Fragrance comparison

Sweet Milk vs Desire

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 165 ratings analysed

Sweet Milk

Jo Malone London

4.21164 votes

Rank #8,317 LactonicSweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Desire

Evgeniya Borisova

5.001 votes

Rank #38,427 PowderyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Desire takes 4 of 5 categories.

Sweet Milk
Choose it for a lactonic and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Desire
Choose it for a powdery and vanilla character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Sweet Milk1/5

Desire4/5

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Desire
Sillage & projection: Desire
Value for money: Desire
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Desire
Fragranxe ranking: Sweet Milk

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Sweet MilkJo Malone London

DesireEvgeniya Borisova

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.21/ 5 · 164 votes

Have 8%Had 3%Want 89%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 0%Had 17%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

45%Love

43%Like

1%Ok

10%Dislike

1%Hate

164 votes

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity52

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity100

〰 Sillage88

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityDesire

SillageDesire

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value33

¤ Price value75

Category winnerDesireBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

lactonic100%

sweet92%

vanilla84%

powdery77%

almond69%

anis61%

powdery100%

vanilla92%

fresh spicy84%

almond77%

lactonic69%

woody61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both powdery, vanilla and lactonic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Star AniseHeliotropeBergamot

Heart2-4 hrs

MilkCaramel

Base6-8+ hrs

VanilleAlmondMusk

Top15-30 mins

HeliotropeBergamotCumin

Heart2-4 hrs

LavenderJasmineAlmondMilk

Base8-12 hrs

SandalwoodVanillaAmber

Category winnerDesireLongest dry-down: 8-12 hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring33

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day92

Night100

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex15

Women85

Casual 40%Date 28%Work 23%Party 9%

Men0

Unisex33

Women67

Date 38%Party 31%Casual 18%Work 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#8,317

PerfumerChristine Nagel

Launched—

Reviews18

Overall rank#38,427

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerSweet MilkHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Sweet Milk by Jo Malone London delivers an authentic, comforting gourmand profile built around warm steamed milk, sweet caramel, and powdery almond. Created by perfumer Christine Nagel for the 2011 Tea Collection, it opens with a quick flicker of bergamot and liquorice-tinged star anise before settling into a thick, c…

Reviews →

Desire by Evgeniya Borisova opens with an unusual flash of bright bergamot and powdery heliotrope before dipping into savory cumin. Give it five minutes. The initial sharp punch settles into warm almond, lavender petals, and sweet steamed milk. It smells thick, cozy, and distinctly creamy on bare skin. As the hours ti…

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, Sweet Milk or Desire?

Desire takes 4 of 5 categories. Sweet Milk is rated 4.21/5 from 164 votes; Desire is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose Sweet Milk for a lactonic and sweet character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Desire for a powdery and vanilla character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Sweet Milk or Desire?

Desire lasts longest (Desire 100/100, Sweet Milk 52/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Sweet Milk or Desire?

Desire projects furthest (Desire 88/100, Sweet Milk 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Sweet Milk and Desire smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share powdery, vanilla and lactonic accords. Common notes include Heliotrope, Bergamot, Milk and Almond.

Is Sweet Milk or Desire better for summer or winter?

Sweet Milk suits evening wear; Desire suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Sweet Milk and Desire?

Sweet Milk has top notes of Star Anise, Heliotrope and Bergamot, heart notes of Milk and Caramel, a base of Vanille, Almond and Musk. Desire has top notes of Heliotrope, Bergamot and Cumin, heart notes of Lavender, Jasmine, Almond and Milk, a base of Sandalwood, Vanilla and Amber.