John Varvatos XX Indigo

The Scent of Effortless Cool This is the scent for when you want to smell like you’re on a beach vacation in Captiva, but you're really stuck in your 1-bedroom apartment pretending you’re living that dreamy beach life without any of the sand in your shoes or your bank account. XX Indigo kicks off with a burst of citrus and peppermint—equally fresh and bold. It’s that “I’m awake, I’m alive, and I’m ready for whatever” vibe. Then the red peppercorn adds a little heat, like that one friend who shows up to brunch and suddenly makes everything more interesting. The middle notes of cardamom and geranium bring just the right amount of intrigue. You’re cool, but people still want to know what’s going on behind that calm exterior. The dry down? Musk, patchouli, and a bit of wood. It’s fresh and grounded, like you’re ready for a night out or a spontaneous road trip—effortless, cool, and low-maintenance. It's like Versace Dylan Blue, but without that heavy incense that makes you feel like you’re walking into a monastery. THE BREAKDOWN: Longevity: 4-6 hours — long enough for you to look effortlessly cool most of the day Projection: Moderate — just enough to make people wonder how you’re pulling off “last-minute” so smoothly Smells like: Versace Dylan Blue’s laid-back cousin, but without the incense drama Best for: Gym sessions, spontaneous dinner dates, or just pretending you’re living your best life Rating: 7/10

First of all, this smells nothing like Dylan blue. For me, it’s very similar to the Jon varvatos original, but a little bit fresher version. It definitely has the John Varvatos DNA. I can even see similarities between this and Artesian too. For me, it’s quite a pleasant sent my wife likes it And I get over six hours even though the last hour or two is closer to the skin. The presentation; some think it’s tacky but I think it’s a nice looking presentation and it fits well within my collection. It has a decent atomizer. It’s loaded with a Notes, and it has a great smell, and like I said, it lasts a decent amount of time on me. I also think you could wear this most anytime and anywhere. It probably would do a little better in cooler months, but if you’re inside and air conditioning, it should be fine. I think the name indigo is perfect because this is a little bit darker version of I also think you could wear this most anytime and anywhere. It probably would do a little better in cooler months, but if your inside and air conditioning, it should be fine. I think the name indigo is perfect because this is a little bit darker version of a blue cologne.

I love everything blue in fragrances and I love American fragrances in particular because most of them are light on the nose and have innovative, non-imitation scents. John Varvatos is a fashion house that features innovative, high-quality fragrances at an affordable price. John Varvatos XX Indigo is a light, masculine fragrance that is acceptable to all and has above average performance. It relies on mint in the opening, geranium in the heart of the fragrance, and Himalayan poppy to give balance to the fragrance on a light base of vetiver and patchouli. A delightful, perfectly balanced fragrance perfect for spring and breezy summer nights. The bottle is of high quality and comes in a deep blue (indigo) color with a metal cap and a medallion with the John Varvatos logo. The scent of Himalayan poppy is very attractive, distinctive and completely unrepeatable. The fragrance does not resemble the famous Dylan Blue Versace except in the color of the bottle only. Final Rating: An unrepeatable, unusual, very enjoyable and deep fragrance that is worth trying and owning.

This one in my opinion is a classier, more refined Dylan Blue, and I absolutely love it! The opening is so good with loads of minty freshness and as it dries down it takes on that Dylan Blue profile but without any of the ambery incense. XX Indigo got unfair reviews when first released and as a result is slept on to this day. You can find it brand new for about $35 and at that price is an awesome pickup. Blind buy safe and easy to wear all year along even during summer. Performance is very good for being a John Varvatos fragrance as I could still smell it on my skin a good 6 hours after spraying, with little wafts here and there, this has just enough sillage. I detect hints of the original John Varvatos in this too which is an all time favorite. Overall XX Indigo is a really nice and underrated release if you're looking for a classy versatile blue fragrance available for a reasonable price.

