Fragrance comparison

Mythique vs Empress

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

Updated 23 Oct 2026 265 ratings analysed

4 wins

Mythique

Parfums DelRae

3.86110 votes

Rank #16,006 IrisFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

27%scent match

Clearly different

Empress

Sean John

3.55155 votes

Rank #11,614 FruityCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Mythique takes 4 of 7 categories.

Mythique
Choose it for a iris and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Empress
Choose it for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Mythique4/7

Empress3/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

MythiqueParfums DelRae

EmpressSean John

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 110 votes

Have 32%Had 13%Want 54%

3.55/ 5 · 155 votes

Have 46%Had 21%Want 33%

Category winnerMythiqueRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

34%Love

43%Like

0%Ok

24%Dislike

0%Hate

110 votes

17%Love

53%Like

5%Ok

24%Dislike

1%Hate

150 votes

Category winnerMythiqueMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity59

〰 Sillage51

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage53

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityMythique

SillageEmpress

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value44

¤ Price value75

Category winnerEmpressBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

iris100%

floral92%

woody84%

powdery77%

fresh69%

citrus61%

fruity100%

citrus92%

sweet84%

tropical77%

floral69%

caramel61%

Scent match27%Clearly different · both floral and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Mandarin OrangeBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

OrrisJasminePeony

Base5-7 hrs

Ambrette (Musk Mallow)PatchouliSandalwood

Top

LimeCarambola (Star Fruit)Mandarin OrangeCranberry

Heart

RaspberryCardamomPassion FlowerAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Peony

Base

CaramelSandalwoodVanilleMusk

InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange, Peony, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Mythique, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer75

Fall92

Winter33

Day100

Night35

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter45

Day–

Night–

Category winnerMythiqueMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men17

Unisex33

Women50

Work 36%Casual 31%Date 23%Party 9%

Men18

Unisex27

Women55

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#16,006

PerfumerYann Vasnier

Launched—

Reviews21

Overall rank#11,614

PerfumerIFF

Launched—

Reviews58

Category winnerEmpressHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Mythique by Parfums DelRae delivers a cool, suede-textured iris that melts into a warm skin scent. The opening hits with a brisk flash of mandarin orange and bergamot before revealing a rich Florentine orris butter. It never feels like grandma's loose vanity powder. Instead, dewy peony and clean jasmine petals soften …

Reviews →

Empress by Sean John is a fruity floral fragrance launched in 2011. It blends bright lime, star fruit, and cranberry with a heart of raspberry and passion flower, settling onto a base of caramel and vanilla. This composition creates a sparkling, clean, and subtly sweet scent profile that sits comfortably on the skin d…

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, Mythique or Empress?

Mythique takes 4 of 7 categories. Mythique is rated 3.86/5 from 110 votes; Empress is rated 3.55/5 from 155 votes. Choose Mythique for a iris and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Empress for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Mythique or Empress?

Mythique lasts longest (Mythique 59/100, Empress 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Mythique or Empress?

Projection is very close: Empress 53/100, Mythique 51/100 for sillage.

Do Mythique and Empress smell similar?

Clearly different: a 27% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share floral and citrus accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange, Peony, Ambrette (Musk Mallow) and Sandalwood.

Is Mythique or Empress better for summer or winter?

For summer, Mythique is the stronger pick. For winter, Empress is the stronger pick. Mythique suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Mythique and Empress?

Mythique has top notes of Mandarin Orange and Bergamot, heart notes of Orris, Jasmine and Peony, a base of Ambrette (Musk Mallow), Patchouli and Sandalwood. Empress has top notes of Lime, Carambola (Star Fruit), Mandarin Orange and Cranberry, heart notes of Raspberry, Cardamom, Passion Flower and Ambrette (Musk Mallow), a base of Caramel, Sandalwood, Vanille and Musk.