John Varvatos

RECOMMENDED AS AN ALL-PURPOSES EDT FOR MEN This John Varvatos EDT is full of happy contradictions: bold and relaxed; subtle and sophisticated; masculine but delicate; day elegance and night sensuality. There are a couple of notes - Tamarind and fig/fig leaves - that blended with the strong leather, but also the tobacco, plum, thyme, amber, vanilla, and a little oud, make a unique marvellous, sweet, creamy scent. It's a very well-crafted fragrance. If it would last more it would be a real masterpiece. The dry down, although a bit subtle, it's very pleasant. The scent is bound to be noticed while it lasts. It really draws a lot of attention in daily normal use. It is totally safe to use it in an office environment. The bottle is very masculine and elegant. My rates for John Varvatos for Men: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Opening: 9.0 (pleasant unusual fruity and spicy opening) - Drydown: 8.0 (good ambery smooth leather but a bit subtle) - Longevity: 6.5 (under average with 6 hours on my skin, with 3 sprays) - Sillage: 6.0 (up to 4 feet, 1.5 hours projection, with 3 sprays) - Versatility: 9.0 (a true good for all-weather scent but a bit less adequate for hot weather) - Wearability: 9.0 (use it almost everywhere; just exclude sweaty activities) - Compliments: 8.5 (while it lasts it's a head-turner, and people do comment about the scent) - Uniqueness: 9.0 (it has some vibes in common with other smooth leather fragrances but with a different type of sweetness) - Quality: 9.0 (great but I take 1 point for the slightly under-average performance) - Presentation: 8.5 (very good! Very simple and effective; flask similar to all Varvatos) - Price: 9.5 (125 ml non-tester for €26) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Average: 8.37 / 10,00 - between 7 and 8 = above average; - between 8 and 9 = recommended; - greater than 9 = do not miss; My comments: My 125 ml John Varvatos cost me 26 Euros on sale. It's a very good deal. This is a fragrance of recurrent use. It is a pleasure to use and it grabs a lot of feminine attention. I do recommend it. It's a very good all-purpose fragrance and quite nice to use in the work environment. My performance perception changed (for the better) after the following recommendation: Apply 2 sprays above your ears, 2 sprays in the neck/chest, and 2 sprays in your clothes. It does not stain. The longevity of the "normal" 2 sprays behind each ear will double and you will get a good 3 hours projection, with up to 4 feet sillage and up to 8 hours longevity. More than enough performance! Music: Elton John - "Rocket Man"

with another performance john varvatos edt would be considered as one of the best fragrances of the last 20 years. sadly, the poor performance ruins almost everything. the opening is not great, a bit fresh and fruity. but after 1 min u can detect a beautiful combo of leather, pipe tobacco with soft traces of cinnamon and herbal notes. the blend is absolutely well done, very smooth and warm without animalic feel, it doesnt smells cheap at all. to me the smell is fantastic, very manly, confident and rich. this is one of my favourite leather scents ever. it reminds me an aged rocker, someone despite the age can have a great night with a younger woman. like is said, the performance sucks, it lasts on my skin for about 4-5 hours, during the first two hours the sillage is moderate. for example, dark rebel is not a great performer but compared to j.v. is a beast... i paid 25-27 euros for a big bottle and im ok with this but i cant recommend j.v. for a retail price, due to the poor performance. good for winter, fall and spring, for day and night, for casual and formal situations. for 28 and up. overall, another great smell( with a great price) that doesnt last, it's up to you. john varvatos edt è uno dei tanti profumi buonissimi con una performance scadente. la brevissima apertura fruttata lascia subito il posto a un mix che a me piace tantissimo, ovvero cuoio e tabacco, con leggere note erbacee e di cannella. caldo e affascinante, j.v. è un profumo decisamente virile senza essere eccessivo. l'odore di questo edt mi fa pensare a un rocker attempato che sa ancora rimorchiare le ragazze più giovani. lo consiglio a chi piace il genere cuoiato-tabaccoso ma senza spenderci molto, perchè purtroppo la performance è deludente. d'altronde i profumi di john varvatos sono noti anche per questo, quindi fate un pò voi... scent-8,5-9 long-4,5 sillage-6,5 versatility-8,5 presentation-8 uniqueness-8 back up bottle worthy? maybe compliment factor-7,5 my vote-8 in one word- guitar alternative- ferragamo pour homme oud( no oud here, great combo of leather and tobacco with a soft animalic note...)

