Fragrance comparison

Varens Original African Queen vs Nejma 4

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 117 ratings analysed

Varens Original African Queen

Ulric de Varens

3.9842 votes

Rank #20,326 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

16%scent match

Clearly different

Nejma 4

Nejma

3.7375 votes

Rank #14,241 Yellow FloralFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No clear winner: the 6 categories split 3–3.

Varens Original African Queen
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.
Nejma 4
Choose it for a yellow floral and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Varens Original African Queen3/6

Nejma 43/6

Ratings & consensus: Varens Original African Queen
Community sentiment: Varens Original African Queen
Longevity: Varens Original African Queen
Sillage & projection: Nejma 4
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Nejma 4
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Nejma 4

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Varens Original African QueenUlric de Varens

Nejma 4Nejma

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 51%

3.73/ 5 · 75 votes

Have 47%Had 17%Want 36%

Category winnerVarens Original African QueenRating 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

31%Love

39%Like

4%Ok

27%Dislike

0%Hate

75 votes

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

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate68

Category winners

LongevityVarens Original African Queen

SillageNejma 4

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value30

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber91%

floral83%

oud74%

balsamic65%

citrus56%

yellow floral100%

fresh spicy92%

aromatic84%

rose77%

citrus69%

woody61%

Scent match16%Clearly different · both citrus

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

GeraniumYlang-YlangBergamot

Heart

NarcissusEgyptian JasmineTurkish Rose

Base

OakmossAgarwood (Oud)Resins

InformationalShared notesResins, 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

Spring79

Summer43

Fall100

Winter57

Day100

Night43

Category winnerNejma 4Most year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

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

Men0

Unisex38

Women63

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,326

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#14,241

PerfumerJean Niel

Launched—

Reviews15

Category winnerNejma 4Higher 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 →

Nejma 4 is a bold, old-school floral oriental built around narcissus, rose, jasmine and a mossy oud base. It opens bright but quickly turns rich, spicy and full-bodied, with ylang-ylang adding a creamy, almost cosmetic texture. On skin, it often reads dense, sweet and very noticeable. This suits lovers of classic flor…

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 Nejma 4?

No clear winner: the 6 categories split 3–3. Varens Original African Queen is rated 3.98/5 from 42 votes; Nejma 4 is rated 3.73/5 from 75 votes. Choose Varens Original African Queen for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Nejma 4 for a yellow floral and fresh spicy character. Wins on sillage & projection, versatility and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Varens Original African Queen or Nejma 4?

They last about the same: Varens Original African Queen 71/100, Nejma 4 70/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Varens Original African Queen or Nejma 4?

Nejma 4 projects furthest (Nejma 4 69/100, Varens Original African Queen 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Varens Original African Queen and Nejma 4 smell similar?

Clearly different: a 16% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus accords. Common notes include Resins, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot.

Is Varens Original African Queen or Nejma 4 better for summer or winter?

For summer, Nejma 4 is the stronger pick. For winter, Varens Original African Queen is the stronger pick. Varens Original African Queen suits evening wear; Nejma 4 suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Varens Original African Queen and Nejma 4?

Varens Original African Queen features Resins, Spicy Notes, Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. Nejma 4 has top notes of Geranium, Ylang-Ylang and Bergamot, heart notes of Narcissus, Egyptian Jasmine and Turkish Rose, a base of Oakmoss, Agarwood (Oud) and Resins.