Fragrance comparison

Vanille Imperiale vs Paetê

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

Updated 9 Oct 2026 141 ratings analysed

Vanille Imperiale

Houbigant

3.86129 votes

Rank #27,119 MuskyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

36%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Paetê

Tuberosa Louca

3.9212 votes

Rank #50,662 White FloralMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Paetê takes 3 of 5 categories.

Vanille Imperiale
Choose it for a musky and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
Paetê
Choose it for a white floral and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Vanille Imperiale2/5

Paetê3/5

Ratings & consensus: Vanille Imperiale
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Paetê
Sillage & projection: Paetê
Value for money: Paetê
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

PaetêTuberosa Louca

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.86/ 5 · 129 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

3.92/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 17%Had 3%Want 80%

Category winnerVanille ImperialeRating 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

67%Love

8%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

25%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate72

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage73

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityPaetê

SillagePaetê

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value45

¤ Price value61

Category winnerPaetêBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

musky100%

vanilla92%

citrus84%

rose77%

floral69%

amber61%

white floral100%

musky92%

animalic84%

floral77%

warm spicy69%

honey61%

Scent match36%Some overlap · both musky and floral

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

AmbretteRed RoseNeroliGreen NotesBergamot

Heart

LilyClovesTuberoseFrench orange flowerJasmineSandalowood

Base

HoneyOakmossMuskVanillaPatchouliVetiver

InformationalShared notesNeroli, Bergamot, Vanilla 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

Spring57

Summer14

Fall71

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%

Men15

Unisex54

Women31

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#50,662

PerfumerSuelen Pirana

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 →

Paetê opens with a sharp flash of bergamot and green notes before revealing a heavy core of tuberose, red rose, and cloves. The base settles into a thick mix of honey, oakmoss, and ambrette musk. It thrives in cool autumn evenings and formal indoor settings where its potent floral projection can stretch comfortably wi…

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 Paetê?

Paetê takes 3 of 5 categories. Vanille Imperiale is rated 3.86/5 from 129 votes; Paetê is rated 3.92/5 from 12 votes. Choose Vanille Imperiale for a musky and vanilla character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Paetê for a white floral and musky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Vanille Imperiale or Paetê?

Paetê lasts longest (Paetê 80/100, Vanille Imperiale 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Vanille Imperiale or Paetê?

Paetê projects furthest (Paetê 73/100, Vanille Imperiale 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Vanille Imperiale and Paetê smell similar?

Some overlap: a 36% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share musky and floral accords. Common notes include Neroli, Bergamot, Vanilla and Tuberose.

Is Vanille Imperiale or Paetê better for summer or winter?

Vanille Imperiale suits evening wear; Paetê suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Vanille Imperiale and Paetê?

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. Paetê has top notes of Ambrette, Red Rose, Neroli and Green Notes, heart notes of Lily, Cloves, Tuberose and French orange flower, a base of Honey, Oakmoss, Musk and Vanilla.