John Varvatos is #11 on my favorites list (out of a few hundred). I love fig and date fragrances and this has date front and center, giving it that nice, chewy texture along with the sweetness that fig and date notes contribute. I'm eating tamarind for the first time in my life as I type this, and although it is not very aromatic (has a weak scent), it does taste a touch bitter and a bit sweet. Fragrantica describes the scent profile of tamarind as "bittersweet" and it tastes that way in a very mild way. If a tamarind note is used in John Varvatos it's either a built-up "imaginary" accord or the scent somehow extracted or distilled from the tamarind and amped up. I'm not sure I can detect a distinguishable tamarind note like I can the date note. But tamarind and date are so much alike anyway that they just probably blend together in John Varvatos. John Varvatos is a very nice, sweet spicy, creamy and chewy-textured fruity scent with that delectable date/tamarind note. And there should be a "Fruity" accord listed in the stack for John Varvatos. Yes, I wish the performance was better. P.S. why do people keep referencing the "fig and plum" notes in this? Does fig + plum = Date? Having said that, I do like to layer this with two other similar fragrances, both with plum notes: Michael for Men by Michael Kors and Le Dandy by D'Orsay. Wow, what a great combined scent profile! And the much better performance of Michael for Men extends the longevity. Le Dandy is an unbelievably delicious gourmand-oriented variation with rum, whiskey, plum, and sweet spices. Also, this is in no way similar to Vintage. I know noses are supposed to be subjective, but come on. Just because it's the same brand, perfumer, and the bottle looks similar, doesn't mean the fragrances are. They are very different.

2004 Amber-Woody scent of BALSAM-FIR with Leather & Amber by Rodrigo Flores-Roux... First Impression: Slightly soapy & dry balsam-fir wood & leather...Initially I was disappointed, because when the brand's website describes it (above), I felt they're gilding the lily. Overall I was getting a conservative dry woody balsam-fir scent with faint leather that leans masculine. I'm not sure if time would alter the scent for me, but I'll post an update if so. Balsam Fir here is dry woods, with slightly soapy, green-herbal & balsamic touches, while the leather is soft, and more of a vintage-leather that's lost the new-leather scent. At first, the balsam-fir & leather overwhelmed the other more subtle notes. The performance is average, as other reviewers have commented. This would be a nice layering scent, or for when understatement is desired. Aside from the website description, for what it is, it's well done. Update 03/11/25 after macerating: This has sweetened up quite a bit over the last couple of years, and now I'm getting the date & caramel notes more as they should be, as well as a more satisfying woody accord including pencil shavings & balsam fir. The leather is beautifully & tastefully done, and reads like the interior pocket of a vintage leather jacket after removing a pen, some mints, a kleenex... Definitely leans masculine, but anyone who enjoys leather & woody scents, could wear an aged version of this. Love it.

Let me abundantly clear: I love this with every part of me! This is so wonderful that I have put off reviewing it for lack of superlatives adequate in its description. Euphoria begins as the first spray casts a dewy glow over skin. Strangely sweet tamarind offers a sharp contrast to deeply resonant leather. Brightly lit amber illuminates a sticky accord of dates. Embracing a linear approach, we see this juxtaposition on repeat throughout harmonious chords: Astringent Fir and green herbal notes shed light on a saccharine heart of caramel and vanilla. Sharp benzoinic notes of olibanum and styrax highlight an animalic shadow projected with hay and oud. The resulting hypnosis is staggering. I could superficially complain about an "average performance", but I'm bored with that terminology. It's one thing if you have spent big money on a scent, and it smothers itself within a fleeting breath of existence, but when a perfume is as reasonably priced as a bottle of this, it becomes a tedious lament. Besides, I would miss out on the renewed rapture, as I freshen up mid day, and that is a habit that gets me through most mornings. Despite a very familiar profile to many other scents, it is here where rough edges are smoothed into a far more elegant composition. I will also declare this to be unisex, if for no other reason than I just can't stop wearing it. So with all my mind, body and soul, I say, "Namaste Rodrigo! Namaste!".

