Fragrance comparison

Cartagena vs Riviera

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

Updated 15 Oct 2026 19 ratings analysed

Cartagena

Varriale Profumi

—0 votes

Rank #74,182 Fresh SpicyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

64%scent match

Closely related

1 wins

Riviera

Mendes Perfumes

3.5819 votes

Rank #41,129 AromaticWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Riviera takes 1 of 1 categories.

Cartagena
Choose it for a fresh spicy and aromatic character.
Riviera
Choose it for a aromatic and woody character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Cartagena0/1

Riviera1/1

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Not scored
Sillage & projection: Not scored
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Riviera

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

CartagenaVarriale Profumi

RivieraMendes Perfumes

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

—/ 5 · 0 votes

3.58/ 5 · 19 votes

Have 43%Had 19%Want 38%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

Not enough votes yet

32%Love

37%Like

0%Ok

21%Dislike

11%Hate

19 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hateN/A

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage41

♥ Love / hate64

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value48

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fresh spicy100%

aromatic92%

woody84%

warm spicy77%

citrus69%

amber61%

aromatic100%

woody92%

fresh spicy84%

citrus77%

green69%

amber61%

Scent match64%Closely related · both aromatic, fresh spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

Calabrian bergamotBlack Pepper

Heart2-4 hrs

PatchouliLavenderGeranium

Base6-8+ hrs

CedarwoodAmberelemi

Top

BergamotLimeCassisPeppermintPink PepperBlack Pepper

Heart

MojitoSea NotesRosemaryCypressJasmine SambacGeraniumLavenderCardamom

Base

Orris RootPatchouliVetiverCedarwoodOakOlibanumAmberMusk

InformationalShared notesCalabrian bergamot, Black Pepper, Patchouli and Lavender. Durations are only published for Cartagena, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring–

Summer–

Fall–

Winter–

Day100

Night61

Spring88

Summer100

Fall100

Winter38

Day100

Night89

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

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

Men91

Unisex9

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#74,182

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#41,129

PerfumerDominique Preyssas

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerRivieraHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cartagena by Varriale Profumi is a direct, invigorating aromatic scent built on clean contrast. A sharp burst of Calabrian bergamot and black pepper opens the wear with immediate energy, tingling your senses before cooling down into herbal lavender and geranium. Earthy patchouli provides grounding body through the mid…

Reviews →

Riviera opens with a sharp burst of bergamot and peppermint paired with crisp black pepper. As the top notes fade, sea notes and cypress emerge alongside green rosemary and lavender to build a breezy marine heart. The base settles into dry cedarwood, vetiver, and subtle oak. It works best during warm spring and summer…

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.

Do Cartagena and Riviera smell similar?

Closely related: a 64% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, fresh spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Calabrian bergamot, Black Pepper, Patchouli and Lavender.

Is Cartagena or Riviera better for summer or winter?

Cartagena suits daytime wear; Riviera suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cartagena and Riviera?

Cartagena has top notes of Calabrian bergamot and Black Pepper, heart notes of Patchouli, Lavender and Geranium, a base of Cedarwood, Amber and elemi. Riviera has top notes of Bergamot, Lime, Cassis and Peppermint, heart notes of Mojito, Sea Notes, Rosemary and Cypress, a base of Orris Root, Patchouli, Vetiver and Cedarwood.