Fragrance comparison

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 vs Ambre Fume

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

Updated 5 Nov 2026 869 ratings analysed

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21

Guerlain

4.37843 votes

Rank #1,184 VanillaAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

68%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Ambre Fume

Katana Parfums

4.3526 votes

Rank #42,476 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Ambre Fume takes 4 of 7 categories.

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21
Choose it for a vanilla and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
Ambre Fume
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 213/7

Ambre Fume4/7

Ratings & consensus: Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21
Community sentiment: Ambre Fume
Longevity: Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21
Sillage & projection: Ambre Fume
Value for money: Ambre Fume
Versatility: Ambre Fume
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21Guerlain

Ambre FumeKatana Parfums

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.37/ 5 · 843 votes

Have 21%Had 3%Want 77%

4.35/ 5 · 26 votes

Have 27%Had 4%Want 69%

Category winnerVanille Planifolia Extrait 21Rating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

63%Love

20%Like

11%Ok

3%Dislike

3%Hate

843 votes

54%Love

35%Like

4%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

26 votes

Category winnerAmbre FumeMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate84

Category winners

LongevityVanille Planifolia Extrait 21

SillageAmbre Fume

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value15

¤ Price value35

Category winnerAmbre FumeBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

vanilla100%

amber88%

powdery77%

sweet65%

warm spicy53%

balsamic42%

amber100%

warm spicy83%

balsamic65%

vanilla48%

sweet30%

Scent match68%Closely related · both amber, vanilla and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

VanillaSpicesAmberOpoponaxMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

VanillaCaramel

Heart

AmberBenzoinSpices

Base

OpoponaxOud

InformationalShared notesVanilla, Spices, Amber and Opoponax. Durations are only published for Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer24

Fall96

Winter100

Day82

Night100

Spring63

Summer26

Fall89

Winter100

Day69

Night100

Category winnerAmbre FumeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men4

Unisex55

Women41

Men16

Unisex79

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,184

PerfumerDelphine Jelk, Thierry Wasser

Launched—

Reviews200

Overall rank#42,476

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerVanille Planifolia Extrait 21Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 by Guerlain presents a concentrated, resinous interpretation of natural vanilla beans. The opening brings rich vanilla bean sweetness seasoned with dry spices, immediately feeling thick and luxurious rather than airy. As it settles, warm amber and opoponax lend a balsamic depth, supported…

Reviews →

Ambre Fume by Katana Parfums opens with a thick, caramelized sweetness that quickly meets a heavy wave of amber and dark oud. As it warms on the skin, the initial dessert-like caramel softens, allowing dry spices and resinous benzoin to ground the scent. This is a dense, smoky perfume designed for freezing winter nigh…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Flowerbomb La Vie En Rose 2016Viktor&RolfRUNNER-UP vs

Gourmand White FlowersDossierWINNER

1 person compared this today

Ramsés IIAtelier Segall & BaruttiRUNNER-UP vs

Mata HariDSH PerfumesWINNER

1 person compared this today

Baccarat Rouge 540Maison Francis KurkdjianRUNNER-UP vs

KhamrahLattafa PerfumesWINNER

1 person compared this today

PancaldiPancaldiRUNNER-UP vs

Fight Club WhiteReyane TraditionWINNER

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 or Ambre Fume?

Ambre Fume takes 4 of 7 categories. Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 is rated 4.37/5 from 843 votes; Ambre Fume is rated 4.35/5 from 26 votes. Choose Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 for a vanilla and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Ambre Fume for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on community sentiment, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 or Ambre Fume?

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 lasts longest (Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 82/100, Ambre Fume 78/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 or Ambre Fume?

Ambre Fume projects furthest (Ambre Fume 69/100, Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 and Ambre Fume smell similar?

Closely related: a 68% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, vanilla and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Vanilla, Spices, Amber and Opoponax.

Is Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 or Ambre Fume better for summer or winter?

For summer, Ambre Fume is the stronger pick. For winter, Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 is the stronger pick. Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 suits evening wear; Ambre Fume suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 and Ambre Fume?

Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 features Vanilla, Spices, Amber, Opoponax and Musk. Ambre Fume has top notes of Vanilla and Caramel, heart notes of Amber, Benzoin and Spices, a base of Opoponax and Oud.