Fragrance comparison

Pain Nouveau vs Serpentine Silver

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

Updated 11 Oct 2026 144 ratings analysed

4 wins

Pain Nouveau

Son Venïn

4.2744 votes

Rank #19,456 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

20%scent match

Clearly different

Serpentine Silver

Roberto Cavalli

3.80100 votes

Rank #15,327 FloralPowdery

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Pain Nouveau takes 4 of 7 categories.

Pain Nouveau
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Serpentine Silver
Choose it for a floral and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer.

Pain Nouveau4/7

Serpentine Silver3/7

Ratings & consensus: Pain Nouveau
Community sentiment: Pain Nouveau
Longevity: Serpentine Silver
Sillage & projection: Serpentine Silver
Value for money: Pain Nouveau
Versatility: Pain Nouveau
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Serpentine Silver

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Pain NouveauSon Venïn

Serpentine SilverRoberto Cavalli

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.27/ 5 · 44 votes

Have 10%Had 2%Want 88%

3.80/ 5 · 100 votes

Have 23%Had 39%Want 38%

Category winnerPain NouveauRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

45%Like

9%Ok

0%Dislike

2%Hate

44 votes

24%Love

55%Like

0%Ok

19%Dislike

2%Hate

100 votes

Category winnerPain NouveauMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity57

〰 Sillage32

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevitySerpentine Silver

SillageSerpentine Silver

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value53

¤ Price value42

Category winnerPain NouveauBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

green84%

powdery77%

fresh spicy69%

musky61%

floral100%

powdery92%

white floral84%

fruity77%

yellow floral69%

tropical61%

Scent match20%Clearly different · both powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Fig LeafBlack PepperBergamot

Heart

BreadMimosaCerealsOrange Blossom

Base

AmbroxanSandalwoodBourbon Vanilla

Top

Mango Blossom

Heart

Tiare FlowerMimosaBlack Pepper

Base

White MuskSandalwood

InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Mimosa and Sandalwood. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring81

Summer25

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night33

Spring93

Summer100

Fall0

Winter28

Day–

Night–

Category winnerPain NouveauMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex70

Women30

Men0

Unisex11

Women89

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#19,456

PerfumerCaroline Malléjac

Launched—

Reviews7

Overall rank#15,327

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerSerpentine SilverHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Pain Nouveau opens with a wet snap of fig leaf, cracked black pepper, and bright bergamot before settling into a warm, savory heart of baked bread, cereal grains, and yellow mimosa blossom. Perfumer Caroline Malléjac grounds this unusual gourmand with clean ambroxan, dry sandalwood, and soft bourbon vanilla. The resul…

Reviews →

Serpentine Silver is a light, airy floral aquatic for women, built around mango blossom and tropical tiare. It feels modern, clean, and transparent on the skin. This 2008 release serves as a bright, optimistic alternative to heavier evening scents. It is well-suited for warm spring days and casual summer wear when you…

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, Pain Nouveau or Serpentine Silver?

Pain Nouveau takes 4 of 7 categories. Pain Nouveau is rated 4.27/5 from 44 votes; Serpentine Silver is rated 3.80/5 from 100 votes. Choose Pain Nouveau for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Serpentine Silver for a floral and powdery character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer.

Which lasts longer, Pain Nouveau or Serpentine Silver?

Serpentine Silver lasts longest (Serpentine Silver 66/100, Pain Nouveau 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Pain Nouveau or Serpentine Silver?

Serpentine Silver projects furthest (Serpentine Silver 65/100, Pain Nouveau 32/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Pain Nouveau and Serpentine Silver smell similar?

Clearly different: a 20% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Mimosa and Sandalwood.

Is Pain Nouveau or Serpentine Silver better for summer or winter?

For summer, Serpentine Silver is the stronger pick. For winter, Pain Nouveau is the stronger pick. Pain Nouveau suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Pain Nouveau and Serpentine Silver?

Pain Nouveau has top notes of Fig Leaf, Black Pepper and Bergamot, heart notes of Bread, Mimosa, Cereals and Orange Blossom, a base of Ambroxan, Sandalwood and Bourbon Vanilla. Serpentine Silver has top notes of Mango Blossom, heart notes of Tiare Flower, Mimosa and Black Pepper, a base of White Musk and Sandalwood.