Fragrance comparison

Samba Star Man vs L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition

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

Updated 1 Nov 2026 34 ratings analysed

3 wins

Samba Star Man

Perfumer's Workshop

4.2711 votes

Rank #35,420 Fresh SpicyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

57%scent match

Issey Miyake

4.2623 votes

Rank #44,793 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Samba Star Man takes 3 of 5 categories.

Samba Star Man
Choose it for a fresh spicy and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.
L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Samba Star Man3/5

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition2/5

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Samba Star ManPerfumer's Workshop

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited EditionIssey Miyake

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.27/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 31%Had 35%Want 35%

4.26/ 5 · 23 votes

Have 44%Had 23%Want 33%

Category winnerL'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited EditionRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

45%Love

45%Like

0%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

57%Love

26%Like

9%Ok

4%Dislike

4%Hate

23 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate82

Category winners

LongevityL'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition

SillageSamba Star Man

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value59

Category winnerSamba Star ManBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fresh spicy100%

aromatic92%

vanilla84%

powdery77%

citrus69%

woody61%

aromatic100%

woody90%

citrus80%

fresh spicy70%

warm spicy60%

herbal50%

Scent match57%Closely related · both aromatic, fresh spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

VanillaNutmegAmberLavenderMandarin OrangeMuskMintVetiverCedarBergamotGeraniumSandalwood

No top / heart / base split published

Top

CypressCorianderBergamotArtemisiaMandarin OrangeSageLemonVerbena

Heart

SaffronCinnamonNutmegMignonetteBlue LotusLily-of-the-ValleyGeranium

Base

SandalwoodVetiverMuskCedar

InformationalShared notesNutmeg, Mandarin Orange, Musk and Vetiver. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer75

Fall100

Winter75

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer77

Fall69

Winter23

Day100

Night55

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men93

Unisex7

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#35,420

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#44,793

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerSamba Star ManHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Samba Star Man opens with a sharp burst of bergamot and cool mint, giving immediate lift to an otherwise heavy spice profile. As the initial flash clears, cinnamon and nutmeg emerge alongside green geranium. Vanilla and musk soften the dry-down, wrapping cedarwood and vetiver in a gentle sweetness. It wears as a casua…

Reviews →

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition opens with a sharp burst of lemon, verbena, and bergamot before shifting into a dry, aromatic heart of cypress, sage, and artemisia. Grounded by a solid base of sandalwood and vetiver, the composition keeps the crisp citrus DNA of the original line while pushing a woodier, more…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Samba Star Man or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition?

Samba Star Man takes 3 of 5 categories. Samba Star Man is rated 4.27/5 from 11 votes; L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition is rated 4.26/5 from 23 votes. Choose Samba Star Man for a fresh spicy and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear. Choose L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Samba Star Man or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition?

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition lasts longest (L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition 66/100, Samba Star Man 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Samba Star Man or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition?

Samba Star Man projects furthest (Samba Star Man 63/100, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Samba Star Man and L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition smell similar?

Closely related: a 57% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, fresh spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Nutmeg, Mandarin Orange, Musk and Vetiver.

Is Samba Star Man or L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition better for summer or winter?

Samba Star Man suits day or night wear; L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Samba Star Man and L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition?

Samba Star Man features Vanilla, Nutmeg, Amber, Lavender and Mandarin Orange. L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme Limited Edition has top notes of Cypress, Coriander, Bergamot and Artemisia, heart notes of Saffron, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Mignonette, a base of Sandalwood, Vetiver, Musk and Cedar.