Fragrance comparison

Varens Original African Queen vs Baz

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 170 ratings analysed

Varens Original African Queen

Ulric de Varens

3.9842 votes

Rank #20,326 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

22%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

Baz

The Spirit of Dubai

4.30128 votes

Rank #25,272 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Baz takes 4 of 6 categories.

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

Varens Original African Queen2/6

Baz4/6

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Varens Original African QueenUlric de Varens

BazThe Spirit of Dubai

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 51%

4.30/ 5 · 128 votes

Have 85%Had 15%Want 0%

Category winnerBazRating 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

67%Love

13%Like

8%Ok

6%Dislike

5%Hate

128 votes

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

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage84

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityBaz

SillageBaz

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value26

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber91%

floral83%

oud74%

balsamic65%

citrus56%

amber100%

woody92%

leather84%

smoky77%

musky69%

balsamic61%

Scent match22%Clearly different · both amber and balsamic

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

LeatherPlumCorianderBlack PepperCoffeeAldehydesCardamomPine

Heart

IncenseEarthy NotesBirch LeafResinMyrrhOlibanumGuaiac WoodCedar

Base

Agarwood (Oud)CivetCastoreumMuskTobaccoPeru BalsamGurjan balsamPatchouli

InformationalShared notesAgarwood (Oud). 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

Spring70

Summer37

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerBazMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

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

Men66

Unisex29

Women4

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,326

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#25,272

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerVarens Original African QueenHigher 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 →

Baz by The Spirit of Dubai hits skin with a massive blast of dark leather, cracked black pepper, and bitter coffee. It settles into a heavy resinous core dominated by smoky incense, myrrh, and sweet plum. As the hours pass, dense agarwood, civet, and raw castoreum emerge to create a dry, animalic base that stays notic…

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 Baz?

Baz takes 4 of 6 categories. Varens Original African Queen is rated 3.98/5 from 42 votes; Baz is rated 4.30/5 from 128 votes. Choose Varens Original African Queen for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on community sentiment and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Baz for a amber and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Varens Original African Queen or Baz?

Baz lasts longest (Baz 87/100, Varens Original African Queen 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Varens Original African Queen or Baz?

Baz projects furthest (Baz 84/100, Varens Original African Queen 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Varens Original African Queen and Baz smell similar?

Clearly different: a 22% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and balsamic accords. Common notes include Agarwood (Oud).

Is Varens Original African Queen or Baz better for summer or winter?

For summer, Baz is the stronger pick. For winter, Baz 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 Baz?

Varens Original African Queen features Resins, Spicy Notes, Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. Baz has top notes of Leather, Plum, Coriander and Black Pepper, heart notes of Incense, Earthy Notes, Birch Leaf and Resin, a base of Agarwood (Oud), Civet, Castoreum and Musk.