Fragrance comparison

Ruade vs John Varvatos

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 2,791 ratings analysed

Ruade

Parfum d'Empire

4.02109 votes

Rank #9,817 GreenOud

Full profile Similar & dupes

5%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 8 categories.

Ruade
Choose it for a green and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.
John Varvatos
Choose it for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Ruade3/8

John Varvatos4/8

Ratings & consensus: John Varvatos
Community sentiment: John Varvatos
Longevity: Ruade
Sillage & projection: Ruade
Value for money: John Varvatos
Versatility: Ruade
Note pyramid (duration): Tie
Fragranxe ranking: John Varvatos

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

RuadeParfum d'Empire

John VarvatosJohn Varvatos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.02/ 5 · 109 votes

Have 23%Had 1%Want 76%

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

55%Love

22%Like

6%Ok

5%Dislike

13%Hate

109 votes

26%Love

54%Like

2%Ok

18%Dislike

0%Hate

1,389 votes

Category winnerJohn VarvatosMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityRuade

SillageRuade

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value31

¤ Price value67

Category winnerJohn VarvatosBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family

green100%

oud90%

leather80%

yellow floral70%

fresh spicy60%

herbal50%

fruity100%

sweet92%

patchouli84%

honey77%

white floral69%

earthy61%

Scent match5%Clearly different

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

Agarwood (Oud)HayLeatherNarcissus

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

Category winnerTieSame dry-down length

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring73

Summer52

Fall0

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Spring85

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day79

Night100

Category winnerRuadeMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men63

Unisex35

Women2

Casual 41%Date 26%Party 22%Work 11%

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#9,817

PerfumerMarc-Antoine Corticchiato

Launched—

Reviews19

Overall rank#1,972

PerfumerRodrigo Flores-Roux

Launched2004

Reviews151

Category winnerJohn VarvatosHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Parfum d'Empire Ruade is a bold, uncompromising scent that takes you straight inside a working equestrian stable. The opening delivers an immediate blast of pungent natural agarwood oud with sharp, earthy barnyard undertones, which quickly settles into the comforting aroma of warm saddle leather and freshly tossed hay…

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, Ruade or John Varvatos?

John Varvatos takes 4 of 8 categories. Ruade is rated 4.02/5 from 109 votes; John Varvatos is rated 4.15/5 from 2,682 votes. Choose Ruade for a green and oud character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose John Varvatos for a fruity and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Ruade or John Varvatos?

Ruade lasts longest (Ruade 74/100, John Varvatos 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Ruade or John Varvatos?

Ruade projects furthest (Ruade 62/100, John Varvatos 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Ruade and John Varvatos smell similar?

Clearly different: a 5% scent match on Fragranxe. They share few main accords. Common notes include Agarwood (Oud), Hay and Leather.

Is Ruade or John Varvatos better for summer or winter?

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

What are the notes in Ruade and John Varvatos?

Ruade features Agarwood (Oud), Hay, Leather and Narcissus. 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.