Fragrance comparison

Oud Minérale vs John Varvatos

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

Updated 19 Oct 2026 4,284 ratings analysed

Oud Minérale

Tom Ford

4.071,602 votes

Rank #24,356 MarineSalty

Full profile Similar & dupes

4%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

John Varvatos

John Varvatos · 2004

4.152,682 votes

Rank #1,972 FruitySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

John Varvatos takes 4 of 7 categories.

Oud Minérale
Choose it for a marine and salty character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.
John Varvatos
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.

Oud Minérale2/7

John Varvatos4/7

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Oud MinéraleTom Ford

John VarvatosJohn Varvatos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.07/ 5 · 1,602 votes

Have 79%Had 21%Want 0%

4.15/ 5 · 2,682 votes

Have 56%Had 44%Want 0%

Category winnerJohn VarvatosRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

47%Love

31%Like

6%Ok

13%Dislike

3%Hate

1,602 votes

26%Love

54%Like

2%Ok

18%Dislike

0%Hate

1,389 votes

Category winnerTieMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityOud Minérale

SillageOud Minérale

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value37

¤ Price value67

Category winnerJohn VarvatosBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

marine100%

salty90%

aromatic80%

amber70%

aquatic60%

oud50%

fruity100%

sweet92%

patchouli84%

honey77%

white floral69%

earthy61%

Scent match4%Clearly different

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Sea NotesSea SaltSeaweedAgarwood (Oud)AmbergrisPink PepperStyraxBalsam FirPepperwood or Hercules Club

No top / heart / base split published

Top20-30 mins

Damask PlumGeorgian ApricotMandarin Orange

Heart2-4 hrs

Turkish RoseLilyEgyptian JasmineMango Blossom

Base6-8+ hrs

PatchouliHoneyTonka BeanOakmoss

InformationalShared notesAgarwood (Oud), Styrax and Balsam Fir. Durations are only published for John Varvatos, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter38

Day–

Night–

Spring85

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day79

Night100

Category winnerJohn VarvatosMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men67

Unisex31

Women2

Men0

Unisex9

Women91

Date 33%Casual 25%Work 23%Party 20%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#24,356

PerfumerShyamala Maisondieu

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#1,972

PerfumerRodrigo Flores-Roux

Launched2004

Reviews151

Category winnerJohn VarvatosHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Oud Minérale by Tom Ford breaks away from traditional sweet beach scents by pairing gritty marine notes with dark wood. The opening hits you with a blast of sea salt and wet seaweed, mimicking a cold, wind-swept shoreline rather than a sunny resort. As the fragrance settles, a clean, smoky agarwood note emerges, creat…

Reviews →

John Varvatos Eau de Parfum for women is a rich, full-bodied fruity chypre that steps far away from sugary mall sprays. It makes an entrance. An initial spray delivers a juicy flash of Damask plum, golden Georgian apricot, and zesty mandarin orange. Give it two minutes to settle on your pulse points. Once the alcohol …

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, Oud Minérale or John Varvatos?

John Varvatos takes 4 of 7 categories. Oud Minérale is rated 4.07/5 from 1,602 votes; John Varvatos is rated 4.15/5 from 2,682 votes. Choose Oud Minérale for a marine and salty character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring. Choose John Varvatos for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, value for money and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Oud Minérale or John Varvatos?

Oud Minérale lasts longest (Oud Minérale 75/100, John Varvatos 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Oud Minérale or John Varvatos?

Oud Minérale projects furthest (Oud Minérale 63/100, John Varvatos 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Oud Minérale and John Varvatos smell similar?

Clearly different: a 4% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Agarwood (Oud), Styrax and Balsam Fir.

Is Oud Minérale or John Varvatos better for summer or winter?

For summer, Oud Minérale is the stronger pick. For winter, John Varvatos is the stronger pick. John Varvatos suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Oud Minérale and John Varvatos?

Oud Minérale features Sea Notes, Sea Salt, Seaweed, Agarwood (Oud) and Ambergris. John Varvatos has top notes of Damask Plum, Georgian Apricot and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Turkish Rose, Lily, Egyptian Jasmine and Mango Blossom, a base of Patchouli, Honey, Tonka Bean and Oakmoss.