Fragrance comparison

Russian Musk II vs Sacre Noir

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 180 ratings analysed

5 wins

Russian Musk II

Areej Le Doré

4.39119 votes

Rank #5,702 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

Sacre Noir

House of Matriarch

4.4361 votes

Rank #28,426 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Russian Musk II takes 5 of 7 categories.

Russian Musk II
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.
Sacre Noir
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Russian Musk II5/7

Sacre Noir2/7

Ratings & consensus: Russian Musk II
Community sentiment: Sacre Noir
Longevity: Russian Musk II
Sillage & projection: Russian Musk II
Value for money: Sacre Noir
Versatility: Russian Musk II
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Russian Musk II

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Russian Musk IIAreej Le Doré

Sacre NoirHouse of Matriarch

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.39/ 5 · 119 votes

Have 43%Had 9%Want 48%

4.43/ 5 · 61 votes

Have 29%Had 4%Want 66%

Category winnerRussian Musk IIRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

71%Love

15%Like

3%Ok

6%Dislike

6%Hate

119 votes

64%Love

23%Like

7%Ok

5%Dislike

2%Hate

61 votes

Category winnerSacre NoirMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate85

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate86

Category winners

LongevityRussian Musk II

SillageRussian Musk II

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value43

¤ Price value44

Category winnerSacre NoirBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic92%

citrus84%

fresh spicy77%

musky69%

warm spicy61%

aromatic100%

woody91%

fresh spicy83%

balsamic74%

sweet65%

amber56%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both aromatic, woody and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

FirLemonPine TreeBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart

Orange BlossomSandalwoodClovesNutmegCinnamonTonka Bean

Base

Natural MuskOakmossCypressAgarwood (Oud)AmberGalbanumVetiverRose

Top20-30 mins

FirPlumOrangeSpicy NotesSugar

Heart3-4 hrs

JuniperCypressOakMyrtleLaurelsRed RoseMastic or Lentisque

Base6-10 hrs

IncensePeru BalsamFernOakmossAgarwood (Oud)Copal

InformationalShared notesFir, Oakmoss, Cypress and Agarwood (Oud). Durations are only published for Sacre Noir, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer70

Fall91

Winter70

Day–

Night–

Spring28

Summer7

Fall76

Winter100

Day53

Night100

Category winnerRussian Musk IIMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men58

Unisex38

Women4

Men6

Unisex76

Women18

Date 36%Casual 31%Work 18%Party 15%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#5,702

PerfumerRussian Adam

Launched—

Reviews17

Overall rank#28,426

PerfumerChristi Meshell

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerRussian Musk IIHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Russian Musk II by Areej Le Doré opens with a sharp burst of lemon, bergamot, and crushed pine needles before settling into a deep base of natural deer musk, oakmoss, and fir. Russian Adam built this unisex chypre to balance crisp coniferous greens with warm cloves, cinnamon, and resinous galbanum. It sits heavy on sk…

Reviews →

House of Matriarch Sacre Noir smells like stepping into a frozen evergreen grove at dusk. The opening punches hard. You get crushed fir needles, bitter orange peel, and dark stewed plum syrup right away. Fresh juniper and aromatic cypress cut through the initial sweetness with sharp timber. Soon, dark copal, sacred ch…

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, Russian Musk II or Sacre Noir?

Russian Musk II takes 5 of 7 categories. Russian Musk II is rated 4.39/5 from 119 votes; Sacre Noir is rated 4.43/5 from 61 votes. Choose Russian Musk II for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring. Choose Sacre Noir for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Russian Musk II or Sacre Noir?

Russian Musk II lasts longest (Russian Musk II 76/100, Sacre Noir 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Russian Musk II or Sacre Noir?

Projection is very close: Russian Musk II 59/100, Sacre Noir 57/100 for sillage.

Do Russian Musk II and Sacre Noir smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, woody and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Fir, Oakmoss, Cypress and Agarwood (Oud).

Is Russian Musk II or Sacre Noir better for summer or winter?

For summer, Russian Musk II is the stronger pick. For winter, Sacre Noir is the stronger pick. Sacre Noir suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Russian Musk II and Sacre Noir?

Russian Musk II has top notes of Fir, Lemon, Pine Tree and Bergamot, heart notes of Orange Blossom, Sandalwood, Cloves and Nutmeg, a base of Natural Musk, Oakmoss, Cypress and Agarwood (Oud). Sacre Noir has top notes of Fir, Plum, Orange and Spicy Notes, heart notes of Juniper, Cypress, Oak and Myrtle, a base of Incense, Peru Balsam, Fern and Oakmoss.