Fragrance comparison

Qessence vs Theatre Scent No 1

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 91 ratings analysed

1 wins

Qessence

Missala

3.7988 votes

Rank #12,916 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

42%scent match

Some overlap

Theatre Scent No 1

FUMparFUM

4.673 votes

Rank #38,621 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Qessence takes 1 of 2 categories.

Qessence
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Theatre Scent No 1
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Qessence1/2

Theatre Scent No 10/2

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Tie
Value for money: Not scored
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

QessenceMissala

Theatre Scent No 1FUMparFUM

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.79/ 5 · 88 votes

Have 25%Had 17%Want 58%

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 0%Had 6%Want 94%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating 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

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate92

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageTie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value64

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic92%

warm spicy84%

earthy77%

amber69%

rose61%

amber100%

woody92%

rose84%

leather77%

oud69%

fresh spicy61%

Scent match42%Some overlap · both woody, amber and rose

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

Top20-30 mins

OlibanumBlackberryBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

RosePatchouli

Base6-9 hrs

Agarwood (Oud)LeatherSandalwoodIrisMusk

InformationalShared notesDamask Rose, Iris, Olibanum and Patchouli. Durations are only published for Theatre Scent No 1, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring48

Summer26

Fall100

Winter74

Day100

Night94

Spring67

Summer0

Fall100

Winter33

Day56

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men10

Unisex40

Women50

Not enough votes yet

Date 39%Casual 25%Work 19%Party 17%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#12,916

PerfumerJean-Claude Astier

Launched—

Reviews9

Overall rank#38,621

PerfumerAistis Mickevičius

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerQessenceHigher 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 →

Theatre Scent No 1 opens with a sharp burst of smoky olibanum, tart blackberry, and bitter bergamot peel. You feel the solvent bite for two minutes before dark resin takes over. Then the tone shifts dramatically. A dry, slightly metallic rose emerges alongside earthy patchouli. It smells solemn, cool, and atmospheric …

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, Qessence or Theatre Scent No 1?

Qessence takes 1 of 2 categories. Qessence is rated 3.79/5 from 88 votes; Theatre Scent No 1 is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes. Choose Qessence for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Theatre Scent No 1 for a amber and woody character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which projects more, Qessence or Theatre Scent No 1?

Projection is very close: Qessence 75/100, Theatre Scent No 1 75/100 for sillage.

Do Qessence and Theatre Scent No 1 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 42% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and rose accords. Common notes include Damask Rose, Iris, Olibanum and Patchouli.

Is Qessence or Theatre Scent No 1 better for summer or winter?

Qessence suits day or night wear; Theatre Scent No 1 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Qessence and Theatre Scent No 1?

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). Theatre Scent No 1 has top notes of Olibanum, Blackberry and Bergamot, heart notes of Rose and Patchouli, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Leather, Sandalwood and Iris.