Fragrance comparison

Nostos vs Incense by the Sea

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 33 ratings analysed

3 wins

Nostos

L'Erbolario

4.0728 votes

Rank #20,713 MarineSalty

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

Incense by the Sea

Six Scents

4.405 votes

Rank #36,568 MarineWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Nostos takes 3 of 4 categories.

Nostos
Choose it for a marine and salty character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Incense by the Sea
Choose it for a marine and woody character. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Nostos3/4

Incense by the Sea0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

NostosL'Erbolario

Incense by the SeaSix Scents

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.07/ 5 · 28 votes

Have 14%Had 18%Want 68%

4.40/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 7%Had 2%Want 91%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

29%Love

61%Like

0%Ok

11%Dislike

0%Hate

28 votes

40%Love

60%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageNostos

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value63

Category winnerNostosBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

marine100%

salty77%

aromatic53%

aquatic30%

marine100%

woody91%

salty83%

amber74%

green65%

aquatic56%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both marine, salty and aquatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Sea waterSalt

No top / heart / base split published

Notes

Sea waterTeak WoodSaltGrassDriftwoodOlibanumViolet LeafIncense

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesSea water and Salt. Durations are only published for Incense by the Sea, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer100

Fall17

Winter22

Day100

Night22

Spring67

Summer100

Fall67

Winter67

Day100

Night41

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Casual 42%Work 29%Date 18%Party 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,713

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews10

Overall rank#36,568

PerfumerDavid Apel

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerNostosHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

L'Erbolario Nostos hits the nose with direct sea water and harsh salt crystals right from the initial spray. This Italian creation bypasses the synthetic melon notes common in mass market nineties aquatics. Instead, it relies on a raw aromatic structure that feels like walking along a storm-swept coastal bluff. Marine…

Reviews →

Six Scents Incense by the Sea opens with a blast of bracing sea water and coarse salt, mimicking the crisp air of an ocean shoreline on an overcast morning. As the watery top settles, sun-warmed driftwood and earthy teak wood anchor the scent alongside crushed green grass. A clean thread of olibanum incense weaves thr…

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, Nostos or Incense by the Sea?

Nostos takes 3 of 4 categories. Nostos is rated 4.07/5 from 28 votes; Incense by the Sea is rated 4.40/5 from 5 votes. Choose Nostos for a marine and salty character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Incense by the Sea for a marine and woody character. Best in summer, daytime wear.