Fragrance comparison

The Bee's Knees vs Chords

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 413 ratings analysed

The Bee's Knees

Lush · 2024

3.53238 votes

Rank #9,324 SweetTobacco

Full profile Similar & dupes

44%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

Chords

Thameen

3.80175 votes

Rank #6,336 LeatherWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Chords takes 4 of 5 categories.

The Bee's Knees
Choose it for a sweet and tobacco character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Chords
Choose it for a leather and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.

The Bee's Knees1/5

Chords4/5

Ratings & consensus: Chords
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Chords
Sillage & projection: Chords
Value for money: The Bee's Knees
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Chords

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

The Bee's KneesLush

ChordsThameen

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.53/ 5 · 238 votes

Have 74%Had 3%Want 24%

3.80/ 5 · 175 votes

Have 35%Had 9%Want 55%

Category winnerChordsRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

18%Love

36%Like

18%Ok

27%Dislike

0%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

45%Love

24%Like

19%Ok

9%Dislike

4%Hate

140 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate67

⏱ Longevity79

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityChords

SillageChords

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value66

¤ Price value43

Category winnerThe Bee's KneesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

tobacco69%

floral30%

leather100%

woody92%

sweet84%

honey77%

animalic69%

tobacco61%

Scent match44%Some overlap · both sweet and tobacco

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

HaySmokeHoneyImmortelleEarthy NotesTobaccoLeatherOsmanthusPetitgrainNeroliOrange Blossom

No top / heart / base split published

Top

BergamotOrange BlossomNeroli

Heart

HoneyTobaccoYlang Ylang

Base

LeatherCypriol Oil or NagarmothaCedar

InformationalShared notesHoney, Tobacco, Leather and Neroli. 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

Summer100

Fall100

Winter67

Day100

Night25

Spring100

Summer39

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Men61

Unisex30

Women9

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#9,324

PerfumerAlina Gliwinska

Launched2024

Reviews30

Overall rank#6,336

PerfumerNathalie Lorson

Launched—

Reviews38

Category winnerChordsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Bee's Knees is a smoky honey scent with a dry, windswept feel rather than a soft gourmand one. Hay, tobacco and leather shape the opening, while neroli and osmanthus add a floral lift as it settles. It wears warmer and smoother in the dry-down, with honey and balsamic tones becoming easier to enjoy. This suits sho…

Reviews →

Chords by Thameen is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women and men. This is a new fragrance. Chords was launched in 2024. The nose behind this fragrance is Nathalie Lorson. Top notes are Bergamot, Orange Blossom and Neroli; middle notes are Honey, Tobacco and Ylang Ylang; base notes are Leather, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmo…

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, The Bee's Knees or Chords?

Chords takes 4 of 5 categories. The Bee's Knees is rated 3.53/5 from 238 votes; Chords is rated 3.80/5 from 175 votes. Choose The Bee's Knees for a sweet and tobacco character. Wins on value for money. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Chords for a leather and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, The Bee's Knees or Chords?

Chords lasts longest (Chords 79/100, The Bee's Knees 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, The Bee's Knees or Chords?

Chords projects furthest (Chords 66/100, The Bee's Knees 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do The Bee's Knees and Chords smell similar?

Some overlap: a 44% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet and tobacco accords. Common notes include Honey, Tobacco, Leather and Neroli.

Is The Bee's Knees or Chords better for summer or winter?

The Bee's Knees suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in The Bee's Knees and Chords?

The Bee's Knees features Hay, Smoke, Honey, Immortelle and Earthy Notes. Chords has top notes of Bergamot, Orange Blossom and Neroli, heart notes of Honey, Tobacco and Ylang Ylang, a base of Leather, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha and Cedar.