Fragrance comparison

Essencial Oud Vanilla vs Varens Secret 1

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 403 ratings analysed

3 wins

Essencial Oud Vanilla

Natura · 2021

4.29399 votes

Rank #24,312 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

41%scent match

Some overlap

Varens Secret 1

Ulric de Varens

4.504 votes

Rank #54,160 White FloralAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essencial Oud Vanilla takes 3 of 4 categories.

Essencial Oud Vanilla
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.
Varens Secret 1
Choose it for a white floral and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Essencial Oud Vanilla3/4

Varens Secret 11/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Essencial Oud Vanilla
Sillage & projection: Essencial Oud Vanilla
Value for money: Varens Secret 1
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Essencial Oud Vanilla

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Essencial Oud VanillaNatura

Varens Secret 1Ulric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.29/ 5 · 399 votes

Have 84%Had 16%Want 0%

4.50/ 5 · 4 votes

Have 22%Had 17%Want 61%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

32%Like

8%Ok

6%Dislike

2%Hate

380 votes

50%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

4 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityEssencial Oud Vanilla

SillageEssencial Oud Vanilla

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value61

¤ Price value63

Category winnerVarens Secret 1Best value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber84%

fresh spicy69%

powdery53%

white floral100%

amber92%

warm spicy84%

woody77%

patchouli69%

balsamic61%

Scent match41%Some overlap · both woody and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

PripriocaBlack PepperSaffronLemonBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart

MateRoseJasmineLily-of-the-ValleyPeony

Base

Vanilla BahianaGuaiac WoodIncenseAmberPatchouliSandalwoodGurjan balsamMusk

Top15-30 mins

Mandarin OrangePeachBlack Pepper

Heart2-4 hrs

JasmineGardeniaIncense

Base6-8 hrs

AmberPatchouliSandalwood

InformationalShared notesBlack Pepper, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine and Incense. Durations are only published for Varens Secret 1, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring40

Summer10

Fall91

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring0

Summer25

Fall100

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men78

Unisex21

Women1

Men0

Unisex0

Women100

Date 36%Party 27%Casual 22%Work 16%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,312

PerfumerJohn Gamba, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Verônica Kato

Launched2021

Reviews0

Overall rank#54,160

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerEssencial Oud VanillaHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Natura Essencial Oud Vanilla centers on a robust, earthy priprioca note balanced by a dark, smoky vanilla base. Designed for those seeking depth, this woody and warm spicy fragrance moves away from gourmand sweetness. It thrives in cooler autumn days and formal evening events, offering a signature with significant sub…

Reviews →

Ulric de Varens Varens Secret 1 starts with a noticeable crackle of black pepper over juicy peach and bright mandarin orange. It smells sweet, spicy, and immediately warm. Within twenty minutes, the initial fruitiness softens as creamy white gardenia and jasmine take over, wrapped in a gentle ribbon of smoky incense. …

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, Essencial Oud Vanilla or Varens Secret 1?

Essencial Oud Vanilla takes 3 of 4 categories. Essencial Oud Vanilla is rated 4.29/5 from 399 votes; Varens Secret 1 is rated 4.50/5 from 4 votes. Choose Essencial Oud Vanilla for a woody and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter. Choose Varens Secret 1 for a white floral and amber character. Wins on value for money. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Essencial Oud Vanilla or Varens Secret 1?

Essencial Oud Vanilla lasts longest (Essencial Oud Vanilla 78/100, Varens Secret 1 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Essencial Oud Vanilla or Varens Secret 1?

Essencial Oud Vanilla projects furthest (Essencial Oud Vanilla 66/100, Varens Secret 1 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Essencial Oud Vanilla and Varens Secret 1 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 41% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody and amber accords. Common notes include Black Pepper, Mandarin Orange, Jasmine and Incense.

Is Essencial Oud Vanilla or Varens Secret 1 better for summer or winter?

Varens Secret 1 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Essencial Oud Vanilla and Varens Secret 1?

Essencial Oud Vanilla has top notes of Priprioca, Black Pepper, Saffron and Lemon, heart notes of Mate, Rose, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley, a base of Vanilla Bahiana, Guaiac Wood, Incense and Amber. Varens Secret 1 has top notes of Mandarin Orange, Peach and Black Pepper, heart notes of Jasmine, Gardenia and Incense, a base of Amber, Patchouli and Sandalwood.