Fragrance comparison

Pretexte vs Ruade

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 158 ratings analysed

5 wins

Pretexte

Lanvin

4.5149 votes

Rank #11,170 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

17%scent match

Clearly different

Ruade

Parfum d'Empire

4.02109 votes

Rank #9,817 GreenOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Pretexte takes 5 of 7 categories.

Pretexte
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.
Ruade
Choose it for a green and oud character. Wins on versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Pretexte5/7

Ruade2/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

PretexteLanvin

RuadeParfum d'Empire

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.51/ 5 · 49 votes

Have 44%Had 6%Want 50%

4.02/ 5 · 109 votes

Have 23%Had 1%Want 76%

Category winnerPretexteRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

68%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

34 votes

55%Love

22%Like

6%Ok

5%Dislike

13%Hate

109 votes

Category winnerPretexteMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity79

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate90

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevityPretexte

SillagePretexte

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value31

Category winnerPretexteBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

leather84%

animalic77%

floral69%

aldehydic61%

green100%

oud90%

leather80%

yellow floral70%

fresh spicy60%

herbal50%

Scent match17%Clearly different · both leather

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

AldehydesNarcissusBergamot

Heart

OpoponaxRoseCarnationIrisHawthornHay

Base

CivetLeatherOakmossCastoreumTonka BeanSandalwoodPalisander RosewoodPatchouli

Notes

Agarwood (Oud)HayLeatherNarcissus

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesNarcissus, Hay and Leather. Durations are only published for Ruade, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring20

Summer0

Fall100

Winter80

Day40

Night100

Spring73

Summer52

Fall0

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Category winnerRuadeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex25

Women75

Men63

Unisex35

Women2

Casual 41%Date 26%Party 22%Work 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#11,170

PerfumerAndre Fraysse

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#9,817

PerfumerMarc-Antoine Corticchiato

Launched—

Reviews19

Category winnerRuadeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Pretexte by Lanvin is a bold oriental floral from 1937, defined by its complex leathery and animalic character. This scent opens with bright aldehydes and narcissus, shifting into a deep, dark heart of opoponax and hay. It remains a legendary piece of vintage perfumery for those who appreciate woody, resinous composit…

Reviews →

Parfum d'Empire Ruade is a bold, uncompromising scent that takes you straight inside a working equestrian stable. The opening delivers an immediate blast of pungent natural agarwood oud with sharp, earthy barnyard undertones, which quickly settles into the comforting aroma of warm saddle leather and freshly tossed hay…

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, Pretexte or Ruade?

Pretexte takes 5 of 7 categories. Pretexte is rated 4.51/5 from 49 votes; Ruade is rated 4.02/5 from 109 votes. Choose Pretexte for a woody and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Ruade for a green and oud character. Wins on versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Pretexte or Ruade?

Pretexte lasts longest (Pretexte 79/100, Ruade 74/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Pretexte or Ruade?

Pretexte projects furthest (Pretexte 69/100, Ruade 62/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Pretexte and Ruade smell similar?

Clearly different: a 17% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share leather accords. Common notes include Narcissus, Hay and Leather.

Is Pretexte or Ruade better for summer or winter?

For summer, Ruade is the stronger pick. For winter, Ruade is the stronger pick. Pretexte suits evening wear; Ruade suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Pretexte and Ruade?

Pretexte has top notes of Aldehydes, Narcissus and Bergamot, heart notes of Opoponax, Rose, Carnation and Iris, a base of Civet, Leather, Oakmoss and Castoreum. Ruade features Agarwood (Oud), Hay, Leather and Narcissus.