Fragrance comparison

The Heart of Leo vs Elixir de Esmeralda

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

Updated 31 Oct 2026 255 ratings analysed

The Heart of Leo

Gucci

4.13243 votes

Rank #6,177 AmberFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

37%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Elixir de Esmeralda

Artal Perfumes

4.2512 votes

Rank #37,098 AmberOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Elixir de Esmeralda takes 3 of 5 categories.

The Heart of Leo
Choose it for a amber and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Elixir de Esmeralda
Choose it for a amber and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

The Heart of Leo2/5

Elixir de Esmeralda3/5

Ratings & consensus: The Heart of Leo
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Elixir de Esmeralda
Sillage & projection: Elixir de Esmeralda
Value for money: Elixir de Esmeralda
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: The Heart of Leo

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

The Heart of LeoGucci

Elixir de EsmeraldaArtal Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.13/ 5 · 243 votes

Have 30%Had 6%Want 63%

4.25/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 33%Had 2%Want 65%

Category winnerThe Heart of LeoRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

47%Love

30%Like

14%Ok

6%Dislike

3%Hate

243 votes

67%Love

17%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

8%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage57

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate81

Category winners

LongevityElixir de Esmeralda

SillageElixir de Esmeralda

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value24

¤ Price value68

Category winnerElixir de EsmeraldaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

fruity90%

warm spicy80%

aromatic70%

balsamic60%

woody50%

amber100%

oud92%

smoky84%

fresh spicy77%

warm spicy69%

balsamic61%

Scent match37%Some overlap · both amber, warm spicy and balsamic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 60 minutes

Black Currant

Heart2 to 4 hours

Olibanum

Base4 to 7 hours

Myrrh

Top

SaffronBlack CurrantBergamotGrapefruit

Heart

IncenseAgarwood (Oud)VioletLeather

Base

OlibanumIndian OudMuskAmbergris

InformationalShared notesBlack Currant and Olibanum. Durations are only published for The Heart of Leo, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring86

Summer29

Fall100

Winter91

Day81

Night100

Spring90

Summer20

Fall70

Winter100

Day38

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men21

Unisex49

Women31

Men60

Unisex40

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#6,177

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews34

Overall rank#37,098

PerfumerShadi Samra

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerThe Heart of LeoHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Heart of Leo by Gucci is a resinous and fruity perfume that combines a dark fruit opening with a warm, smoky resin dry-down. It opens with a tart, deep burst of black currant, giving the scent a wine-like edge before softening into rich balsamic layers. At the centre, olibanum adds an aromatic incense brightness t…

Reviews →

Elixir de Esmeralda leans into a dark, resinous oud style with saffron up top, then incense, leather and violet moving through the heart. It reads smoky, ambery and slightly animalic rather than bright or easygoing. On skin, it seems built for cooler weather and evening wear. The dry-down is the real draw here, with a…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, The Heart of Leo or Elixir de Esmeralda?

Elixir de Esmeralda takes 3 of 5 categories. The Heart of Leo is rated 4.13/5 from 243 votes; Elixir de Esmeralda is rated 4.25/5 from 12 votes. Choose The Heart of Leo for a amber and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Elixir de Esmeralda for a amber and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, The Heart of Leo or Elixir de Esmeralda?

Elixir de Esmeralda lasts longest (Elixir de Esmeralda 78/100, The Heart of Leo 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, The Heart of Leo or Elixir de Esmeralda?

Elixir de Esmeralda projects furthest (Elixir de Esmeralda 72/100, The Heart of Leo 57/100), based on community performance votes.

Do The Heart of Leo and Elixir de Esmeralda smell similar?

Some overlap: a 37% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and balsamic accords. Common notes include Black Currant and Olibanum.

Is The Heart of Leo or Elixir de Esmeralda better for summer or winter?

The Heart of Leo suits evening wear; Elixir de Esmeralda suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in The Heart of Leo and Elixir de Esmeralda?

The Heart of Leo has top notes of Black Currant, heart notes of Olibanum, a base of Myrrh. Elixir de Esmeralda has top notes of Saffron, Black Currant, Bergamot and Grapefruit, heart notes of Incense, Agarwood (Oud), Violet and Leather, a base of Olibanum, Indian Oud, Musk and Ambergris.