heart notes of Heliotrope, Jasmine and Tiare Flower, a base of Vanilla, Musk and Sandalwood.
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