Fragrance comparison

Route Mandarine vs L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme

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

Updated 29 Oct 2026 17,788 ratings analysed

5 wins

Route Mandarine

Manuel Canovas

4.1568 votes

Rank #13,169 Warm SpicyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme

Issey Miyake

4.1717,720 votes

Rank #24,550 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Route Mandarine takes 5 of 7 categories.

Route Mandarine
Choose it for a warm spicy and citrus character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in spring.

Route Mandarine5/7

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme2/7

Ratings & consensus: L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme
Community sentiment: Route Mandarine
Longevity: Route Mandarine
Sillage & projection: Route Mandarine
Value for money: L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme
Versatility: Route Mandarine
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Route Mandarine

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Route MandarineManuel Canovas

L'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeIssey Miyake

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 68 votes

Have 48%Had 12%Want 40%

4.17/ 5 · 17,720 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

Category winnerL'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

41%Love

44%Like

3%Ok

12%Dislike

0%Hate

68 votes

46%Love

37%Like

6%Ok

10%Dislike

1%Hate

17,720 votes

Category winnerRoute MandarineMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityRoute Mandarine

SillageRoute Mandarine

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value66

Category winnerL'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

citrus92%

amber84%

woody77%

white floral69%

rose61%

citrus100%

aromatic86%

fresh spicy72%

woody58%

floral44%

green30%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both citrus and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

Madagascar ClovesOrangeCeylon CinnamonMadagascar Ylang-YlangItalian MandarinEgyptian PelargoniumLemonBergamot

Heart3-4 hrs

Bulgarian RosePatchouliSandalwoodOrange BlossomEgyptian JasmineTahitian VetiverLily-of-the-Valley

Base8-12 hrs

IncenseAmberSpanish LabdanumWhite MuskMadagascar Vanilla

Top

YuzuLemonBergamotLemon VerbenaMandarin OrangeCypressCaloneCoriander

Heart

Blue LotusNutmegLily-of-the-ValleyBourbon GeraniumSaffronCeylon CinnamonMignonette

Base

Tahitian VetiverMuskCedarSandalwoodAmberTobacco

InformationalShared notesCeylon Cinnamon, Lemon, Bergamot and Sandalwood. Durations are only published for Route Mandarine, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring48

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day77

Night100

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter15

Day–

Night–

Category winnerRoute MandarineMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 35%Casual 28%Party 20%Work 18%

Men76

Unisex23

Women1

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#13,169

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews17

Overall rank#24,550

PerfumerJacques Cavallier Belletrud

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRoute MandarineHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Route Mandarine by Manuel Canovas smells like a traditional winter pomander brought to life. You get an immediate burst of juicy Italian mandarin, bitter bergamot, and pungent Madagascar clove. Do not overspray this. The spice hits fast. Within twenty minutes, the bright citrus flash fades into a warm heart of Bulgari…

Reviews →

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme opens with a sharp burst of tart yuzu citrus and crushed lemon verbena before relaxing into a wet floral heart of blue lotus and nutmeg. Base notes of Tahitian vetiver, cedar, and dry tobacco leaves give this 1994 release a clean, grounding backbone. It suits warm summer mornings, humid office…

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, Route Mandarine or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme?

Route Mandarine takes 5 of 7 categories. Route Mandarine is rated 4.15/5 from 68 votes; L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme is rated 4.17/5 from 17,720 votes. Choose Route Mandarine for a warm spicy and citrus character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and value for money. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Route Mandarine or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme?

Route Mandarine lasts longest (Route Mandarine 77/100, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Route Mandarine or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme?

Route Mandarine projects furthest (Route Mandarine 65/100, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Route Mandarine and L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme smell similar?

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus and woody accords. Common notes include Ceylon Cinnamon, Lemon, Bergamot and Sandalwood.

Is Route Mandarine or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme better for summer or winter?

For summer, Route Mandarine is the stronger pick. For winter, Route Mandarine is the stronger pick. Route Mandarine suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Route Mandarine and L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme?

Route Mandarine has top notes of Madagascar Cloves, Orange, Ceylon Cinnamon and Madagascar Ylang-Ylang, heart notes of Bulgarian Rose, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Orange Blossom, a base of Incense, Amber, Spanish Labdanum and White Musk. L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme has top notes of Yuzu, Lemon, Bergamot and Lemon Verbena, heart notes of Blue Lotus, Nutmeg, Lily-of-the-Valley and Bourbon Geranium, a base of Tahitian Vetiver, Musk, Cedar and Sandalwood.