Fragrance comparison

The Essentials Scent 79 Man vs Waves

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 71 ratings analysed

The Essentials Scent 79 Man

Jil Sander

4.2170 votes

Rank #12,559 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

45%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Waves

Zodiac

5.001 votes

Rank #52,122 PowderyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Waves takes 3 of 4 categories.

The Essentials Scent 79 Man
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Waves
Choose it for a powdery and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

The Essentials Scent 79 Man1/4

Waves3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Waves
Sillage & projection: Waves
Value for money: Waves
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: The Essentials Scent 79 Man

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

The Essentials Scent 79 ManJil Sander

WavesZodiac

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.21/ 5 · 70 votes

Have 43%Had 16%Want 41%

5.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 36%Had 9%Want 55%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

36%Love

57%Like

0%Ok

7%Dislike

0%Hate

70 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

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityWaves

SillageWaves

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value50

¤ Price value100

Category winnerWavesBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

woody92%

leather84%

smoky77%

herbal69%

warm spicy61%

powdery100%

woody86%

leather72%

violet58%

warm spicy44%

animalic30%

Scent match45%Some overlap · both woody, leather and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Clary SageArtemisiaBergamot

Heart

IncenseSpicesVioletViolet Leaf

Base

LeatherWoody Notes

Top

Spices

Heart

Powdery NotesViolet

Base

Woody NotesLeather

InformationalShared notesSpices, Violet, Leather and Woody Notes. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer18

Fall100

Winter88

Day100

Night87

Spring0

Summer0

Fall100

Winter100

Day–

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#12,559

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews12

Overall rank#52,122

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerThe Essentials Scent 79 ManHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Essentials Scent 79 Man by Jil Sander opens with a bitter, herbal kick of artemisia and earthy clary sage before settling into smoky incense, dewy violet leaf, and rich jacket leather. It smells like a crisp autumn morning in a quiet park followed by stepping into a room with vintage books and worn leather armchai…

Reviews →

Waves leans powdery, woody and lightly leathery, with a violet softness that keeps the spicy opening from feeling too rough. It reads dry rather than sweet, and the overall texture sounds closer to suede and woods than bright aromatics. Based on the limited performance evidence available, it can wear with strong prese…

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

Saffron AmberIlluminumRUNNER-UP vs

Septieme Sens (7e Sens)Sonia RykielWINNER

1 person compared this today

Fancy NightsJessica SimpsonRUNNER-UP vs

Nino Cerruti Pour FemmeCerrutiWINNER

3 people compared this today

Sweet DreamsHouse Of SillageWINNER vs

Safari ElixirAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

PrometheuNecalliWINNER vs

Bruno ImperialAnfar LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, The Essentials Scent 79 Man or Waves?

Waves takes 3 of 4 categories. The Essentials Scent 79 Man is rated 4.21/5 from 70 votes; Waves is rated 5.00/5 from 1 votes. Choose The Essentials Scent 79 Man for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Waves for a powdery and woody character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, The Essentials Scent 79 Man or Waves?

Waves lasts longest (Waves 80/100, The Essentials Scent 79 Man 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, The Essentials Scent 79 Man or Waves?

Waves projects furthest (Waves 75/100, The Essentials Scent 79 Man 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do The Essentials Scent 79 Man and Waves smell similar?

Some overlap: a 45% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, leather and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Spices, Violet, Leather and Woody Notes.

Is The Essentials Scent 79 Man or Waves better for summer or winter?

The Essentials Scent 79 Man suits daytime wear; Waves suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in The Essentials Scent 79 Man and Waves?

The Essentials Scent 79 Man has top notes of Clary Sage, Artemisia and Bergamot, heart notes of Incense, Spices, Violet and Violet Leaf, a base of Leather and Woody Notes. Waves has top notes of Spices, heart notes of Powdery Notes and Violet, a base of Woody Notes and Leather.