Fragrance comparison

Sailing to Byzantium vs Monarch

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 328 ratings analysed

Sailing to Byzantium

Alkemia Perfumes

3.9338 votes

Rank #21,185 AromaticWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Monarch

Boadicea the Victorious

3.96290 votes

Rank #7,668 LeatherWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Monarch takes 4 of 7 categories.

Sailing to Byzantium
Choose it for a aromatic and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and versatility. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Monarch
Choose it for a leather and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Sailing to Byzantium3/7

Monarch4/7

Ratings & consensus: Monarch
Community sentiment: Monarch
Longevity: Monarch
Sillage & projection: Sailing to Byzantium
Value for money: Sailing to Byzantium
Versatility: Sailing to Byzantium
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Monarch

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Sailing to ByzantiumAlkemia Perfumes

MonarchBoadicea the Victorious

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.93/ 5 · 38 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 50%

3.96/ 5 · 290 votes

Have 41%Had 13%Want 46%

Category winnerMonarchRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

24%Love

45%Like

12%Ok

12%Dislike

6%Hate

33 votes

39%Love

38%Like

8%Ok

10%Dislike

5%Hate

290 votes

Category winnerMonarchMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate70

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityMonarch

SillageSailing to Byzantium

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value82

¤ Price value30

Category winnerSailing to ByzantiumBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

warm spicy92%

leather84%

mossy77%

woody69%

amber61%

leather100%

warm spicy92%

amber84%

aromatic77%

sweet69%

fruity61%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both warm spicy, leather and aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

LeatherOakmossInkIvyCardamomIncenseTonka BeanLotusLavenderPaper

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Red BerriesArtemisiaBlack TeaGrapefruitBergamot

Heart

CardamomRosePink PepperCinnamonJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyFreesia

Base

LeatherAgarwood (Oud)Tonka BeanIncenseCedarPatchouliLabdanumVanilla

InformationalShared notesLeather, Cardamom, Incense and Tonka Bean. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring58

Summer58

Fall100

Winter83

Day100

Night100

Spring68

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerSailing to ByzantiumMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex60

Women0

Men61

Unisex27

Women12

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,185

PerfumerSharra Lamoureaux

Launched—

Reviews11

Overall rank#7,668

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews22

Category winnerMonarchHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Sailing to Byzantium by Alkemia Perfumes is a fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Sharra Lamoureaux.

Reviews →

Monarch by Boadicea the Victorious opens with a tart burst of red berries, bitter artemisia, and crisp black tea before settling into a warm leather core. Pink pepper and cinnamon prickle through the initial spray, cutting through the heavy base. As the scent warms on skin, supple suede textures combine with tonka bea…

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, Sailing to Byzantium or Monarch?

Monarch takes 4 of 7 categories. Sailing to Byzantium is rated 3.93/5 from 38 votes; Monarch is rated 3.96/5 from 290 votes. Choose Sailing to Byzantium for a aromatic and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and versatility. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Monarch for a leather and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Sailing to Byzantium or Monarch?

They last about the same: Monarch 70/100, Sailing to Byzantium 68/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Sailing to Byzantium or Monarch?

Sailing to Byzantium projects furthest (Sailing to Byzantium 69/100, Monarch 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Sailing to Byzantium and Monarch smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, leather and aromatic accords. Common notes include Leather, Cardamom, Incense and Tonka Bean.

Is Sailing to Byzantium or Monarch better for summer or winter?

For summer, Sailing to Byzantium is the stronger pick. For winter, Monarch is the stronger pick. Sailing to Byzantium suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Sailing to Byzantium and Monarch?

Sailing to Byzantium features Leather, Oakmoss, Ink, Ivy and Cardamom. Monarch has top notes of Red Berries, Artemisia, Black Tea and Grapefruit, heart notes of Cardamom, Rose, Pink Pepper and Cinnamon, a base of Leather, Agarwood (Oud), Tonka Bean and Incense.