Fragrance comparison

Nostos vs The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 40 ratings analysed

3 wins

Nostos

L'Erbolario

4.0728 votes

Rank #20,713 MarineSalty

Full profile Similar & dupes

68%scent match

Closely related

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

3.5812 votes

Rank #22,692 MarineSalty

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Nostos takes 3 of 5 categories.

Nostos
Choose it for a marine and salty character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love
Choose it for a marine and salty character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Nostos3/5

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love2/5

Ratings & consensus: Nostos
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Nostos
Sillage & projection: The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love
Value for money: The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love
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

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in LoveBlack Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.07/ 5 · 28 votes

Have 14%Had 18%Want 68%

3.58/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 8%Had 3%Want 89%

Category winnerNostosRating 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

17%Love

58%Like

0%Ok

17%Dislike

8%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage85

♥ Love / hate65

Category winners

LongevityNostos

SillageThe Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value100

Category winnerThe Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in LoveBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

marine100%

salty77%

aromatic53%

aquatic30%

marine100%

salty91%

aromatic83%

aquatic74%

amber65%

warm spicy56%

Scent match68%Closely related · both marine, salty and aromatic

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 waterIncenseSeaweedSaltMexican chocolate

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesSea water and Salt. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer100

Fall17

Winter22

Day100

Night22

Spring100

Summer50

Fall50

Winter50

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,713

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews10

Overall rank#22,692

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

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 →

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love leans into salty marine oddness rather than easy beach freshness. You get sea water, seaweed, incense and a dark chocolate accent, with reviews suggesting a realistic salt-water feel that can read intriguing, strange, and very mood dependent. This is the kind of perfume oil to s…

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 The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love?

Nostos takes 3 of 5 categories. Nostos is rated 4.07/5 from 28 votes; The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love is rated 3.58/5 from 12 votes. Choose Nostos for a marine and salty character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love for a marine and salty character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Nostos or The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love?

Nostos lasts longest (Nostos 80/100, The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Nostos or The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love?

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love projects furthest (The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love 85/100, Nostos 68/100), based on community performance votes.