Fragrance comparison

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme vs Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 17,737 ratings analysed

3 wins

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme

Issey Miyake

4.1717,720 votes

Rank #23,868 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

67%scent match

Closely related

Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense

Ulric de Varens · 2016

4.4117 votes

Rank #31,714 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme takes 3 of 5 categories.

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring.
Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme3/5

Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense2/5

Ratings & consensus: L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme
Sillage & projection: Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense
Value for money: Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

L'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeIssey Miyake

Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche IntenseUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.17/ 5 · 17,720 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

4.41/ 5 · 17 votes

Have 36%Had 8%Want 56%

Category winnerL'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

46%Love

37%Like

6%Ok

10%Dislike

1%Hate

17,720 votes

47%Love

47%Like

6%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

17 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate79

⏱ Longevity54

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityL'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme

SillageVarens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value66

¤ Price value79

Category winnerVarens Fresh Eau Fraiche IntenseBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aromatic86%

fresh spicy72%

woody58%

floral44%

green30%

citrus100%

aromatic83%

fresh spicy65%

woody48%

herbal30%

Scent match67%Closely related · both citrus, aromatic and fresh spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

YuzuLemonBergamotLemon VerbenaMandarin OrangeCypressCaloneCoriander

Heart

Blue LotusNutmegLily-of-the-ValleyBourbon GeraniumSaffronCeylon CinnamonMignonette

Base

Tahitian VetiverMuskCedarSandalwoodAmberTobacco

Top15-30 mins

GrapefruitOrange

Heart2-3 hrs

Lemon VerbenaCypressTarragonLily-of-the-ValleyGeranium

Base4-6 hrs

MuskSandalwoodAmber

InformationalShared notesLemon Verbena, Cypress, Lily-of-the-Valley and Bourbon Geranium. Durations are only published for Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter15

Day–

Night–

Spring63

Summer100

Fall19

Winter6

Day100

Night13

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men76

Unisex23

Women1

Men0

Unisex70

Women30

Casual 50%Work 34%Date 9%Party 6%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#23,868

PerfumerJacques Cavallier Belletrud

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#31,714

PerfumerNot listed

Launched2016

Reviews3

Category winnerL'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme opens with a sharp burst of tart yuzu citrus and crushed lemon verbena before relaxing into a wet floral heart of blue lotus and nutmeg. Base notes of Tahitian vetiver, cedar, and dry tobacco leaves give this 1994 release a clean, grounding backbone. It suits warm summer mornings, humid office…

Reviews →

Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense delivers a brisk shower of chilled pink grapefruit and bright orange zest right out of the nozzle. The citrus rush hits sharp. Within minutes, the zesty opening softens into crushed lemon verbena leaves and clean green cypress. It smells remarkably crisp. Herbal tarragon and sheer gera…

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, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme or Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense?

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme takes 3 of 5 categories. L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme is rated 4.17/5 from 17,720 votes; Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense is rated 4.41/5 from 17 votes. Choose L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in spring. Choose Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme or Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense?

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme lasts longest (L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme 66/100, Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme or Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense?

Projection is very close: Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense 56/100, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme 55/100 for sillage.

Do L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme and Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense smell similar?

Closely related: a 67% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, aromatic and fresh spicy accords. Common notes include Lemon Verbena, Cypress, Lily-of-the-Valley and Bourbon Geranium.

Is L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme or Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense better for summer or winter?

Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme and Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense?

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme has top notes of Yuzu, Lemon, Bergamot and Lemon Verbena, heart notes of Blue Lotus, Nutmeg, Lily-of-the-Valley and Bourbon Geranium, a base of Tahitian Vetiver, Musk, Cedar and Sandalwood. Varens Fresh Eau Fraiche Intense has top notes of Grapefruit and Orange, heart notes of Lemon Verbena, Cypress, Tarragon and Lily-of-the-Valley, a base of Musk, Sandalwood and Amber.