Fragrance comparison

Secret Spice vs Vanilla Firenze

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

Updated 31 Oct 2026 177 ratings analysed

3 wins

Secret Spice

Exceed

4.005 votes

Rank #57,632 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

44%scent match

Some overlap

Vanilla Firenze

Gucci

4.01172 votes

Rank #8,366 VanillaWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Secret Spice takes 3 of 5 categories.

Secret Spice
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, value for money and note pyramid duration. Best in fall, day or night wear.
Vanilla Firenze
Choose it for a vanilla and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Secret Spice3/5

Vanilla Firenze2/5

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Secret Spice
Sillage & projection: Vanilla Firenze
Value for money: Secret Spice
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Secret Spice
Fragranxe ranking: Vanilla Firenze

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Secret SpiceExceed

Vanilla FirenzeGucci

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 20%Had 5%Want 75%

4.01/ 5 · 172 votes

Have 23%Had 4%Want 73%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

60%Love

20%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

20%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

49%Love

19%Like

19%Ok

8%Dislike

5%Hate

172 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage51

♥ Love / hate75

Category winners

LongevitySecret Spice

SillageVanilla Firenze

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value19

Category winnerSecret SpiceBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber88%

aromatic77%

sweet65%

balsamic53%

coffee42%

vanilla100%

warm spicy90%

amber80%

powdery70%

fresh spicy60%

balsamic50%

Scent match44%Some overlap · both warm spicy, amber and balsamic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

CardamomMandarin OrangeBlack PepperBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

MyrrhCoffeeGingerCinnamon

Base6-10 hrs

TobaccoPeru BalsamTonka BeanVanilla

Top30 to 45 minutes

Black PepperCardamomCarrot Seeds

Heart2 to 4 hours

MyrrhIris ButterSiam Benzoin

Base4 to 7 hours

Bourbon Vanilla

Category winnerSecret SpiceLongest dry-down: 6-10 hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Spring35

Summer17

Fall98

Winter100

Day66

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men67

Unisex33

Women0

Men19

Unisex51

Women30

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#57,632

PerfumerRosella Patrizia Cezza

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#8,366

PerfumerAlex Lee, Véronique Nyberg

Launched—

Reviews37

Category winnerVanilla FirenzeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Secret Spice by Exceed is a cozy, rich winter fragrance that smells like a freshly brewed spiced mocha next to an unlit sweet cigar. It kicks off with a sharp burst of cracked black pepper, aromatic cardamom, and a splash of sweet mandarin orange before settling into a thick, comforting heart of roasted coffee and war…

Reviews →

Vanilla Firenze by Gucci presents a warm spicy vanilla profile built around resinous warmth and earthy iris butter. The opening delivers a crackle of black pepper and cardamom softened by the airy, powdery texture of carrot seeds. In the heart, rich myrrh and sweet Siam benzoin deepen the blend, creating a balsamic wa…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Jaguar EssentiallyJaguarRUNNER-UP vs

Miss WorthWorthWINNER

1 person compared this today

Aoud ExtraordinaireRoja DoveWINNER vs

Personality Black Pour HommeRasasiRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Parfum de FĂT FRUMOS (Prince Charming)B.A.S.M. by Createur 5 D’EmotionsWINNER vs

Heritage ManNabeelRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Dunhill EditionAlfred DunhillRUNNER-UP vs

Boss SportHugo BossWINNER

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Secret Spice or Vanilla Firenze?

Secret Spice takes 3 of 5 categories. Secret Spice is rated 4.00/5 from 5 votes; Vanilla Firenze is rated 4.01/5 from 172 votes. Choose Secret Spice for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, value for money and note pyramid duration. Best in fall, day or night wear. Choose Vanilla Firenze for a vanilla and warm spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Secret Spice or Vanilla Firenze?

Secret Spice lasts longest (Secret Spice 80/100, Vanilla Firenze 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Secret Spice or Vanilla Firenze?

Projection is very close: Vanilla Firenze 51/100, Secret Spice 50/100 for sillage.

Do Secret Spice and Vanilla Firenze smell similar?

Some overlap: a 44% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, amber and balsamic accords. Common notes include Cardamom, Black Pepper, Myrrh and Vanilla.

Is Secret Spice or Vanilla Firenze better for summer or winter?

Secret Spice suits day or night wear; Vanilla Firenze suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Secret Spice and Vanilla Firenze?

Secret Spice has top notes of Cardamom, Mandarin Orange, Black Pepper and Bergamot, heart notes of Myrrh, Coffee, Ginger and Cinnamon, a base of Tobacco, Peru Balsam, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. Vanilla Firenze has top notes of Black Pepper, Cardamom and Carrot Seeds, heart notes of Myrrh, Iris Butter and Siam Benzoin, a base of Bourbon Vanilla.