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FRAGRANXE
Fragrance comparison

Pure Silver 999 vs Basic Instinct

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

Updated 164 ratings analysed
Some overlap
Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Pure Silver 999 takes 4 of 5 categories.

  • Pure Silver 999

    Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, day or night wear.

  • Basic Instinct

    Choose it for a ozonic and aquatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Pure Silver 9994/5
Basic Instinct1/5
Ratings & consensus
Pure Silver 999
Community sentiment
Not scored
Longevity
Pure Silver 999
Sillage & projection
Pure Silver 999
Value for money
Pure Silver 999
Versatility
Not scored
Note pyramid (duration)
Not scored
Fragranxe ranking
Basic Instinct

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance
Pure Silver 999RING
Basic InstinctVan Gils
Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split
4.58/ 5 · 12 votes
Have 45%Had 25%Want 30%
4.05/ 5 · 152 votes
Have 65%Had 35%Want 0%
Category winnerPure Silver 999Rating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate
75%Love
17%Like
0%Ok
8%Dislike
0%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

38%Love
43%Like
11%Ok
6%Dislike
3%Hate

152 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores
⏱ Longevity62
〰 Sillage69
♥ Love / hate90
⏱ Longevity60
〰 Sillage52
♥ Love / hate76
Category winners

LongevityPure Silver 999

SillagePure Silver 999

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it
¤ Price value86
¤ Price value81
Category winnerPure Silver 999Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both
citrus100%
woody92%
sweet84%
fruity77%
white floral69%
warm spicy61%
ozonic100%
aquatic92%
citrus84%
woody77%
sweet69%
white floral61%
Scent match50%Some overlap · both citrus, woody and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared
Top
Mandarin OrangePineappleRed Pepper
Heart
Orange BlossomJasmine
Base
CedarVetiverPatchouli
Top15-30 mins
CucumberMelonMandarin OrangeLavenderBergamotPineappleNutmeg
Heart2-4 hrs
Orange BlossomRoseVioletJasmine
Base5-7 hrs
MuskRumWoody NotesOakmossPatchouliAmberVetiver
InformationalShared notesMandarin Orange, Pineapple, Orange Blossom and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Basic Instinct, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season
Spring83
Summer33
Fall67
Winter100
Day100
Night100
Spring100
Summer0
Fall0
Winter7
Day100
Night28
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes
Men100
Unisex0
Women0
Men86
Unisex12
Women3
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#41,663

PerfumerJulien Rasquinet

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#9,773

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews17

Category winnerBasic InstinctHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Pure Silver 999 opens with bright mandarin and pineapple, then settles into a woody, slightly spicy base with cedar, vetiver and patchouli. The white florals smooth the middle without taking it far from its masculine profile. It reads fresh, fruity and woody rather than dark or heavy. Based on the available wear data,…

Reviews →

Basic Instinct by Van Gils delivers an invigorating rush of crisp cucumber, sweet honeydew melon, and bright mandarin orange right out of the nozzle. Created in 2002 by master perfumer Pierre Bourdon, this scent captures the golden era of early two-thousands aquatic freshness with an unexpected twist. Instead of disso…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Pure Silver 999 or Basic Instinct?

Pure Silver 999 takes 4 of 5 categories. Pure Silver 999 is rated 4.58/5 from 12 votes; Basic Instinct is rated 4.05/5 from 152 votes. Choose Pure Silver 999 for a citrus and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, day or night wear. Choose Basic Instinct for a ozonic and aquatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Pure Silver 999 or Basic Instinct?

They last about the same: Pure Silver 999 62/100, Basic Instinct 60/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Pure Silver 999 or Basic Instinct?

Pure Silver 999 projects furthest (Pure Silver 999 69/100, Basic Instinct 52/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Pure Silver 999 and Basic Instinct smell similar?

Some overlap: a 50% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, woody and sweet accords. Common notes include Mandarin Orange, Pineapple, Orange Blossom and Jasmine.

Is Pure Silver 999 or Basic Instinct better for summer or winter?

Pure Silver 999 suits day or night wear; Basic Instinct suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Pure Silver 999 and Basic Instinct?

Pure Silver 999 has top notes of Mandarin Orange, Pineapple and Red Pepper, heart notes of Orange Blossom and Jasmine, a base of Cedar, Vetiver and Patchouli. Basic Instinct has top notes of Cucumber, Melon, Mandarin Orange and Lavender, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Rose, Violet and Jasmine, a base of Musk, Rum, Woody Notes and Oakmoss.

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