Fragrance comparison

Vanille Imperiale vs Cuir de Russie

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 133 ratings analysed

4 wins

Vanille Imperiale

Houbigant

3.86129 votes

Rank #27,119 MuskyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

Cuir de Russie

Bienaimé

5.004 votes

Rank #37,612 WoodyMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Vanille Imperiale takes 4 of 4 categories.

Vanille Imperiale
Choose it for a musky and vanilla character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.
Cuir de Russie
Choose it for a woody and musky character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Vanille Imperiale4/4

Cuir de Russie0/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Vanille ImperialeHoubigant

Cuir de RussieBienaimé

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 129 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

5.00/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 16%Had 0%Want 84%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

42%Love

29%Like

10%Ok

10%Dislike

9%Hate

129 votes

100%Love

0%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityVanille Imperiale

SillageVanille Imperiale

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price value38

Category winnerVanille ImperialeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

musky100%

vanilla92%

citrus84%

rose77%

floral69%

amber61%

woody100%

musky92%

amber84%

animalic77%

leather69%

aromatic61%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both musky and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top20-30 mins

Blood OrangeNeroliBergamot

Heart3-4 hrs

VanillaRoseTuberoseJasmine

Base7-9 hrs

AmbergrisMuskAmbrette

Top

BergamotClary SageCassisLemonNeroli

Heart

RoseJasmineIrisLabdanumTuberoseOrange BlossomOpoponax

Base

LeatherMuskCivetBirchCastoreumStyraxSandalwoodPatchouli

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Bergamot, Rose and Tuberose. Durations are only published for Vanille Imperiale, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring73

Summer27

Fall100

Winter100

Day87

Night100

Spring67

Summer67

Fall100

Winter100

Day67

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men7

Unisex28

Women65

Date 35%Casual 28%Work 23%Party 15%

Men0

Unisex67

Women33

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#27,119

PerfumerAntoine Lie, Luca Maffei

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#37,612

PerfumerRobert Bienaimé

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerVanille ImperialeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Houbigant Vanille Imperiale brings a fresh, unexpected perspective to the oriental vanilla genre. Instead of dumping sugar into the bottle, perfumers Luca Maffei and Antoine Lie open with a crisp splash of blood orange, bergamot, and bitter neroli. That bright citrus sparkle quickly gives way to a lush floral heart of…

Reviews →

Cuir de Russie by Bienaimé is a Floral Aldehyde fragrance for women. Cuir de Russie was launched in 1935. The nose behind this fragrance is Robert Bienaimé. Top notes are Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cassis, Lemon and Neroli; middle notes are Rose, Jasmine, Iris, Labdanum, Tuberose, Orange Blossom and Opoponax; base notes ar…

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, Vanille Imperiale or Cuir de Russie?

Vanille Imperiale takes 4 of 4 categories. Vanille Imperiale is rated 3.86/5 from 129 votes; Cuir de Russie is rated 5.00/5 from 4 votes. Choose Vanille Imperiale for a musky and vanilla character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Cuir de Russie for a woody and musky character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Vanille Imperiale or Cuir de Russie?

Vanille Imperiale lasts longest (Vanille Imperiale 70/100, Cuir de Russie 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Vanille Imperiale or Cuir de Russie?

Vanille Imperiale projects furthest (Vanille Imperiale 59/100, Cuir de Russie 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Vanille Imperiale and Cuir de Russie smell similar?

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky and amber accords. Common notes include Neroli, Bergamot, Rose and Tuberose.

Is Vanille Imperiale or Cuir de Russie better for summer or winter?

Vanille Imperiale suits evening wear; Cuir de Russie suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Vanille Imperiale and Cuir de Russie?

Vanille Imperiale has top notes of Blood Orange, Neroli and Bergamot, heart notes of Vanilla, Rose, Tuberose and Jasmine, a base of Ambergris, Musk and Ambrette. Cuir de Russie has top notes of Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cassis and Lemon, heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Iris and Labdanum, a base of Leather, Musk, Civet and Birch.