FRAGRANXE
Fragrance comparison

Sérénade vs Magie Noire

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

Updated 5,420 ratings analysed
Clearly different
Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Magie Noire takes 3 of 5 categories.

  • Sérénade

    Choose it for a sweet and honey character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

  • Magie Noire

    Choose it for a woody and green character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Sérénade2/5
Magie Noire3/5
Ratings & consensus
Magie Noire
Community sentiment
Not scored
Longevity
Sérénade
Sillage & projection
Magie Noire
Value for money
Sérénade
Versatility
Not scored
Note pyramid (duration)
Not scored
Fragranxe ranking
Magie Noire

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance
SérénadeMotif Olfactif
Magie NoireLancôme
Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split
3.85/ 5 · 13 votes
Have 17%Had 12%Want 71%
4.08/ 5 · 5,407 votes
Have 57%Had 43%Want 0%
Category winnerMagie NoireRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate
54%Love
15%Like
8%Ok
8%Dislike
15%Hate

13 votes · too few to score

44%Love
37%Like
2%Ok
16%Dislike
1%Hate

5,407 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores
⏱ Longevity83
〰 Sillage68
♥ Love / hate71
⏱ Longevity82
〰 Sillage74
♥ Love / hate77
Category winners

LongevitySérénade

SillageMagie Noire

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it
¤ Price value61
¤ Price value53
Category winnerSérénadeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both
sweet100%
honey92%
floral84%
animalic77%
warm spicy69%
tropical61%
woody100%
green92%
earthy84%
aromatic77%
amber69%
warm spicy61%
Scent match13%Clearly different · both warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared
Notes
HoneySpicesPandanusYlang-YlangThailand OudAmberMuskJasmine SambacBergamotIndian Oud

No top / heart / base split published

Top
GalbanumCassisCassiaHiacynthBulgarian RoseRaspberryBergamot
Heart
HoneyNarcissusCedarOrris RootYlang-YlangTuberoseJasmineLily-of-the-Valley
Base
OakmossSpicesCivetPatchouliIncenseMyrrhAmberVetiver
InformationalShared notesHoney, Spices, Ylang-Ylang and Amber. Durations are only published for Sérénade, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season
Spring50
Summer50
Fall100
Winter75
Day57
Night100
Spring33
Summer0
Fall0
Winter100
Day–
Night–
Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes
Men0
Unisex75
Women25
Date 36%Party 28%Casual 21%Work 15%
Men2
Unisex27
Women71
InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#44,314

PerfumerOswald Pare

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#476

PerfumerGerard Goupy, Jean-Charles Niel, Yves Tanguy

Launched—

Reviews205

Category winnerMagie NoireHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Sérénade by Motif Olfactif delivers a rich, golden aroma centered on thick raw honey, earthy woods, and tropical floral petals. The scent starts with a crisp splash of bergamot that quickly folds into sticky honey and a dark edge of real Thailand oud. As it warms on your skin, creamy ylang-ylang and fragrant pandanus …

Reviews →

Magie Noire is a dark green chypre with moss, smoke, incense and an animalic undertow. It opens sharp and bitter, often with cassis and galbanum up front, then settles into a damp, resinous, woody drydown that many wearers find far more beautiful than the first spray. This suits shoppers who enjoy vintage-style perfum…

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, Sérénade or Magie Noire?

Magie Noire takes 3 of 5 categories. Sérénade is rated 3.85/5 from 13 votes; Magie Noire is rated 4.08/5 from 5,407 votes. Choose Sérénade for a sweet and honey character. Wins on longevity and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Magie Noire for a woody and green character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Sérénade or Magie Noire?

They last about the same: Sérénade 83/100, Magie Noire 82/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Sérénade or Magie Noire?

Magie Noire projects furthest (Magie Noire 74/100, Sérénade 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Sérénade and Magie Noire smell similar?

Clearly different: a 13% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy accords. Common notes include Honey, Spices, Ylang-Ylang and Amber.

Is Sérénade or Magie Noire better for summer or winter?

Sérénade suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Sérénade and Magie Noire?

Sérénade features Honey, Spices, Pandanus, Ylang-Ylang and Thailand Oud. Magie Noire has top notes of Galbanum, Cassis, Cassia and Hiacynth, heart notes of Honey, Narcissus, Cedar and Orris Root, a base of Oakmoss, Spices, Civet and Patchouli.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history
Add to comparison

Find a fragrance