Fragrance comparison

Varens Original African Queen vs Shaikhah

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

Updated 25 Oct 2026 323 ratings analysed

Varens Original African Queen

Ulric de Varens

3.9842 votes

Rank #20,326 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

63%scent match

Closely related

Shaikhah

ALREHAB PERFUMES

3.64281 votes

Rank #2,154 Warm SpicyAmber

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 versatility. Best in fall, evening wear.
Shaikhah
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Varens Original African Queen3/6

Shaikhah3/6

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

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Varens Original African QueenUlric de Varens

ShaikhahALREHAB PERFUMES

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.98/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 35%Had 15%Want 51%

3.64/ 5 · 281 votes

Have 71%Had 29%Want 0%

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

34%Love

39%Like

7%Ok

17%Dislike

3%Hate

267 votes

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

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity71

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate74

⏱ Longevity80

〰 Sillage69

♥ Love / hate71

Category winners

LongevityShaikhah

SillageShaikhah

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value88

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%

floral69%

balsamic61%

Scent match63%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

Notes

Agarwood (Oud)ResinsRoseSaffronCarnationAmbergrisCardamomWhite MuskJasmine

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesResins, 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

Spring47

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%

Men12

Unisex60

Women28

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#20,326

PerfumerPierre Bourdon

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#2,154

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews68

Category winnerShaikhahHigher 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 →

Shaikhah by ALREHAB PERFUMES is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women and men.

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 Shaikhah?

No clear winner: the 6 categories split 3–3. Varens Original African Queen is rated 3.98/5 from 42 votes; Shaikhah is rated 3.64/5 from 281 votes. Choose Varens Original African Queen for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Shaikhah for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Varens Original African Queen or Shaikhah?

Shaikhah lasts longest (Shaikhah 80/100, Varens Original African Queen 71/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Varens Original African Queen or Shaikhah?

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

Do Varens Original African Queen and Shaikhah smell similar?

Closely related: a 63% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, amber and oud accords. Common notes include Resins, Carnation and Agarwood (Oud).

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

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

Varens Original African Queen features Resins, Spicy Notes, Carnation, Agarwood (Oud) and Bergamot. Shaikhah features Agarwood (Oud), Resins, Rose, Saffron and Carnation.