This is easily in my top ten favorite fragrances. It smells like a leather jacket with just a hint of sweetness, but its vibe is very soft and seductive as opposed to, say, Godolphin, which just sort of screams when it enters the room. John Varvatos is reserved. The quiet gentleman in the corner who doesn’t announce his arrival and doesn’t necessarily want you to know he’s there either. It’s not until you engage with him on a personal level do you recognize the depth of his brilliance. Unfortunately, he doesn’t like to hang around long either. Within 5 to 6 hours he’s gone and left you with memories of his aura. Honestly, it’s astounding. I’ve pressed my nose to my wrist 12 hours after spraying it on, and it still smells the same as when it was fresh, it’s just very faint. It doesn’t break down into generic musk like so many other fragrances do. I do wish that it lasted a bit longer, but I don’t necessarily want it to be louder. Absolutely fantastic, and perfect for the man in his mid-30s and up.

I find this to be a deeply underrated fragrance. It is such a pleasant leather, dried fruit fragrance. If you're looking for performance, you won't find it here. Its not a particularly loud or long-lasting frag. Ultimately though it's so inexpensive that you can overspray as much as you want. I've seen people describe this as a "bad boy" fragrance and I couldn't disagree more. This a mature, nice guy's leather fragrance. This is a cozy fragrance and I even wear this on my clothes before bed some nights. This makes for a great date night fragrance if you're going to physically be close to your significant other or if you're going to cuddle. The fruit and leather accords are not overpowering in any way and very well blended. Shocking that this isn't a part of more people's collections. You get what you pay for with performance, but the scent definitely punches above it's price range. So good and I will restock when I run out.

This one is the poster child for that “enigmatic fragrance” in a tug of war between being a really wonderful scent and a mediocre performer. The opening is fruity and spicy and noticeably different. It then slips gradually into the soft leather with a sweet, creamy but very masculine warmth where it resides for a good long while. As it dries to fullness, it turns soft, powdery and intimate as in Armani Code territory...very good for nuzzling.🥰 Performance... The solution on my skin was simple...double up on the four areas I spray and voila’, it goes from less than mediocre to acceptable performance. When you can purchase a 2.5 ounce bottle for $20 it’s not only a “no brainer”, it’s mandatory. I bought two. BTW, if you spray a couple of shots on your clothes, you can smell it the next day. BTW, Happyland Studios “Se7en” is a great alternative and much more potent. Scent 9 Performance 6 Sillage 5 Longevity 5 Value 7

It is a well-made fragrance. It doesn't try to be noticed; it is silent yet attractive and mysterious. As a leather fragrance fan, I really like the scent profile. The leather here is not the kind that hits you in the face; it is mild, slightly sweet, and a little dark. Longevity: 4-6 hours (if you wanna get noticed, overspraying is recommended) Projection: 1 hour, mid, after an hour, stays close to the skin. Where and when to use: If you want to spend a good time with your partner (e.g., date, chilling at home, cinema, restaurant, etc.).It is a better scent for fall and spring nights can be used in winter, but best for fall and spring. I think it is usable in an office environment because, why not? it would be a statement kind of like saying I'm more of a rocker, mate. My overall rating is 8,5/10

Literally came here to leave a review almost exactly like the guy below me. This was my first fragrance purchase from one of those shops at the mall. I feel like I smelled everything, but settled with this. Felt the same as the guy below me. At the time a little mature for the teen/ early 20 crowd. I returned it and got Bvlgari Aqva which at the time was a new release 😬. Still love aqva, but came back around recently to sample this again, and immediately loved it. Just got my full bottle in last week and it’s just great stuff. If only it lasted longer. You need to apply a skin oil before spraying or just spray on clothes to get it to last more that 2-3 hours. When you CAN smell it though...it’s gorgeous! I’m ok with extra sprays when you can find it around $30- $35

A nostalgic, important scent for me. It was the first fragrance ever that opened my eyes (nose) to the wonder of smells. My mom got me this as a pre-teen/teenager and I loved it SO much that I never sprayed it except for my most special of occasions. I still have the same bottle 20 years later! When I sprayed it I felt like I had a guardian angel with me on this special day. It is tempered it it's sweetness and strength. I felt both masculine and pure of heart. This fragrance allowed me to believe that these two qualities aren't mutually exclusive, even if society seemed to demand otherwise. It doesn't last that long, and the sillage is absolutely intimate. But this will always hold a special place in my heart. A genuine, heartfelt, "love".

My favorite John Varvatos fragrance. This smells just as good today as it did back in the mid-2000’s when it came out. Does not feel dated at all yet it’s almost 20 years old! It’s the scent of somebody who is successful, classy and just has their life together. To me it does have a gentlemanly vibe so I would recommend it for those at least 25+ and on the dressed up side. Most suitable for the office, dates, and any kind of upscale events or occasions. I would never wear this to the gym or as a casual fragrance, especially in the heat. This is best in mild to cooler weather. In a world of constant new releases with flanker after flanker, the original John Varvatos holds its own quite well. An absolute must have for any collection.

