Fragrance comparison

Patchouly vs Cardinal

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

Updated 14 Nov 2026 37 ratings analysed

4 wins

Patchouly

Adopt Parfums

3.8635 votes

Rank #28,256 PatchouliWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

41%scent match

Some overlap

Cardinal

Pecksniff's

4.002 votes

Rank #54,689 MuskyLavender

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Patchouly takes 4 of 4 categories.

Patchouly
Choose it for a patchouli and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Cardinal
Choose it for a musky and lavender character. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Patchouly4/4

Cardinal0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

PatchoulyAdopt Parfums

CardinalPecksniff's

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 35 votes

Have 48%Had 11%Want 42%

4.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 20%Had 0%Want 80%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

40%Love

34%Like

3%Ok

17%Dislike

6%Hate

35 votes

0%Love

100%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage76

♥ Love / hate71

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage33

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityPatchouly

SillagePatchouly

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value82

¤ Price value50

Category winnerPatchoulyBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

patchouli100%

woody90%

warm spicy80%

earthy70%

musky60%

citrus50%

musky100%

lavender92%

amber84%

powdery77%

aromatic69%

woody61%

Scent match41%Some overlap · both musky and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CitrusesLavender

Heart

Patchouli

Base

Musk

Top

CitrusesCypress

Heart

LavenderPatchouliIncense

Base

MuskAmber

InformationalShared notesCitruses, Lavender, Patchouli and Musk. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring42

Summer25

Fall100

Winter67

Day100

Night60

Spring100

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men9

Unisex82

Women9

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#28,256

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#54,689

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerPatchoulyHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Patchouly by Adopt Parfums is a Woody Aromatic fragrance for women and men. Top notes are Citruses and Lavender; middle note is Patchouli; base note is Musk.

Reviews →

Cardinal is a lavender-led oriental woody scent that opens with a distinctly boozy, aromatic feel before softening into amber, cypress and musk. It comes across smooth, powdery and quietly masculine rather than loud. This looks best suited to someone who enjoys classic lavender with a warm, musky drydown and does not …

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Patchouly or Cardinal?

Patchouly takes 4 of 4 categories. Patchouly is rated 3.86/5 from 35 votes; Cardinal is rated 4.00/5 from 2 votes. Choose Patchouly for a patchouli and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Cardinal for a musky and lavender character. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Patchouly or Cardinal?

Patchouly lasts longest (Patchouly 85/100, Cardinal 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Patchouly or Cardinal?

Patchouly projects furthest (Patchouly 76/100, Cardinal 33/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Patchouly and Cardinal smell similar?

Some overlap: a 41% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky and woody accords. Common notes include Citruses, Lavender, Patchouli and Musk.

Is Patchouly or Cardinal better for summer or winter?

Patchouly suits daytime wear; Cardinal suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Patchouly and Cardinal?

Patchouly has top notes of Citruses and Lavender, heart notes of Patchouli, a base of Musk. Cardinal has top notes of Citruses and Cypress, heart notes of Lavender, Patchouli and Incense, a base of Musk and Amber.