Fragrance comparison

Retrospection vs So Love

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 34 ratings analysed

Retrospection

JMP Artisan Perfumes

3.5934 votes

Rank #18,012 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

31%scent match

Clearly different

So Love

Al Musbah

—0 votes

Rank #65,257 White FloralWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1.

Retrospection
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
So Love
Choose it for a white floral and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection.

Retrospection1/2

So Love1/2

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

RetrospectionJMP Artisan Perfumes

So LoveAl Musbah

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.59/ 5 · 34 votes

Have 30%Had 12%Want 57%

—/ 5 · 0 votes

Have 0%Had 20%Want 80%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

24%Love

35%Like

24%Ok

12%Dislike

6%Hate

34 votes

Not enough votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage71

♥ Love / hate65

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hateN/A

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageSo Love

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value61

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

woody92%

animalic84%

fresh spicy77%

white floral69%

green61%

white floral100%

woody92%

powdery84%

citrus77%

iris69%

patchouli61%

Scent match31%Clearly different · both woody and white floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

GalbanumAldehydesBergamotWormwoodLavenderRosemaryPetitgrain

Heart2-4 hrs

Orange BlossomLily-of-the-ValleyJasmineGeraniumCorianderRoseClary SageCloves

Base8-10+ hrs

OakmossCivetLeatherBeeswaxMuskOrris RootVetiverSandalwood

Top

Bergamot

Heart

Orris RootLily-of-the-ValleyJasmine

Base

PatchouliMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine and Musk. Durations are only published for Retrospection, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring86

Summer21

Fall100

Winter71

Day73

Night100

No season votes yet

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men65

Unisex23

Women12

Date 31%Work 28%Casual 23%Party 18%

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#18,012

PerfumerJakub Pietrynka

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#65,257

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRetrospectionHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Retrospection by JMP Artisan Perfumes resurrects the bold, unapologetic swagger of traditional masculine perfumery from the late twentieth century. Created by Polish independent perfumer Jakub Pietrynka, this composition opens with a sharp burst of bitter galbanum, soapy aldehydes, and zesty bergamot. Within minutes, …

Reviews →

So Love by Al Musbah is a classic feminine floral with a clean, powdery iris tone. It opens with a bright bergamot lift, then settles into orris, lily-of-the-valley and jasmine that read soft, white-floral and slightly vintage. In the dry-down, cedar and musk keep it smooth while patchouli adds a gentle earthy depth. …

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 projects more, Retrospection or So Love?

So Love projects furthest (So Love 100/100, Retrospection 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Retrospection and So Love smell similar?

Clearly different: a 31% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and white floral accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine and Musk.

Is Retrospection or So Love better for summer or winter?

Retrospection suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Retrospection and So Love?

Retrospection has top notes of Galbanum, Aldehydes, Bergamot and Wormwood, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Lily-of-the-Valley, Jasmine and Geranium, a base of Oakmoss, Civet, Leather and Beeswax. So Love has top notes of Bergamot, heart notes of Orris Root, Lily-of-the-Valley and Jasmine, a base of Patchouli, Musk and Cedar.