Fragrance comparison

Wilcox's Potting Shed vs American Novelist

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 47 ratings analysed

Wilcox's Potting Shed

Solstice Scents

3.176 votes

Rank #64,870 EarthyMossy

Full profile Similar & dupes

20%scent match

Clearly different

American Novelist

Michael Malul London

4.2941 votes

Rank #30,404 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2.

Wilcox's Potting Shed
Choose it for a earthy and mossy character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.
American Novelist
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Wilcox's Potting Shed2/4

American Novelist2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: American Novelist
Sillage & projection: Wilcox's Potting Shed
Value for money: Wilcox's Potting Shed
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: American Novelist

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Wilcox's Potting ShedSolstice Scents

American NovelistMichael Malul London

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.17/ 5 · 6 votes

Have 18%Had 5%Want 77%

4.29/ 5 · 41 votes

Have 47%Had 3%Want 50%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

17%Love

33%Like

17%Ok

17%Dislike

17%Hate

6 votes · too few to score

49%Love

41%Like

5%Ok

0%Dislike

5%Hate

41 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate54

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage52

♥ Love / hate82

Category winners

LongevityAmerican Novelist

SillageWilcox's Potting Shed

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value53

Category winnerWilcox's Potting ShedBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

earthy100%

mossy77%

mineral53%

woody30%

aromatic100%

woody91%

leather83%

fresh spicy74%

green65%

mossy56%

Scent match20%Clearly different · both mossy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

StoneMushroomTerracottaCobblestoneEarthy NotesMossWoodsy NotesGreen LeavesBasil

No top / heart / base split published

Top

MintBergamotJuniper

Heart

LeatherClary SageBasil

Base

MossPineCedar

InformationalShared notesMoss and Basil. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring50

Summer100

Fall50

Winter0

Day100

Night50

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter91

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men50

Unisex50

Women0

Men97

Unisex3

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#64,870

PerfumerAngela St.John

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#30,404

PerfumerAlexis Grugeon, Honorine Blanc

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerAmerican NovelistHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Wilcox's Potting Shed by Solstice Scents is an atmospheric unisex fragrance that captures the authentic smell of a damp garden shed. Perfumer Angela St.John opens the composition with wet soil, cold cobblestone, green leaves, and a lively burst of crushed basil. As the scent settles on skin, mossy terracotta and wild …

Reviews →

American Novelist opens with mint, bergamot, and juniper, then moves into a dry leather and herbal heart before settling into cedar, pine, and moss. It reads fresh first, then greener, woodsier, and more textured as it dries. This is a masculine-leaning aromatic woody scent that should suit spring especially well, wit…

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, Wilcox's Potting Shed or American Novelist?

No clear winner: the 4 categories split 2–2. Wilcox's Potting Shed is rated 3.17/5 from 6 votes; American Novelist is rated 4.29/5 from 41 votes. Choose Wilcox's Potting Shed for a earthy and mossy character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose American Novelist for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.

Which lasts longer, Wilcox's Potting Shed or American Novelist?

American Novelist lasts longest (American Novelist 68/100, Wilcox's Potting Shed 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Wilcox's Potting Shed or American Novelist?

Wilcox's Potting Shed projects furthest (Wilcox's Potting Shed 58/100, American Novelist 52/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Wilcox's Potting Shed and American Novelist smell similar?

Clearly different: a 20% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share mossy and woody accords. Common notes include Moss and Basil.

Is Wilcox's Potting Shed or American Novelist better for summer or winter?

Wilcox's Potting Shed suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Wilcox's Potting Shed and American Novelist?

Wilcox's Potting Shed features Stone, Mushroom, Terracotta, Cobblestone and Earthy Notes. American Novelist has top notes of Mint, Bergamot and Juniper, heart notes of Leather, Clary Sage and Basil, a base of Moss, Pine and Cedar.