Fragrance comparison

Varens Original African Queen vs Mysterial Oud

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 334 ratings analysed

4 wins

Varens Original African Queen

Ulric de Varens

3.9842 votes

Rank #20,326 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

49%scent match

Some overlap

Mysterial Oud

Oriflame

3.86292 votes

Rank #10,759 OudFloral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Varens Original African Queen takes 4 of 6 categories.

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

Varens Original African Queen4/6

Mysterial Oud2/6

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Varens Original African QueenUlric de Varens

Mysterial OudOriflame

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 51%

3.86/ 5 · 292 votes

Have 70%Had 30%Want 0%

Category winnerMysterial OudRating 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

25%Love

53%Like

7%Ok

13%Dislike

2%Hate

292 votes

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

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity63

〰 Sillage59

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityVarens Original African Queen

SillageVarens Original African Queen

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value71

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber91%

floral83%

oud74%

balsamic65%

citrus56%

oud100%

floral88%

rose77%

musky65%

warm spicy53%

powdery42%

Scent match49%Some overlap · both oud, floral and warm spicy

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

Floral Notes

Heart

Rose OilCarnation

Base

Agarwood (Oud)Musk

InformationalShared notesCarnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Floral Notes. 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

Spring42

Summer0

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%

Men1

Unisex23

Women75

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,326

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#10,759

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews17

Category winnerMysterial OudHigher 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 →

Mysterial Oud is a bold rose, carnation and oud fragrance with a sweet oriental feel. Wearers often describe it as loud, powdery, smoky and slightly old-world, with rose water sweetness and a warm musky base. It is best sampled first. The style can feel striking and memorable on the right person, but the strong floral…

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 Mysterial Oud?

Varens Original African Queen takes 4 of 6 categories. Varens Original African Queen is rated 3.98/5 from 42 votes; Mysterial Oud is rated 3.86/5 from 292 votes. Choose Varens Original African Queen for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on community sentiment, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Mysterial Oud for a oud and floral character. Wins on ratings & consensus and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Varens Original African Queen or Mysterial Oud?

Varens Original African Queen lasts longest (Varens Original African Queen 71/100, Mysterial Oud 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Varens Original African Queen or Mysterial Oud?

Varens Original African Queen projects furthest (Varens Original African Queen 66/100, Mysterial Oud 59/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Varens Original African Queen and Mysterial Oud smell similar?

Some overlap: a 49% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share oud, floral and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Floral Notes.

Is Varens Original African Queen or Mysterial Oud better for summer or winter?

For summer, Varens Original African Queen is the stronger pick. For winter, Mysterial Oud 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 Mysterial Oud?

Varens Original African Queen features Resins, Spicy Notes, Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. Mysterial Oud has top notes of Floral Notes, heart notes of Rose Oil and Carnation, a base of Agarwood (Oud) and Musk.