Fragrance comparison

Vanille Imperiale vs Mata Hari

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 173 ratings analysed

Vanille Imperiale

Houbigant

3.86129 votes

Rank #27,119 MuskyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

27%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Mata Hari

DSH Perfumes

4.4144 votes

Rank #17,796 FloralAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Mata Hari takes 5 of 8 categories.

Vanille Imperiale
Choose it for a musky and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.
Mata Hari
Choose it for a floral and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Vanille Imperiale2/8

Mata Hari5/8

Ratings & consensus: Mata Hari
Community sentiment: Mata Hari
Longevity: Mata Hari
Sillage & projection: Vanille Imperiale
Value for money: Mata Hari
Versatility: Vanille Imperiale
Note pyramid (duration): Tie
Fragranxe ranking: Mata Hari

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Vanille ImperialeHoubigant

Mata HariDSH Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 129 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

4.41/ 5 · 44 votes

Have 75%Had 25%Want 0%

Category winnerMata HariRating 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

57%Love

36%Like

0%Ok

5%Dislike

2%Hate

44 votes

Category winnerMata HariMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity77

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityMata Hari

SillageVanille Imperiale

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price value75

Category winnerMata HariBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

musky100%

vanilla92%

citrus84%

rose77%

floral69%

amber61%

floral100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

sweet77%

woody69%

aromatic61%

Scent match27%Clearly different · both floral 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

Top15-30 mins

Fruity NotesOrangeNeroliBlood OrangeCorianderBergamotMandarin OrangeTarragon

Heart2-4 hrs

CloveCinnamonWhite HoneyChampacaJasmineTuberoseOrris RootLilac

Base6-8+ hrs

MyrhhLeatherMuskoak mossBenzoinTobaccoFrench labdanumPeru Balsam

Category winnerTieSame dry-down length

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring73

Summer27

Fall100

Winter100

Day87

Night100

Spring50

Summer29

Fall100

Winter100

Day41

Night100

Category winnerVanille ImperialeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men7

Unisex28

Women65

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

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 42%Party 32%Casual 16%Work 11%

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#17,796

PerfumerDawn Spencer Hurwitz

Launched—

Reviews9

Category winnerMata HariHigher 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 →

Mata Hari by DSH Perfumes is a fierce, vintage-styled fruity chypre built on uncompromising botanical contrasts. The scent hits the skin with a tart blast of blood orange, bitter coriander, and sweet candied fruit notes. It does not apologize. Within twenty minutes, the bright citrus flash fades into a thick, sultry b…

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 Mata Hari?

Mata Hari takes 5 of 8 categories. Vanille Imperiale is rated 3.86/5 from 129 votes; Mata Hari is rated 4.41/5 from 44 votes. Choose Vanille Imperiale for a musky and vanilla character. Wins on sillage & projection and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Mata Hari for a floral and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Vanille Imperiale or Mata Hari?

Mata Hari lasts longest (Mata Hari 77/100, Vanille Imperiale 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Vanille Imperiale or Mata Hari?

Projection is very close: Vanille Imperiale 59/100, Mata Hari 58/100 for sillage.

Do Vanille Imperiale and Mata Hari smell similar?

Clearly different: a 27% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share floral and amber accords. Common notes include Blood Orange, Neroli, Bergamot and Tuberose.

Is Vanille Imperiale or Mata Hari better for summer or winter?

For summer, Mata Hari is the stronger pick. For winter, Vanille Imperiale is the stronger pick. Vanille Imperiale suits evening wear; Mata Hari suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Vanille Imperiale and Mata Hari?

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. Mata Hari has top notes of Fruity Notes, Orange, Neroli and Blood Orange, heart notes of Clove, Cinnamon, White Honey and Champaca, a base of Myrhh, Leather, Musk and oak moss.