Fragrance comparison

Prima vs Qessence

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

Updated 12 Oct 2026 112 ratings analysed

Prima

Paolo Gigli

3.8824 votes

Rank #42,057 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

50%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Qessence

Missala

3.7988 votes

Rank #12,629 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Qessence takes 5 of 5 categories.

Prima
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Best in winter, evening wear.
Qessence
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Prima0/5

Qessence5/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

PrimaPaolo Gigli

QessenceMissala

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.88/ 5 · 24 votes

Have 21%Had 28%Want 51%

3.79/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 25%Had 17%Want 58%

Category winnerQessenceRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

33%Love

42%Like

4%Ok

21%Dislike

0%Hate

24 votes · too few to score

27%Love

50%Like

2%Ok

20%Dislike

2%Hate

66 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityQessence

SillageQessence

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value64

Category winnerQessenceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody88%

warm spicy77%

vanilla65%

cinnamon53%

earthy42%

woody100%

aromatic92%

warm spicy84%

earthy77%

amber69%

rose61%

Scent match50%Some overlap · both woody, amber and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

CinnamonLabdanumBergamot

Heart2-3 hrs

Cypriol Oil or NagarmothaStyraxSaffron

Base6-8 hrs

AmberTonka BeanSandalwoodPatchouliVanillaMusk

Top

ChamomileMarigoldSaffronCorianderCinnamonOrange

Heart

Damask RoseelemiYlang-YlangIrisJasmineCalamus

Base

OakmossOlibanumPatchouliAgarwood (Oud)LabdanumVirginia CedarMuskVetiver

InformationalShared notesCinnamon, Labdanum, Saffron and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Prima, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring88

Summer13

Fall88

Winter100

Day69

Night100

Spring48

Summer26

Fall100

Winter74

Day100

Night94

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men8

Unisex85

Women8

Date 33%Casual 28%Party 22%Work 17%

Men10

Unisex40

Women50

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#42,057

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#12,629

PerfumerJean-Claude Astier

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerQessenceHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Paolo Gigli Prima is a warm, resinous amber perfume built around spicy cinnamon, smoky styrax, and comforting vanilla. The opening hits fast with a dry burst of bergamot and labdanum. Give it five minutes. An intense, almost inky woody punch from cypriol oil emerges before mellowing into creamy sandalwood and soft mus…

Reviews →

Qessence is a dry, spicy rose and incense scent with an old-school oriental feel. It opens herbal and warm, then settles into a balsamic, mossy, woody base with powdery edges. It suits someone who enjoys complex, mature perfumes more than easy crowd-pleasers. The rose, resins and woods can read quite unisex, especial…

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, Prima or Qessence?

Qessence takes 5 of 5 categories. Prima is rated 3.88/5 from 24 votes; Qessence is rated 3.79/5 from 88 votes. Choose Prima for a amber and woody character. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Qessence for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Prima or Qessence?

Qessence lasts longest (Qessence 83/100, Prima 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Prima or Qessence?

Qessence projects furthest (Qessence 75/100, Prima 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Prima and Qessence smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Cinnamon, Labdanum, Saffron and Patchouli.

Is Prima or Qessence better for summer or winter?

Prima suits evening wear; Qessence suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Prima and Qessence?

Prima has top notes of Cinnamon, Labdanum and Bergamot, heart notes of Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Styrax and Saffron, a base of Amber, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood and Patchouli. Qessence has top notes of Chamomile, Marigold, Saffron and Coriander, heart notes of Damask Rose, elemi, Ylang-Ylang and Iris, a base of Oakmoss, Olibanum, Patchouli and Agarwood (Oud).