Fragrance comparison

Apex Parfum vs Hot! Fragrances Blue

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 568 ratings analysed

3 wins

Apex Parfum

Roja Dove

3.99559 votes

Rank #1,178 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

35%scent match

Some overlap

Hot! Fragrances Blue

Ulric de Varens · 2008

3.339 votes

Rank #56,220 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Apex Parfum takes 3 of 4 categories.

Apex Parfum
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Hot! Fragrances Blue
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Apex Parfum3/4

Hot! Fragrances Blue1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Apex Parfum
Sillage & projection: Apex Parfum
Value for money: Hot! Fragrances Blue
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Apex Parfum

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Apex ParfumRoja Dove

Hot! Fragrances BlueUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.99/ 5 · 559 votes

Have 42%Had 8%Want 50%

3.33/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 39%Had 39%Want 21%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

20%Like

7%Ok

6%Dislike

14%Hate

305 votes

22%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

44%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate58

Category winners

LongevityApex Parfum

SillageApex Parfum

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value39

¤ Price value63

Category winnerHot! Fragrances BlueBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

citrus92%

aromatic84%

fresh spicy77%

mossy69%

earthy61%

woody100%

amber86%

musky72%

citrus58%

powdery44%

balsamic30%

Scent match35%Some overlap · both woody and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

BergamotMandarin OrangeOrangeLemon

Heart

JasminePineappleLabdanum

Base

CypressOakmossBalsam FirPatchouliLeatherTobaccoMuskRum

Notes

Cashmere WoodAmberMuskBergamotTeak WoodSandalwoodTonka BeanTobaccoMandarin Orange

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesBergamot, Mandarin Orange, Tobacco and Musk. Durations are only published for Hot! Fragrances Blue, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer70

Fall99

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring67

Summer100

Fall100

Winter33

Day100

Night43

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men89

Unisex5

Women6

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Casual 45%Work 28%Date 15%Party 13%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,178

PerfumerRoja Dove

Launched—

Reviews120

Overall rank#56,220

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2008

Reviews3

Category winnerApex ParfumHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Apex Parfum is a dark green woody leather with a bright citrus opening and a richer, more polished core than the original Apex EDP. Reviews often describe it as mature, formal, and sharply masculine in tone, with pineapple, moss, cypress, tobacco, and leather giving it a bitter, forest-like depth. It wears dense and r…

Reviews →

Hot! Fragrances Blue by Ulric de Varens is an honest, low-cost woody aromatic scent built around sweet citrus and dry woods. Do not panic at first. The initial spray punches hard with tangy mandarin orange and bergamot, smothered in an overt rush of spun sugar. Give it five minutes. That sugary pop mellows out rapidly…

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, Apex Parfum or Hot! Fragrances Blue?

Apex Parfum takes 3 of 4 categories. Apex Parfum is rated 3.99/5 from 559 votes; Hot! Fragrances Blue is rated 3.33/5 from 9 votes. Choose Apex Parfum for a woody and citrus character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring. Choose Hot! Fragrances Blue for a woody and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Apex Parfum or Hot! Fragrances Blue?

Apex Parfum lasts longest (Apex Parfum 80/100, Hot! Fragrances Blue 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Apex Parfum or Hot! Fragrances Blue?

Projection is very close: Apex Parfum 69/100, Hot! Fragrances Blue 67/100 for sillage.

Do Apex Parfum and Hot! Fragrances Blue smell similar?

Some overlap: a 35% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and citrus accords. Common notes include Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Tobacco and Musk.

Is Apex Parfum or Hot! Fragrances Blue better for summer or winter?

Hot! Fragrances Blue suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Apex Parfum and Hot! Fragrances Blue?

Apex Parfum has top notes of Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Orange and Lemon, heart notes of Jasmine, Pineapple and Labdanum, a base of Cypress, Oakmoss, Balsam Fir and Patchouli. Hot! Fragrances Blue features Cashmere Wood, Amber, Musk, Bergamot and Teak Wood.