Fragrance comparison

The Formal vs The Pope's Cologne

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 35 ratings analysed

3 wins

The Formal

House Of Sillage

4.1932 votes

Rank #14,180 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

26%scent match

Clearly different

The Pope's Cologne

Excelsis

4.673 votes

Rank #33,988 CitrusViolet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

The Formal takes 3 of 4 categories.

The Formal
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.
The Pope's Cologne
Choose it for a citrus and violet character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

The Formal3/4

The Pope's Cologne1/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

The FormalHouse Of Sillage

The Pope's CologneExcelsis

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.19/ 5 · 32 votes

Have 28%Had 8%Want 64%

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 8%Had 8%Want 83%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

28%Like

9%Ok

3%Dislike

6%Hate

32 votes

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage70

♥ Love / hate92

Category winners

LongevityThe Formal

SillageThe Pope's Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value23

¤ Price valueN/A

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

aromatic77%

powdery69%

violet61%

citrus100%

violet86%

powdery72%

white floral58%

sweet44%

fresh30%

Scent match26%Clearly different · both violet and powdery

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

VioletPepperCitruseselemi

Heart2-4 hrs

CloveNutmegGingerSage

Base6-8+ hrs

CedarCoumarinSandalwoodAmber

Notes

VioletOrange BlossomOrangeLemon VerbenaCitrusesClove

No top / heart / base split published

Category winnerThe FormalLongest dry-down: 6-8+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer67

Fall100

Winter87

Day41

Night100

Spring100

Summer50

Fall0

Winter0

Day100

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men93

Unisex0

Women7

Not enough votes yet

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#14,180

PerfumerRodrigo Flores-Roux

Launched—

Reviews8

Overall rank#33,988

PerfumerFrederick Hass

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerThe FormalHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Formal by House Of Sillage delivers an immediate burst of cracked black pepper, bright citruses, and green violet leaf before settling into a warm, aromatic spice blend. Created by master perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux, this fragrance relies on a solid backbone of clean cedar, earthy sage, pungent clove, and sweet c…

Reviews →

The Pope's Cologne by Excelsis delivers a crisp, time-tested splash of bright citrus, juicy orange, and tangy lemon verbena that immediately wakes up the senses. As the sparkling opening settles, sweet orange blossom and a hint of warm clove add body before resolving into a soft, powdery violet dry-down. It smells lik…

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 Formal or The Pope's Cologne?

The Formal takes 3 of 4 categories. The Formal is rated 4.19/5 from 32 votes; The Pope's Cologne is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes. Choose The Formal for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on longevity, note pyramid duration and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose The Pope's Cologne for a citrus and violet character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, The Formal or The Pope's Cologne?

The Formal lasts longest (The Formal 75/100, The Pope's Cologne 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, The Formal or The Pope's Cologne?

The Pope's Cologne projects furthest (The Pope's Cologne 70/100, The Formal 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Do The Formal and The Pope's Cologne smell similar?

Clearly different: a 26% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share violet and powdery accords. Common notes include Violet, Citruses and Clove.

Is The Formal or The Pope's Cologne better for summer or winter?

The Formal suits evening wear; The Pope's Cologne suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in The Formal and The Pope's Cologne?

The Formal has top notes of Violet, Pepper, Citruses and elemi, heart notes of Clove, Nutmeg, Ginger and Sage, a base of Cedar, Coumarin, Sandalwood and Amber. The Pope's Cologne features Violet, Orange Blossom, Orange, Lemon Verbena and Citruses.