Fragrance comparison

Secret vs The Great Empresses of Japan

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 149 ratings analysed

Secret

Marilyn Miglin

3.333 votes

Rank #66,024 CitrusFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

18%scent match

Clearly different

The Great Empresses of Japan

Romea D'Ameor

3.84146 votes

Rank #16,431 PowderyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1.

Secret
Choose it for a citrus and fruity character. Wins on sillage & projection.
The Great Empresses of Japan
Choose it for a powdery and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Secret1/2

The Great Empresses of Japan1/2

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Secret
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: The Great Empresses of Japan

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

SecretMarilyn Miglin

The Great Empresses of JapanRomea D'Ameor

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.33/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 46%Had 15%Want 38%

3.84/ 5 · 146 votes

Have 56%Had 44%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

67%Like

0%Ok

33%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

23%Love

53%Like

8%Ok

15%Dislike

1%Hate

146 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 Sillage100

♥ Love / hate58

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageSecret

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value58

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

fruity92%

sweet84%

amber77%

yellow floral69%

woody61%

powdery100%

woody91%

iris83%

floral74%

violet65%

vanilla56%

Scent match18%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 60 minutes

MelonClementinePalisander RosewoodGrapefruit

Heart2 to 4 hours

White PeachRoseYlang-YlangHoneysuckle

Base3 to 6 hours

AmberHeliotropeViolet

Top

Ylang-YlangFreesiaMelon

Heart

IrisHeliotropeVioletPeonyLily-of-the-ValleyRose

Base

Orris RootTonka BeanTeak WoodMuskSandalwoodVetiverVanilla

InformationalShared notesMelon, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Heliotrope. Durations are only published for Secret, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

No season votes yet

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter28

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men0

Unisex7

Women93

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#66,024

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#16,431

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerThe Great Empresses of JapanHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Secret by Marilyn Miglin is a floral fruity gourmand perfume designed for women, built around bright fruit notes and velvety floral layers. The fragrance opens with a sharp splash of grapefruit and sweet clementine, tempered by crisp melon and palisander rosewood. As the crisp start settles, the scent reveals a sweet …

Reviews →

The Great Empresses of Japan opens with a brief melon and ylang-ylang contrast before settling into a soft iris and heliotrope powder. Pierre Bourdon builds a dense floral heart around violet and peony over a grounded base of sandalwood, teak wood, and tonka bean. It feels clean, serene, and vintage-tinged, ideal for …

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, Secret or The Great Empresses of Japan?

No clear winner: the 2 categories split 1–1. Secret is rated 3.33/5 from 3 votes; The Great Empresses of Japan is rated 3.84/5 from 146 votes. Choose Secret for a citrus and fruity character. Wins on sillage & projection. Choose The Great Empresses of Japan for a powdery and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which projects more, Secret or The Great Empresses of Japan?

Secret projects furthest (Secret 100/100, The Great Empresses of Japan 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Secret and The Great Empresses of Japan smell similar?

Clearly different: a 18% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Melon, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Heliotrope.

What are the notes in Secret and The Great Empresses of Japan?

Secret has top notes of Melon, Clementine, Palisander Rosewood and Grapefruit, heart notes of White Peach, Rose, Ylang-Ylang and Honeysuckle, a base of Amber, Heliotrope and Violet. The Great Empresses of Japan has top notes of Ylang-Ylang, Freesia and Melon, heart notes of Iris, Heliotrope, Violet and Peony, a base of Orris Root, Tonka Bean, Teak Wood and Musk.