Fragrance comparison

John Varvatos Oud vs Le Essence Men

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 583 ratings analysed

4 wins

John Varvatos Oud

John Varvatos

4.16569 votes

Rank #1,967 AmberWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

14%scent match

Clearly different

Le Essence Men

In The Box

3.6414 votes

Rank #45,475 VanillaLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

John Varvatos Oud takes 4 of 5 categories.

John Varvatos Oud
Choose it for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.
Le Essence Men
Choose it for a vanilla and leather character. Wins on longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.

John Varvatos Oud4/5

Le Essence Men1/5

Ratings & consensus: John Varvatos Oud
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Le Essence Men
Sillage & projection: John Varvatos Oud
Value for money: John Varvatos Oud
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: John Varvatos Oud

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

John Varvatos OudJohn Varvatos

Le Essence MenIn The Box

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.16/ 5 · 569 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

3.64/ 5 · 14 votes

Have 46%Had 19%Want 35%

Category winnerJohn Varvatos OudRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

46%Love

37%Like

7%Ok

9%Dislike

2%Hate

569 votes

36%Love

36%Like

0%Ok

14%Dislike

14%Hate

14 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage52

♥ Love / hate66

Category winners

LongevityLe Essence Men

SillageJohn Varvatos Oud

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value65

¤ Price value58

Category winnerJohn Varvatos OudBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

warm spicy92%

fresh spicy84%

aromatic77%

woody69%

balsamic61%

vanilla100%

leather90%

lavender80%

animalic70%

aromatic60%

sweet50%

Scent match14%Clearly different · both aromatic

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

TobaccoNutmegJuniper BerriesCypressSage

Heart2-4 hrs

CinnamonTurkish RosePepperCardamomClovesSaffronEgyptian JasmineOsmanthus

Base5-7 hrs

IncenseAgarwood (Oud)MyrhhLeatherOpoponaxLabdanumCedarAmber

Top

CardamomPepperBergamotArtemisia

Heart

LeatherLavenderSageCinnamon

Base

VanillaCoumarinCostusAmberwoodMusk

InformationalShared notesSage, Cinnamon, Pepper and Cardamom. Durations are only published for John Varvatos Oud, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring48

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day37

Night100

Spring11

Summer0

Fall44

Winter100

Day33

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men87

Unisex12

Women1

Date 33%Casual 28%Work 25%Party 14%

Men90

Unisex10

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#1,967

PerfumerRodrigo Flores-Roux

Launched—

Reviews111

Overall rank#45,475

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerJohn Varvatos OudHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

John Varvatos Oud takes a notoriously heavy scent profile and dials it back into something smooth, warm, and exceptionally wearable. Instead of a funky barnyard oud, you get a rush of dry tobacco leaves, cracked nutmeg, and brisk cypress needle right off the nozzle. Within twenty minutes, sweet cinnamon and clove heat…

Reviews →

Le Essence Men opens spicy and aromatic, then quickly turns darker with leather, lavender and cinnamon over a warm vanilla base. The overall feel is sweet, smoky and slightly animalic rather than fresh. It reads clearly masculine and better suited to evening wear, cooler weather, and anyone who enjoys a fuller orient…

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, John Varvatos Oud or Le Essence Men?

John Varvatos Oud takes 4 of 5 categories. John Varvatos Oud is rated 4.16/5 from 569 votes; Le Essence Men is rated 3.64/5 from 14 votes. Choose John Varvatos Oud for a amber and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Le Essence Men for a vanilla and leather character. Wins on longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, John Varvatos Oud or Le Essence Men?

Le Essence Men lasts longest (Le Essence Men 67/100, John Varvatos Oud 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, John Varvatos Oud or Le Essence Men?

Projection is very close: John Varvatos Oud 54/100, Le Essence Men 52/100 for sillage.

Do John Varvatos Oud and Le Essence Men smell similar?

Clearly different: a 14% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic accords. Common notes include Sage, Cinnamon, Pepper and Cardamom.

Is John Varvatos Oud or Le Essence Men better for summer or winter?

John Varvatos Oud suits evening wear; Le Essence Men suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in John Varvatos Oud and Le Essence Men?

John Varvatos Oud has top notes of Tobacco, Nutmeg, Juniper Berries and Cypress, heart notes of Cinnamon, Turkish Rose, Pepper and Cardamom, a base of Incense, Agarwood (Oud), Myrhh and Leather. Le Essence Men has top notes of Cardamom, Pepper, Bergamot and Artemisia, heart notes of Leather, Lavender, Sage and Cinnamon, a base of Vanilla, Coumarin, Costus and Amberwood.