Fragrance comparison

Hot! Fragrances Blue vs Smolderose

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 81 ratings analysed

Hot! Fragrances Blue

Ulric de Varens · 2008

3.339 votes

Rank #56,220 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Smolderose

January Scent Project

3.7572 votes

Rank #15,030 SmokyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Smolderose takes 3 of 4 categories.

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

Hot! Fragrances Blue1/4

Smolderose3/4

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Hot! Fragrances BlueUlric de Varens

SmolderoseJanuary Scent Project

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.33/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 39%Had 39%Want 21%

3.75/ 5 · 72 votes

Have 34%Had 17%Want 49%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

22%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

44%Dislike

0%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

35%Love

33%Like

8%Ok

19%Dislike

4%Hate

72 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity50

〰 Sillage67

♥ Love / hate58

⏱ Longevity79

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate69

Category winners

LongevitySmolderose

SillageHot! Fragrances Blue

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value63

¤ Price value68

Category winnerSmolderoseBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber86%

musky72%

citrus58%

powdery44%

balsamic30%

smoky100%

citrus92%

amber84%

woody77%

fresh spicy69%

rose61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both woody, amber and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Cashmere WoodAmberMuskBergamotTeak WoodSandalwoodTonka BeanTobaccoMandarin Orange

No top / heart / base split published

Top

LemongrassMandarin OrangeOrange

Heart

Bourbon RoseRose GeraniumBlack PepperAngelicaCorianderHoneyGalbanum

Base

SmokeLabdanumCastoreumBirchAgarwood (Oud)TobaccoPatchouliBenzoin

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

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer100

Fall100

Winter33

Day100

Night43

Spring26

Summer11

Fall100

Winter100

Day35

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

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

Men13

Unisex63

Women25

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#56,220

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2008

Reviews3

Overall rank#15,030

PerfumerJohn Biebel

Launched—

Reviews12

Category winnerSmolderoseHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

Smolderose opens with an unexpected spike of tart lemongrass and juicy mandarin orange before rapidly pivoting into a dark, resinous floral heart. Bourbon rose absolute and rose geranium provide a lush botanical core, but they are immediately spiked with crushed black pepper, herbal angelica, and sticky honey. Rather …

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, Hot! Fragrances Blue or Smolderose?

Smolderose takes 3 of 4 categories. Hot! Fragrances Blue is rated 3.33/5 from 9 votes; Smolderose is rated 3.75/5 from 72 votes. Choose Hot! Fragrances Blue for a woody and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Smolderose for a smoky and citrus character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Hot! Fragrances Blue or Smolderose?

Smolderose lasts longest (Smolderose 79/100, Hot! Fragrances Blue 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Hot! Fragrances Blue or Smolderose?

Hot! Fragrances Blue projects furthest (Hot! Fragrances Blue 67/100, Smolderose 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Hot! Fragrances Blue and Smolderose smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, amber and citrus accords. Common notes include Tobacco and Mandarin Orange.

Is Hot! Fragrances Blue or Smolderose better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Hot! Fragrances Blue and Smolderose?

Hot! Fragrances Blue features Cashmere Wood, Amber, Musk, Bergamot and Teak Wood. Smolderose has top notes of Lemongrass, Mandarin Orange and Orange, heart notes of Bourbon Rose, Rose Geranium, Black Pepper and Angelica, a base of Smoke, Labdanum, Castoreum and Birch.