Fragrance comparison

Varens Original African Queen vs As Sawira

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 479 ratings analysed

Varens Original African Queen

Ulric de Varens

3.9842 votes

Rank #20,326 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

55%scent match

Closely related

3 wins

As Sawira

Penhaligon's

4.02437 votes

Rank #2,727 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

As Sawira takes 3 of 6 categories.

Varens Original African Queen
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.
As Sawira
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Varens Original African Queen2/6

As Sawira3/6

Ratings & consensus: As Sawira
Community sentiment: Varens Original African Queen
Longevity: As Sawira
Sillage & projection: Tie
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Varens Original African Queen
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: As Sawira

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Varens Original African QueenUlric de Varens

As SawiraPenhaligon's

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 51%

4.02/ 5 · 437 votes

Have 41%Had 12%Want 47%

Category winnerAs SawiraRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

26%Love

60%Like

0%Ok

14%Dislike

0%Hate

42 votes

44%Love

36%Like

6%Ok

13%Dislike

1%Hate

316 votes

Category winnerVarens Original African QueenMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityAs Sawira

SillageTie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value46

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber91%

floral83%

oud74%

balsamic65%

citrus56%

warm spicy100%

amber92%

oud84%

rose77%

woody69%

floral61%

Scent match55%Closely related · both warm spicy, amber and oud

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

ResinsSpicy NotesCarnationAgarwood (Oud)BergamotFloral Notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

SaffronBergamot

Heart

RoseCarnationJasmine

Base

Agarwood (Oud)MyrhhWoodsy NotesAmberLabdanum

InformationalShared notesCarnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. Durations are only published for Varens Original African Queen, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring19

Summer0

Fall100

Winter63

Day35

Night100

Spring53

Summer20

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerVarens Original African QueenMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

Date 37%Party 29%Casual 21%Work 13%

Men28

Unisex58

Women14

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,326

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#2,727

PerfumerChristian Provenzano

Launched—

Reviews75

Category winnerAs SawiraHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Varens Original African Queen is a warm spicy amber floral fragrance that punches well above its modest drugstore price tag. Composed by master nose Pierre Bourdon in 2008, it opens with a brisk flash of bergamot that quickly yields to a fiery heart of spicy carnation and abstract floral notes. A dusty, smoky base of …

Reviews →

As Sawira is a warm saffron, rose and oud fragrance with a polished Penhaligon's finish and a darker resinous base. Reviewers often describe a strong, spicy opening that settles into myrrh, amber, labdanum and soft woods, with rose and saffron staying close to the centre. It suits oud lovers who want something smoothe…

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 Original African Queen or As Sawira?

As Sawira takes 3 of 6 categories. Varens Original African Queen is rated 3.98/5 from 42 votes; As Sawira is rated 4.02/5 from 437 votes. Choose Varens Original African Queen for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose As Sawira for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Varens Original African Queen or As Sawira?

They last about the same: As Sawira 73/100, Varens Original African Queen 71/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Varens Original African Queen or As Sawira?

Projection is very close: Varens Original African Queen 66/100, As Sawira 66/100 for sillage.

Do Varens Original African Queen and As Sawira smell similar?

Closely related: a 55% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, amber and oud accords. Common notes include Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot.

Is Varens Original African Queen or As Sawira better for summer or winter?

For summer, As Sawira is the stronger pick. For winter, As Sawira is the stronger pick. Varens Original African Queen suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Varens Original African Queen and As Sawira?

Varens Original African Queen features Resins, Spicy Notes, Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. As Sawira has top notes of Saffron and Bergamot, heart notes of Rose, Carnation and Jasmine, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Myrhh, Woodsy Notes and Amber.