Fragrance comparison

Varens Original African Queen vs SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 92 ratings analysed

Varens Original African Queen

Ulric de Varens

3.9842 votes

Rank #20,326 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

4 wins

SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM

Matin Martin

4.1850 votes

Rank #29,021 FruityLeather

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM takes 4 of 6 categories.

Varens Original African Queen
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear.
SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM
Choose it for a fruity and leather character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Varens Original African Queen2/6

SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM4/6

Ratings & consensus: SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM
Community sentiment: SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM
Longevity: SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM
Sillage & projection: Varens Original African Queen
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM
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

SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUMMatin Martin

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 51%

4.18/ 5 · 50 votes

Have 36%Had 5%Want 59%

Category winnerSHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUMRating 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

48%Love

32%Like

14%Ok

2%Dislike

4%Hate

50 votes

Category winnerSHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUMMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity74

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevitySHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM

SillageVarens Original African Queen

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value65

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

amber91%

floral83%

oud74%

balsamic65%

citrus56%

fruity100%

leather92%

warm spicy84%

oud77%

fresh spicy69%

sweet61%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both warm spicy 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

Fruity NotesSpicy NotesOzonic notes

Heart

Agarwood (Oud)CarnationGeranium

Base

LeatherBalsamic NotesWoodsy Notes

InformationalShared notesSpicy Notes, Carnation and Agarwood (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

Spring48

Summer32

Fall100

Winter96

Day52

Night100

Category winnerSHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUMMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

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

Men69

Unisex31

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,326

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#29,021

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 →

Shahama Eau De Parfum opens with a sharp burst of ozonic freshness fused with tart fruity notes and crushed black pepper spices. As the spray warms on skin, smoky agarwood oud steps forward, accompanied by clove-spiced carnation and herbal geranium that cut through the initial brightness. The drydown settles into a he…

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 SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM?

SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM takes 4 of 6 categories. Varens Original African Queen is rated 3.98/5 from 42 votes; SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM is rated 4.18/5 from 50 votes. Choose Varens Original African Queen for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM for a fruity and leather character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Varens Original African Queen or SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM?

SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM lasts longest (SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM 74/100, Varens Original African Queen 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Varens Original African Queen or SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM?

Projection is very close: Varens Original African Queen 66/100, SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM 64/100 for sillage.

Do Varens Original African Queen and SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM smell similar?

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy and oud accords. Common notes include Spicy Notes, Carnation and Agarwood (Oud).

Is Varens Original African Queen or SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM better for summer or winter?

For summer, SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM is the stronger pick. For winter, SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM is the stronger pick. Varens Original African Queen suits evening wear; SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Varens Original African Queen and SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM?

Varens Original African Queen features Resins, Spicy Notes, Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. SHAHAMA EAU DE PARFUM has top notes of Fruity Notes, Spicy Notes and Ozonic notes, heart notes of Agarwood (Oud), Carnation and Geranium, a base of Leather, Balsamic Notes and Woodsy Notes.