Fragrance comparison

Perfect Elixir vs The Longing

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

Updated 16 Oct 2026 898 ratings analysed

5 wins

Perfect Elixir

Marc Jacobs

3.81790 votes

Rank #5,637 SweetFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

The Longing

House of Matriarch

3.72108 votes

Rank #29,613 FloralFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Perfect Elixir takes 5 of 8 categories.

Perfect Elixir
Choose it for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
The Longing
Choose it for a floral and fruity character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and note pyramid duration. Best in winter, evening wear.

Perfect Elixir5/8

The Longing3/8

Ratings & consensus: Perfect Elixir
Community sentiment: Perfect Elixir
Longevity: The Longing
Sillage & projection: The Longing
Value for money: Perfect Elixir
Versatility: Perfect Elixir
Note pyramid (duration): The Longing
Fragranxe ranking: Perfect Elixir

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Perfect ElixirMarc Jacobs

The LongingHouse of Matriarch

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.81/ 5 · 790 votes

Have 88%Had 12%Want 0%

3.72/ 5 · 108 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

Category winnerPerfect ElixirRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

35%Love

30%Like

18%Ok

13%Dislike

3%Hate

790 votes

39%Love

28%Like

3%Ok

28%Dislike

3%Hate

108 votes

Category winnerPerfect ElixirMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate70

⏱ Longevity81

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityThe Longing

SillageThe Longing

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value46

¤ Price value25

Category winnerPerfect ElixirBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

fruity92%

amber84%

honey77%

vanilla69%

patchouli61%

floral100%

fruity92%

white floral84%

amber77%

sweet69%

vanilla61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both fruity, sweet and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

PlumHoneyRhubarb

Heart2-4 hrs

AmberOrange Blossom

Base6-8+ hrs

VanillaResinPatchouli

Top15-30 mins

PlumButterAgarwood (Oud)JasmineBoronia

Heart3-4 hrs

OsmanthusHoneyGardeniaVanilla OrchidOrange Blossom

Base8-12 hrs

BenzoinSandalwoodVanillaLeatherAmberAmbrette (Musk Mallow)

Category winnerThe LongingLongest dry-down: 8-12 hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring71

Summer38

Fall100

Winter91

Day100

Night71

Spring47

Summer26

Fall91

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Category winnerPerfect ElixirMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men1

Unisex8

Women91

Date 32%Casual 29%Party 22%Work 17%

Men29

Unisex14

Women57

Date 45%Party 28%Casual 16%Work 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#5,637

PerfumerDomitille Michalon Bertier

Launched—

Reviews116

Overall rank#29,613

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerPerfect ElixirHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Marc Jacobs Perfect Elixir takes the juicy fruitiness of the original pillar into darker, richer territory. It starts loud. Tart rhubarb cuts straight through sweet dark plum, stopping the sticky honey top note from turning into pure sugar during the first twenty minutes. Then, the warmth arrives. Golden amber and smo…

Reviews →

The Longing by House of Matriarch is a dense, unapologetic dark gourmand. It opens with rich salted butter melting over stewed purple plum and a sharp kick of raw agarwood. Do not overspray this. Within twenty minutes, the initial shock softens into honeyed orange blossom, thick vanilla orchid, and golden amber resins…

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, Perfect Elixir or The Longing?

Perfect Elixir takes 5 of 8 categories. Perfect Elixir is rated 3.81/5 from 790 votes; The Longing is rated 3.72/5 from 108 votes. Choose Perfect Elixir for a sweet and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose The Longing for a floral and fruity character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and note pyramid duration. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Perfect Elixir or The Longing?

The Longing lasts longest (The Longing 81/100, Perfect Elixir 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Perfect Elixir or The Longing?

The Longing projects furthest (The Longing 64/100, Perfect Elixir 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Perfect Elixir and The Longing smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share fruity, sweet and amber accords. Common notes include Plum, Honey, Amber and Orange Blossom.

Is Perfect Elixir or The Longing better for summer or winter?

For summer, Perfect Elixir is the stronger pick. For winter, The Longing is the stronger pick. Perfect Elixir suits daytime wear; The Longing suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Perfect Elixir and The Longing?

Perfect Elixir has top notes of Plum, Honey and Rhubarb, heart notes of Amber and Orange Blossom, a base of Vanilla, Resin and Patchouli. The Longing has top notes of Plum, Butter, Agarwood (Oud) and Jasmine, heart notes of Osmanthus, Honey, Gardenia and Vanilla Orchid, a base of Benzoin, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Leather.