Fragrance comparison

Napoleon vs No. 20

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 15 ratings analysed

2 wins

Napoleon

JoAnne Bassett

3.508 votes

Rank #23,089 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

58%scent match

Closely related

No. 20

The Fragrance Design Studio

3.437 votes

Rank #55,133 CitrusWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Napoleon takes 2 of 3 categories.

Napoleon
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
No. 20
Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Napoleon2/3

No. 201/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: No. 20
Sillage & projection: Napoleon
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Napoleon

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

NapoleonJoAnne Bassett

No. 20The Fragrance Design Studio

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.50/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 26%Had 6%Want 68%

3.43/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 16%Had 5%Want 79%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

25%Love

38%Like

0%Ok

38%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

14%Love

43%Like

14%Ok

29%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage86

♥ Love / hate63

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate61

Category winners

LongevityNo. 20

SillageNapoleon

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value75

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic90%

fresh spicy80%

warm spicy70%

citrus60%

amber50%

citrus100%

woody88%

fresh spicy77%

aromatic65%

powdery53%

warm spicy42%

Scent match58%Closely related · both woody, citrus and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

LimeAmalfi LemonVerbena

Heart2-4 hrs

Juniper BerriesCloveTobaccoPepperImmortelleRosemaryWoodsy Notes

Base6-8+ hrs

Virginia CedarMyrhhBlack SpruceLabdanumCitrusesVetiverJasmine

Notes

BergamotSandalwoodAmalfi LemonPepperVirginia CedarRoseAmber

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesAmalfi Lemon, Pepper and Virginia Cedar. Durations are only published for Napoleon, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring75

Summer75

Fall100

Winter50

Day92

Night100

Spring25

Summer25

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night40

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Casual 34%Date 28%Work 22%Party 16%

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,089

PerfumerJoAnne Bassett

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#55,133

PerfumerCecile Hua

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerNapoleonHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Napoleon by JoAnne Bassett opens with an invigorating burst of tart lime, Amalfi lemon, and crushed herbal verbena before plunging into a dense thicket of black spruce, juniper berries, and cured tobacco. It smells like a crisp conifer forest laced with warm clove pomanders and bittersweet myrrh resin. You get pungent…

Reviews →

No. 20 by The Fragrance Design Studio pairs bright citrus notes with dry woods and spice. Created by perfumer Cecile Hua in 2013, the blend opens with sharp black peppercorn, fresh bergamot, and Amalfi lemon zest. As the top notes settle, rose water softens the peppery kick before dry Virginia cedarwood and creamy san…

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, Napoleon or No. 20?

Napoleon takes 2 of 3 categories. Napoleon is rated 3.50/5 from 8 votes; No. 20 is rated 3.43/5 from 7 votes. Choose Napoleon for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose No. 20 for a citrus and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Napoleon or No. 20?

No. 20 lasts longest (No. 20 73/100, Napoleon 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Napoleon or No. 20?

Napoleon projects furthest (Napoleon 86/100, No. 20 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Napoleon and No. 20 smell similar?

Closely related: a 58% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, citrus and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Amalfi Lemon, Pepper and Virginia Cedar.

Is Napoleon or No. 20 better for summer or winter?

Napoleon suits evening wear; No. 20 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Napoleon and No. 20?

Napoleon has top notes of Lime, Amalfi Lemon and Verbena, heart notes of Juniper Berries, Clove, Tobacco and Pepper, a base of Virginia Cedar, Myrhh, Black Spruce and Labdanum. No. 20 features Bergamot, Sandalwood, Amalfi Lemon, Pepper and Virginia Cedar.