Fragrance comparison

Varens For Men Café Vanille vs 502 Iris Cartagena EDP

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 79 ratings analysed

Varens For Men Café Vanille

Ulric de Varens

4.0746 votes

Rank #26,434 Warm SpicyCoffee

Full profile Similar & dupes

54%scent match

Some overlap

4 wins

502 Iris Cartagena EDP

Bon Parfumeur

4.5233 votes

Rank #30,661 Warm SpicyWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

502 Iris Cartagena EDP takes 4 of 7 categories.

Varens For Men Café Vanille
Choose it for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.
502 Iris Cartagena EDP
Choose it for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Varens For Men Café Vanille3/7

502 Iris Cartagena EDP4/7

Ratings & consensus: 502 Iris Cartagena EDP
Community sentiment: 502 Iris Cartagena EDP
Longevity: 502 Iris Cartagena EDP
Sillage & projection: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Value for money: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Versatility: 502 Iris Cartagena EDP
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Varens For Men Café Vanille

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Varens For Men Café VanilleUlric de Varens

502 Iris Cartagena EDPBon Parfumeur

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.07/ 5 · 46 votes

Have 42%Had 6%Want 51%

4.52/ 5 · 33 votes

Have 33%Had 4%Want 63%

Category winner502 Iris Cartagena EDPRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

39%Love

37%Like

20%Ok

0%Dislike

4%Hate

46 votes

64%Love

27%Like

6%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

33 votes

Category winner502 Iris Cartagena EDPMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate77

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

Longevity502 Iris Cartagena EDP

SillageVarens For Men Café Vanille

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value87

¤ Price value53

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

coffee92%

woody84%

vanilla77%

rum69%

sweet61%

warm spicy100%

woody92%

cacao84%

citrus77%

coffee69%

rum61%

Scent match54%Some overlap · both warm spicy, woody and coffee

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

CoffeeRumBergamot

Heart2-3 hrs

SandalwoodLavender

Base5-7 hrs

TonkaVanillaVetiverMusk

Top

CocoaRumMandarin OrangeMandarinPetitgrain

Heart

IrisSandalwoodEucalyptusVanilla

Base

CoffeePapyrusButterVetiver

InformationalShared notesCoffee, Rum, Sandalwood and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Varens For Men Café Vanille, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring32

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day53

Night100

Spring94

Summer24

Fall100

Winter82

Day100

Night77

Category winner502 Iris Cartagena EDPMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men41

Unisex47

Women12

Date 35%Casual 32%Work 19%Party 15%

Men17

Unisex70

Women13

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,434

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#30,661

PerfumerClément Marx

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Varens For Men Café Vanille by Ulric de Varens brings dark roast coffee and spiced rum straight to the counter. The opening skips airy citrus almost immediately. A rich swirl of dark roasted coffee beans mingles with boozy rum and creamy sandalwood across the first hour of wear. It never feels thin. Sweet tonka bean a…

Reviews →

A cocoa-iris scent with a warm, woody core, 502 Iris Cartagena opens bright with mandarin and petitgrain, then quickly turns smoother and more textured. The rum and cocoa give it warmth, while iris and sandalwood keep it soft rather than sugary. On skin, it reads as a spiced gourmand with a dry, powdery edge. It suits…

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, Varens For Men Café Vanille or 502 Iris Cartagena EDP?

502 Iris Cartagena EDP takes 4 of 7 categories. Varens For Men Café Vanille is rated 4.07/5 from 46 votes; 502 Iris Cartagena EDP is rated 4.52/5 from 33 votes. Choose Varens For Men Café Vanille for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose 502 Iris Cartagena EDP for a warm spicy and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Varens For Men Café Vanille or 502 Iris Cartagena EDP?

502 Iris Cartagena EDP lasts longest (502 Iris Cartagena EDP 69/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Varens For Men Café Vanille or 502 Iris Cartagena EDP?

Projection is very close: Varens For Men Café Vanille 56/100, 502 Iris Cartagena EDP 55/100 for sillage.

Do Varens For Men Café Vanille and 502 Iris Cartagena EDP smell similar?

Some overlap: a 54% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, woody and coffee accords. Common notes include Coffee, Rum, Sandalwood and Vanilla.

Is Varens For Men Café Vanille or 502 Iris Cartagena EDP better for summer or winter?

For summer, 502 Iris Cartagena EDP is the stronger pick. For winter, Varens For Men Café Vanille is the stronger pick. Varens For Men Café Vanille suits evening wear; 502 Iris Cartagena EDP suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Varens For Men Café Vanille and 502 Iris Cartagena EDP?

Varens For Men Café Vanille has top notes of Coffee, Rum and Bergamot, heart notes of Sandalwood and Lavender, a base of Tonka, Vanilla, Vetiver and Musk. 502 Iris Cartagena EDP has top notes of Cocoa, Rum, Mandarin Orange and Mandarin, heart notes of Iris, Sandalwood, Eucalyptus and Vanilla, a base of Coffee, Papyrus, Butter and Vetiver.