Fragrance comparison

Sandal Amber vs Free

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

Updated 8 Nov 2026 129 ratings analysed

6 wins

Sandal Amber

Parfums Vintage

4.3158 votes

Rank #11,222 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

84%scent match

Very similar

Free

Mark Buxton

4.1871 votes

Rank #25,518 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Sandal Amber takes 6 of 8 categories.

Sandal Amber
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear.
Free
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Sandal Amber6/8

Free2/8

Ratings & consensus: Sandal Amber
Community sentiment: Free
Longevity: Sandal Amber
Sillage & projection: Sandal Amber
Value for money: Sandal Amber
Versatility: Free
Note pyramid (duration): Sandal Amber
Fragranxe ranking: Sandal Amber

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Sandal AmberParfums Vintage

FreeMark Buxton

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.31/ 5 · 58 votes

Have 31%Had 5%Want 64%

4.18/ 5 · 71 votes

Have 26%Had 9%Want 64%

Category winnerSandal AmberRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

64%Love

17%Like

5%Ok

14%Dislike

0%Hate

58 votes

41%Love

39%Like

17%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

71 votes

Category winnerFreeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity83

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevitySandal Amber

SillageSandal Amber

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value60

¤ Price value52

Category winnerSandal AmberBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody86%

warm spicy72%

balsamic58%

smoky44%

powdery30%

amber100%

warm spicy83%

balsamic65%

woody48%

smoky30%

Scent match84%Very similar · both amber, warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

Incense

Heart3 to 5 hours

AmberSandalwoodOlibanum

Base6 to 8+ hours

LabdanumPatchouliVanilla

Top30 to 45 minutes

OlibanumIncenseBergamot

Heart2 to 3 hours

BenzoinLabdanum

Base4 to 6 hours

PatchouliAmberVanilla

Category winnerSandal AmberLongest dry-down: 6 to 8+ hours

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring47

Summer9

Fall94

Winter100

Day45

Night100

Spring44

Summer22

Fall100

Winter89

Day58

Night100

Category winnerFreeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men60

Unisex36

Women4

Men42

Unisex47

Women11

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#11,222

PerfumerDamien Stammers

Launched—

Reviews12

Overall rank#25,518

PerfumerDavid Chieze

Launched—

Reviews4

Category winnerSandal AmberHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Sandal Amber by Parfums Vintage is a dense oriental woody fragrance built around deep resin and smoky woods. Created by perfumer Damien Stammers, it opens with a bold strike of incense that immediately sets an austere, dark tone. The scent soon softens as warm amber, creamy sandalwood, and aromatic olibanum take over …

Reviews →

Free by Mark Buxton is a resinous amber fragrance built around warm balsamic woods and dry smoke. The scent opens with a crisp flash of bergamot that quickly gives way to aromatic olibanum and cool incense. As it warms, labdanum and sweet benzoin fill the center, creating a rich resin core without heavy syrup. Earthy …

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, Sandal Amber or Free?

Sandal Amber takes 6 of 8 categories. Sandal Amber is rated 4.31/5 from 58 votes; Free is rated 4.18/5 from 71 votes. Choose Sandal Amber for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Free for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Sandal Amber or Free?

Sandal Amber lasts longest (Sandal Amber 83/100, Free 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Sandal Amber or Free?

Sandal Amber projects furthest (Sandal Amber 70/100, Free 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Sandal Amber and Free smell similar?

Very similar: a 84% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Incense, Amber, Olibanum and Labdanum.

Is Sandal Amber or Free better for summer or winter?

For summer, Free is the stronger pick. For winter, Sandal Amber is the stronger pick. Sandal Amber suits evening wear; Free suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Sandal Amber and Free?

Sandal Amber has top notes of Incense, heart notes of Amber, Sandalwood and Olibanum, a base of Labdanum, Patchouli and Vanilla. Free has top notes of Olibanum, Incense and Bergamot, heart notes of Benzoin and Labdanum, a base of Patchouli, Amber and Vanilla.