Fragrance comparison

Royal Water vs Sarab

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 1,853 ratings analysed

Royal Water

Creed

4.081,845 votes

Rank #24,891 CitrusFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

48%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Sarab

Gulf Orchid

4.888 votes

Rank #37,681 CitrusWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Sarab takes 4 of 5 categories.

Royal Water
Choose it for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Sarab
Choose it for a citrus and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Royal Water1/5

Sarab4/5

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Sarab
Sillage & projection: Sarab
Value for money: Sarab
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Sarab
Fragranxe ranking: Royal Water

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Royal WaterCreed

SarabGulf Orchid

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.08/ 5 · 1,845 votes

Have 74%Had 26%Want 0%

4.88/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 27%Had 0%Want 73%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

43%Love

36%Like

8%Ok

11%Dislike

2%Hate

1,845 votes

88%Love

13%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate97

Category winners

LongevitySarab

SillageSarab

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value27

¤ Price value93

Category winnerSarabBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

fresh spicy90%

fresh80%

aromatic70%

musky60%

green50%

citrus100%

woody83%

fresh65%

fresh spicy48%

powdery30%

Scent match48%Some overlap · both citrus, fresh and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

CitrusesBergamotMandarin OrangeVervain

Heart2-4 hrs

BasilAllspiceCumin

Base6-8 hrs

MuskCedarwood

Top15-30 mins

Citruses

Heart2-4 hrs

Aromatic Notes

Base6-8+ hrs

Cedarwood

Category winnerSarabLongest dry-down: 6-8+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter14

Day100

Night32

Spring100

Summer67

Fall83

Winter67

Day100

Night41

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men59

Unisex35

Women6

Work 41%Casual 34%Date 15%Party 10%

Men40

Unisex60

Women0

Work 38%Casual 35%Date 16%Party 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,891

PerfumerOlivier Creed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#37,681

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRoyal WaterHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Creed Royal Water hits the air like a splash of cold mountain spring water spiked with freshly sliced Sicilian lemons and crushed green herbs. The opening bursts with zesty bergamot, sweet mandarin orange, and tangy vervain before settling into an invigorating heart of peppery basil and warm allspice. In the dry-down,…

Reviews →

Gulf Orchid Sarab opens with a bright flash of tart yellow lemon and zesty grapefruit. The citrus hit is crisp. You get a quick two-minute burst of sharp perfumer alcohol right after spraying, but it calms down fast into clean aromatic herbs. Think crushed rosemary and fresh garden sage over a sturdy base of dry cedar…

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, Royal Water or Sarab?

Sarab takes 4 of 5 categories. Royal Water is rated 4.08/5 from 1,845 votes; Sarab is rated 4.88/5 from 8 votes. Choose Royal Water for a citrus and fresh spicy character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Sarab for a citrus and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Royal Water or Sarab?

Sarab lasts longest (Sarab 78/100, Royal Water 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Royal Water or Sarab?

Sarab projects furthest (Sarab 70/100, Royal Water 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Royal Water and Sarab smell similar?

Some overlap: a 48% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, fresh and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Citruses and Cedarwood.

Is Royal Water or Sarab better for summer or winter?

Royal Water suits daytime wear; Sarab suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Royal Water and Sarab?

Royal Water has top notes of Citruses, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Vervain, heart notes of Basil, Allspice and Cumin, a base of Musk and Cedarwood. Sarab has top notes of Citruses, heart notes of Aromatic Notes, a base of Cedarwood.