Fragrance comparison

502 Iris Cartagena vs Varens For Men Café Vanille

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 685 ratings analysed

5 wins

502 Iris Cartagena

Bon Parfumeur

4.04639 votes

Rank #2,493 WoodyWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

45%scent match

Some overlap

Varens For Men Café Vanille

Ulric de Varens

4.0746 votes

Rank #26,434 Warm SpicyCoffee

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

502 Iris Cartagena takes 5 of 7 categories.

502 Iris Cartagena
Choose it for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Varens For Men Café Vanille
Choose it for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

502 Iris Cartagena5/7

Varens For Men Café Vanille2/7

Ratings & consensus: 502 Iris Cartagena
Community sentiment: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Longevity: 502 Iris Cartagena
Sillage & projection: 502 Iris Cartagena
Value for money: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Versatility: 502 Iris Cartagena
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: 502 Iris Cartagena

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

502 Iris CartagenaBon Parfumeur

Varens For Men Café VanilleUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.04/ 5 · 639 votes

Have 28%Had 4%Want 67%

4.07/ 5 · 46 votes

Have 42%Had 6%Want 51%

Category winner502 Iris CartagenaRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

54%Love

25%Like

12%Ok

7%Dislike

2%Hate

451 votes

39%Love

37%Like

20%Ok

0%Dislike

4%Hate

46 votes

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate80

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

Longevity502 Iris Cartagena

Sillage502 Iris Cartagena

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value58

¤ Price value87

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

warm spicy91%

powdery83%

cacao74%

iris65%

sweet56%

warm spicy100%

coffee92%

woody84%

vanilla77%

rum69%

sweet61%

Scent match45%Some overlap · both warm spicy, woody and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

CocoaRumPetitgrainMandarin

Heart

IrisSandalwoodVanillaCedar

Base

PapyrusCoffeeVetiverSugar Cane

Top15-30 mins

CoffeeRumBergamot

Heart2-3 hrs

SandalwoodLavender

Base5-7 hrs

TonkaVanillaVetiverMusk

InformationalShared notesRum, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Coffee. Durations are only published for Varens For Men Café Vanille, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring46

Summer16

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring32

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day53

Night100

Category winner502 Iris CartagenaMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men31

Unisex56

Women13

Men41

Unisex47

Women12

Date 35%Casual 32%Work 19%Party 15%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#2,493

PerfumerClément Marx

Launched—

Reviews54

Overall rank#26,434

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winner502 Iris CartagenaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

502 Iris Cartagena is a woody, powdery iris with cocoa, rum and coffee wrapped into a warm, slightly sweet base. It opens darker and drier than the note list suggests, then settles into a smoother mix of sandalwood, vanilla and soft woods. It suits shoppers who like textured, niche-leaning scents more than easy crowd-…

Reviews →

Varens For Men Café Vanille by Ulric de Varens brings dark roast coffee and spiced rum straight to the counter. The opening skips airy citrus almost immediately. A rich swirl of dark roasted coffee beans mingles with boozy rum and creamy sandalwood across the first hour of wear. It never feels thin. Sweet tonka bean a…

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, 502 Iris Cartagena or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

502 Iris Cartagena takes 5 of 7 categories. 502 Iris Cartagena is rated 4.04/5 from 639 votes; Varens For Men Café Vanille is rated 4.07/5 from 46 votes. Choose 502 Iris Cartagena for a woody and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Varens For Men Café Vanille for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, 502 Iris Cartagena or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

502 Iris Cartagena lasts longest (502 Iris Cartagena 76/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, 502 Iris Cartagena or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

502 Iris Cartagena projects furthest (502 Iris Cartagena 62/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do 502 Iris Cartagena and Varens For Men Café Vanille smell similar?

Some overlap: a 45% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and sweet accords. Common notes include Rum, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Coffee.

Is 502 Iris Cartagena or Varens For Men Café Vanille better for summer or winter?

For summer, 502 Iris Cartagena is the stronger pick. For winter, 502 Iris Cartagena is the stronger pick. Varens For Men Café Vanille suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in 502 Iris Cartagena and Varens For Men Café Vanille?

502 Iris Cartagena has top notes of Cocoa, Rum, Petitgrain and Mandarin, heart notes of Iris, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Cedar, a base of Papyrus, Coffee, Vetiver and Sugar Cane. Varens For Men Café Vanille has top notes of Coffee, Rum and Bergamot, heart notes of Sandalwood and Lavender, a base of Tonka, Vanilla, Vetiver and Musk.