Fragrance comparison

SOS vs Racing Steel

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

Updated 22 Oct 2026 13 ratings analysed

2 wins

SOS

Lush

3.888 votes

Rank #42,579 PatchouliWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

35%scent match

Some overlap

Racing Steel

Sergio Scaglietti

3.805 votes

Rank #46,169 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

SOS takes 2 of 4 categories.

SOS
Choose it for a patchouli and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear.
Racing Steel
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

SOS2/4

Racing Steel1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Racing Steel
Sillage & projection: SOS
Value for money: Tie
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: SOS

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

SOSLush

Racing SteelSergio Scaglietti

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.88/ 5 · 8 votes

Have 27%Had 4%Want 69%

3.80/ 5 · 5 votes

Have 36%Had 0%Want 64%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

38%Love

25%Like

25%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

8 votes · too few to score

20%Love

60%Like

0%Ok

20%Dislike

0%Hate

5 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage80

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevityRacing Steel

SillageSOS

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

Category winnerTieBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

patchouli100%

woody86%

warm spicy72%

citrus58%

earthy44%

balsamic30%

amber100%

warm spicy88%

citrus77%

balsamic65%

sweet53%

aromatic42%

Scent match35%Some overlap · both warm spicy, citrus and balsamic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

PatchouliBrazilian Orange

No top / heart / base split published

Top

VerbenaBrazilian Orange

Heart

NeroliSandalwood

Base

MyrrhVanillaCinnamonPatchouli

InformationalShared notesPatchouli and Brazilian Orange. 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

Summer50

Fall50

Winter50

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer75

Fall100

Winter75

Day100

Night50

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Men75

Unisex25

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#42,579

PerfumerSimon Constantine

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#46,169

PerfumerSimone Scaglietti

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerSOSHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Lush SOS centres on patchouli and Brazilian orange, giving it a dry, earthy citrus opening before the scent settles into a woody, warm spicy base. It wears with a bold patchouli signature throughout. This looks best suited to someone who enjoys natural-smelling, slightly rugged fragrances rather than polished sweetnes…

Reviews →

Racing Steel by Sergio Scaglietti opens with a sharp, crisp blast of verbena and Brazilian orange. It quickly transitions into a warm, woody heart of neroli and sandalwood before settling into a resinous, spicy base of myrrh, cinnamon, and patchouli. This unisex fragrance offers a structured, austere profile suited fo…

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, SOS or Racing Steel?

SOS takes 2 of 4 categories. SOS is rated 3.88/5 from 8 votes; Racing Steel is rated 3.80/5 from 5 votes. Choose SOS for a patchouli and woody character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, day or night wear. Choose Racing Steel for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, SOS or Racing Steel?

Racing Steel lasts longest (Racing Steel 76/100, SOS 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, SOS or Racing Steel?

SOS projects furthest (SOS 80/100, Racing Steel 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do SOS and Racing Steel smell similar?

Some overlap: a 35% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, citrus and balsamic accords. Common notes include Patchouli and Brazilian Orange.

Is SOS or Racing Steel better for summer or winter?

SOS suits day or night wear; Racing Steel suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in SOS and Racing Steel?

SOS features Patchouli and Brazilian Orange. Racing Steel has top notes of Verbena and Brazilian Orange, heart notes of Neroli and Sandalwood, a base of Myrrh, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Patchouli.