Myrrhe Mystère vs Plum Japonais
Side by side. Scored honestly.
← Compare different fragrances
Side by side
Comparing the originals — price, breadth, listed-note depth.
Opens with a resinous, slightly medicinal myrrh that smells genuinely ancient rather than sweet — dry, dusty, faintly bitter. Sandalwood lifts it out of the abyss in the heart, lending a creamy warmth that softens the resin without flattening it. Vanilla arrives gradually, adding depth rather than dessert sweetness, and musk anchors a dry-down that's close-wearing and long-lasting with moderate sillage. The whole thing reads as hushed and expensive, built for skin rather than a room — A cool-weather fragrance for anyone who wants incense-adjacent warmth without smelling like a candle shop.
Opens with a ripe, almost bruised plum that's more lacquered than juicy, immediately softened by osmanthus lending an apricot-skin sweetness with faint leather underneath. The heart deepens into smoky incense that keeps the fruit from going gourmand-syrupy, holding everything in elegant tension. Dry-down is warm sandalwood and amber with a skin-close musk — projection is moderate to low, sillage intimate rather than commanding. The overall effect is a sophisticated, quietly smoldering oriental that wears like a second skin — ideal for cold-weather evenings and anyone who prefers depth over spectacle.
How they overlap
Myrrhe Mystère and Plum Japonais share 2 notes (sandalwood, musk). The same note name doesn't always mean the same scent — different houses use different vanillas, different woods, different musks — but a multi-note shared spine usually does indicate genuinely-comparable wear character. The remaining notes (2 unique to Myrrhe Mystère, 4 unique to Plum Japonais) are where the divergence happens.
The buying decision
Plum Japonais is the cheaper original at $365 compared to $615 for Myrrhe Mystère — about 41% less. Both wear best across the same fall/winter — they're interchangeable on weather fit.
Recommendation
If you're price-sensitive, Plum Japonais delivers comparable territory at $250 less than Myrrhe Mystère. If you want the specific character of Myrrhe Mystère — the prose above is the better guide than the price — the premium is what you're paying for.