Fragrance comparison

Qessence vs Sleeping with Ghosts

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 322 ratings analysed

Qessence

Missala

3.7988 votes

Rank #13,433 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

13%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Sleeping with Ghosts

Mark Buxton

3.91234 votes

Rank #9,496 FloralSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Sleeping with Ghosts takes 4 of 7 categories.

Qessence
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Sleeping with Ghosts
Choose it for a floral and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Qessence3/7

Sleeping with Ghosts4/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

QessenceMissala

Sleeping with GhostsMark Buxton

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.79/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 25%Had 17%Want 58%

3.91/ 5 · 234 votes

Have 28%Had 22%Want 50%

Category winnerSleeping with GhostsRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

27%Love

50%Like

2%Ok

20%Dislike

2%Hate

66 votes

32%Love

44%Like

6%Ok

18%Dislike

0%Hate

234 votes

Category winnerSleeping with GhostsMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityQessence

SillageQessence

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value64

¤ Price value42

Category winnerQessenceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic92%

warm spicy84%

earthy77%

amber69%

rose61%

floral100%

sweet92%

vanilla84%

fruity77%

aromatic69%

fresh61%

Scent match13%Clearly different · both aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

ChamomileMarigoldSaffronCorianderCinnamonOrange

Heart

Damask RoseelemiYlang-YlangIrisJasmineCalamus

Base

OakmossOlibanumPatchouliAgarwood (Oud)LabdanumVirginia CedarMuskVetiver

Top30 to 45 minutes

QuinceMarigold

Heart2 to 4 hours

LeatherPeony

Base4 to 8 hours

VanillaVetiver

InformationalShared notesMarigold and Vetiver. Durations are only published for Sleeping with Ghosts, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring48

Summer26

Fall100

Winter74

Day100

Night94

Spring100

Summer73

Fall55

Winter23

Day100

Night28

Category winnerSleeping with GhostsMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men10

Unisex40

Women50

Men3

Unisex41

Women55

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,433

PerfumerJean-Claude Astier

Launched—

Reviews9

Overall rank#9,496

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews23

Category winnerSleeping with GhostsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Sleeping with Ghosts by Mark Buxton is an unconventional floral fruity fragrance built around an unexpected contrast of crisp fruit and smooth leather. The scent opens with a sweet splash of tart quince paired with the dry, aromatic herbal bite of marigold. In the heart, fresh peony balances supple leather that carrie…

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, Qessence or Sleeping with Ghosts?

Sleeping with Ghosts takes 4 of 7 categories. Qessence is rated 3.79/5 from 88 votes; Sleeping with Ghosts is rated 3.91/5 from 234 votes. Choose Qessence for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Sleeping with Ghosts for a floral and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Qessence or Sleeping with Ghosts?

Qessence lasts longest (Qessence 83/100, Sleeping with Ghosts 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Qessence or Sleeping with Ghosts?

Qessence projects furthest (Qessence 75/100, Sleeping with Ghosts 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Qessence and Sleeping with Ghosts smell similar?

Clearly different: a 13% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic accords. Common notes include Marigold and Vetiver.

Is Qessence or Sleeping with Ghosts better for summer or winter?

For summer, Sleeping with Ghosts is the stronger pick. For winter, Qessence is the stronger pick. Qessence suits day or night wear; Sleeping with Ghosts suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Qessence and Sleeping with Ghosts?

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). Sleeping with Ghosts has top notes of Quince and Marigold, heart notes of Leather and Peony, a base of Vanilla and Vetiver.