This is a slightly sweet, spicy, green, floral, amber leather fragrance. It is really well-blended and the projection and longevity is really good for a JV. I absolutely adore this scent. Its masculine, yet modern. Fresh and clean yet dark and mysterious. Sophisticated yet sexy. Sweet yet smooth. Its a really great date night fragrance if you are wearing a leather jacket or just a cool jacket with jeans. I usually wear this when I wear darker clothing as well. This is my ideal "black-shirt" fragrance in mild weather. This is the scent of man that is edgy and knows he's a bad boy but he's going treat his woman good, at least for that night if you know what I mean. An unapologetically masculine fragrance for an adventurous evening.

Bar none, this is the most complete cologne on the market. It has traits from the 80's, 90', and 00's. It can be used in many different settings. A night out, during the day, a romantic setting, or work. You can wear also wear it in every season of the year. It truly works in just about any setting. JV is my work scent. This will automatically make people think you are a confident person. Someone who wears this could remind you of that guy who is working his way up the ladder in a corporation. He isn't the boss, but you know one day he's got a goooood shot. (The Boss wears John Varvatos Vintage) Dry down is...INCREADABLE!!! Upper class MASTERPEICE!!! Perfect for guys 25-50 who look like they got money..and are getting more!

John Varvatos is alluring, pleasant and sophisticated. This brand is remarkable with multiple unique offers for all occasions creating great signature worthy scents. This juice is rather exceptional and very well blended. I do pick up the sourness from the Tamarind , the balsamic and spicy carathereristics of the Fir along with the sweetness from the Dates fused with a smooth leathery/woodsy accord. The dry-down is spectacular a concoction that is easy to fall in love with. For extra longevity layer it with Iso-E-Super molecule. JV is almost 20 years old and although a classic is still relevant today. It's currently part of my signature fragrance rotation.

I have to say, I did not expect to like this. I've tried some John Varvatos frags before, and I was not really a fan, but this might influence me to try them again. This is a very green leather fragrance that dries down into a nice, sweet vanilla that manages to couple with that vanilla decidantly. I would say that this is perfect for date night or special occasion due to it's nature. It's also very mature, mostly due to the leather note and how common it is in older fragrances. Regardless, this fragrance is incredible. I've always wanted to try more leather centered fragrances and this has definitely served as a great start. 8.5/10

Amazing fragrance, Elegant, Classy , Sophisticated and Unique. It smells so good and very pleasant with reasonable price. One of the best men's perfumes. It opens up with like fresh spicy fruity, green and leather notes in the background then dry down is ambery, leathery, woody. This is a modern perfume with well-blended composition and perfect for the spring, fall and winter. I really enjoy it and I love a scent that can make memories come alive. I'm so happy that I have it in my collection. Longevity is good, Highly Recommended. Two Thumbs Up. Rating : 8.5 / 10

Things to know: This develops over time with more complexity with woods and leather as the fig settles.. the fragrance completely flips as top notes take a back seat and base notes develop forward but woods appear. This is best after an hour for about 3 hours. This becomes very subtle but not a skin scent until 5 hours.. I applied at 7 AM and it is now 11:29 PM and I hit the gym and Havent showered yet... :P..... clean suede still. It’s really subtle and does become skin scent but it’s a good one and it stays granted I applied 6 sprays.

John Varvatos by John Varvatos I've tried lots of fragrances in the last year. This one strikes me as unique. With a lot of scents, I find similarities to others. This one is harder to pin down. Perhaps its the notes (hay, dates, tamarind, styrax)? If this was a car, it would be a Lexus. Refined, mature, easy on the wear. Bad points: Silage and longevity are not its strength. And it can be pricey. But I acquired a tester from a discounter. Saved some curious cash. Find myself going back to it. Recommended if you can find a deal.

Requested this as a gift after having a tester. It's a gift I enjoy. Amazing in cool environments (office, cinema, car, plane) but not great in hot environments. It's EDT, so projection isn't great, but it definitely has longevity. Spray somewhat heavily on your shirts, it lasts longer than on skin. This way, you'll be able to smell yourself all day, and anyone you walk past will smell you too, and you'll smell quite good. I can already tell I'm going to enjoy this bottle. It's designer, but it's still unique.