Fragrance comparison

Deserto vs Varanasi

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

Updated 7 Nov 2026 413 ratings analysed

Deserto

Professor

3.001 votes

Rank #71,221 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

40%scent match

Some overlap

1 wins

Varanasi

Meo Fusciuni

3.93412 votes

Rank #3,700 AnimalicAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Varanasi takes 1 of 1 categories.

Deserto
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character.
Varanasi
Choose it for a animalic and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Deserto0/1

Varanasi1/1

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: Varanasi

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

DesertoProfessor

VaranasiMeo Fusciuni

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 1 votes

Have 0%Had 0%Want 100%

3.93/ 5 · 412 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

0%Love

0%Like

100%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

1 vote · too few to score

43%Love

31%Like

8%Ok

11%Dislike

7%Hate

412 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ LongevityN/A

〰 SillageN/A

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate73

Category winners

LongevityNo data

SillageNo data

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value49

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy91%

musky83%

oud74%

white floral65%

woody56%

animalic100%

amber92%

woody84%

leather77%

warm spicy69%

earthy61%

Scent match40%Some overlap · both amber, warm spicy and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15 to 30 minutes

IncenseOriental notes

Heart2 to 4 hours

Cypriol Oil or NagarmothaAgarwood (Oud)Jasmine

Base4 to 7 hours

AmberWhite Musk

Top

IncenseSaffronNutmegCardamom

Heart

AmbergrisCypriol Oil or NagarmothaRoseAmbrette (Musk Mallow)Jasmine

Base

Animal notesAgarwood (Oud)LeatherNard Himalayan (Jatamansi)Gurjan balsamVetiver

InformationalShared notesIncense, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Agarwood (Oud) and Jasmine. Durations are only published for Deserto, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

No season votes yet

Spring34

Summer24

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men49

Unisex46

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#71,221

PerfumerMoellhausen

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#3,700

PerfumerGiuseppe Imprezzabile

Launched—

Reviews57

Category winnerVaranasiHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Deserto by Professor is an oriental woody fragrance that centers on resins, dry woods, and soft musk. The scent opens with a plume of dry incense paired with rich oriental notes, creating a dark, smoky introduction. As it settles, earthy cypriol oil and dark agarwood oud emerge alongside a delicate touch of clean jasm…

Reviews →

Meo Fusciuni Varanasi opens with a sharp burst of smoky incense, dry saffron, and pungent animalic notes. Cold cardamom and nutmeg cut through the heavy resinous warmth, creating an immediate sense of ancient temple stone and raw leather. As the heat of skin activates the formula, rich ambergris and earthy cypriol oil…

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.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Plum de VeloursSuperfumistaWINNER vs

Royal FlushTestament LondonRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Malbec IconO BoticárioRUNNER-UP vs

Amber FusionKarakash PerfumeWINNER

1 person compared this today

Jette 7Flowers Cherry BlossomJette JoopRUNNER-UP vs

KoiameJ-ScentWINNER

1 person compared this today

Madly Kenzo! Eau de ToiletteKenzoRUNNER-UP vs

PerpetuumBrocardWINNER

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Deserto or Varanasi?

Varanasi takes 1 of 1 categories. Deserto is rated 3.00/5 from 1 votes; Varanasi is rated 3.93/5 from 412 votes. Choose Deserto for a amber and warm spicy character. Choose Varanasi for a animalic and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Do Deserto and Varanasi smell similar?

Some overlap: a 40% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber, warm spicy and woody accords. Common notes include Incense, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Agarwood (Oud) and Jasmine.

What are the notes in Deserto and Varanasi?

Deserto has top notes of Incense and Oriental notes, heart notes of Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Agarwood (Oud) and Jasmine, a base of Amber and White Musk. Varanasi has top notes of Incense, Saffron, Nutmeg and Cardamom, heart notes of Ambergris, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, Rose and Ambrette (Musk Mallow), a base of Animal notes, Agarwood (Oud), Leather and Nard Himalayan (Jatamansi).