FRAGRANXE
Fragrance comparison

No. 20 vs Napoleon

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

Updated 15 ratings analysed
Closely related
Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Napoleon takes 2 of 3 categories.

  • No. 20

    Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Wins on longevity. Best in fall, daytime wear.

  • Napoleon

    Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

No. 201/3
Napoleon2/3
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
No. 20The Fragrance Design Studio
NapoleonJoAnne Bassett
Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split
3.43/ 5 · 7 votes
Have 16%Had 5%Want 79%
3.50/ 5 · 8 votes
Have 26%Had 6%Want 68%
Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate
14%Love
43%Like
14%Ok
29%Dislike
0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

25%Love
38%Like
0%Ok
38%Dislike
0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores
⏱ Longevity73
〰 Sillage56
♥ Love / hate61
⏱ Longevity70
〰 Sillage86
♥ Love / hate63
Category winners

LongevityNo. 20

SillageNapoleon

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it
¤ Price value75
¤ Price valueN/A
Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both
citrus100%
woody88%
fresh spicy77%
aromatic65%
powdery53%
warm spicy42%
woody100%
aromatic90%
fresh spicy80%
warm spicy70%
citrus60%
amber50%
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
Notes
BergamotSandalwoodAmalfi LemonPepperVirginia CedarRoseAmber

No top / heart / base split published

Top15-30 mins
LimeAmalfi LemonVerbena
Heart2-4 hrs
Juniper BerriesCloveTobaccoPepperImmortelleRosemaryWoodsy Notes
Base6-8+ hrs
Virginia CedarMyrhhBlack SpruceLabdanumCitrusesVetiverJasmine
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
Spring25
Summer25
Fall100
Winter100
Day100
Night40
Spring75
Summer75
Fall100
Winter50
Day92
Night100
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes
Men0
Unisex0
Women100

Not enough votes yet

Casual 34%Date 28%Work 22%Party 16%
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#55,133

PerfumerCecile Hua

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#23,089

PerfumerJoAnne Bassett

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerNapoleonHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

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 →
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, No. 20 or Napoleon?

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

Which lasts longer, No. 20 or Napoleon?

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

Which projects more, No. 20 or Napoleon?

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

Do No. 20 and Napoleon 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 No. 20 or Napoleon better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in No. 20 and Napoleon?

No. 20 features Bergamot, Sandalwood, Amalfi Lemon, Pepper and Virginia Cedar. 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.

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