Update: If you add orange citrus to JV Indigo you get Eros. I would not have guessed that. So presumably it would do the same with Dylan Blue. I used Dua’s Supernova Attar which is Roja Elysiumesque. Fragrances are fun. Instantly reminiscent of Dylan Blue right in the opening. Stays DB throughout but with a deeper, perhaps slightly smokey quality in the dry down not present in DB, giving it a leas shower gel vibe. I want to try the Silver now because how much closer could you get to DB? Apparently that one is even more DB.

This fragrance will forever be the smell of the love of my life. It’s what my husband was wearing when we met and I still buy him new bottles when he’s running low. It’s so unique compared to other male fragrances that just smell like leather or smoke or other nonsense. This is citrusy, fresh, a little sweet, and by no means basic.

Very good affordable blue fragrance. Smells in the same family as Dylan blue and quite frankly I think I like it more. Got a 4.2oz tester for $28. Easy pickup for me.

John Varvatos did it again. John Varvatos XX Indigo is the third of the house I've owned, fourth that I tried. The house is known for good fragrances but not so great performance sadly, especially considering retail prices versus prices in brick and mortar discounters. This is not much different. To me John Varvatos XX Indigo smells like a blue take on the Creed Viking DNA. It opens with a minty pink pepper just like Viking but with some lemon added. I think I remember Viking having pink pepper with a slight lemon, but to this extent (with the lemon). The mid is somewhat spicy with the cardamom and some florals with poppy and a little bit of geranium. The base, all I get musk. No patchouli, no vetiver, just musk. The poppy is what gives this a real sticking out compared to Viking, other than it feeling like a blue fragrance (and not just in bottle.) John Varvatos XX Indigo is actually a nice fragrance to wear in spring, summer and fall. I can see it worn casually and in the office. It is a day scent and I wouldn't suggest wearing it at night unless this is a scent your partner likes on you. One downside is just like most in the John Varvatos line, it doesn't perform great. So I get about four hours from it with decent projection for an hour/hour and a half. John Varvatos XX Indigo is a nice fragrance. I rate it a 7.2 out of 10. XX Indigo maybe the lowest of the three John Varvatos fragrances I own, but it is still a nice cheapie pick up to keep an eye out for as it hits discounters. And I do enjoy it more than I did Artisan Pure, that stuff just flat burned nose hairs.

This is my second Varvatos fragrance and the first one which is 'like on first sniff'. Artisan Blu is the other one I have, which I also like a lot but I had to get used to it a bit, probably becasue I expected a blue fragrance but it is actually very green. However, now I can appreciate it a lot. There's another one in the line I am going to purchase, Artisan Pure. I have a decant of it and my first reaction was not very good. It smelled like mosquito repellent in my head. But also this one I learned to appreciate, the drydown is just lovely. Back to XX Indigo: Verace Dylan Blue is one of my top favorite fragrances and XX Indigo is realy playing in that same ballpark. For me this is VDB with a lot of peppermint added on top, which gives it a nice refreshing twist. I'ts about 65-70% similar to VDB. Performance and longevity are nowhere near to VDB, but that is with all John Varvatos fragrances I tried so far. Considering the pricepoint, that is not a dealbreaker for me. All in all a nice and quite unique scent.

First impressions- Opening is amazing, not really that unique but the mint gives it something that many other blue frags are lacking. I’m still getting a feel for it, but I don’t really like the heart notes as much, after the opening fades it becomes a bit synthetic, there’s some kind of really dense synthetic note that has a sort of thick, bitter candy apple-ish vibe (hard to really explain, sorry) that I strongly dislike, I detect it in YSL Y EDP and I detect it here, and to a lesser degree in others like sauvage EDP. I like the drydown and opening a lot though, it’s a bit too bitter/sour sometimes but it’s very fresh, clean, and a bit earthy, I definitely enjoy it. I feel it’s a quite bit more mature and refined than sauvage and Dylan blue, it feels more smooth and grounded and less shouty. That being said, I can definitely see why some label it boring and generic. I still like it though, but it's not a love.

I tried this when I was first getting lured back into fragrance collecting (aka hoarding), and I wasn't a fan. My excuse I'm sticking to is that my sense of smell was still recovering from a certain malady. Now that we're in warmer weather I've been revisiting all of my blue/green/freshie samples and have worn this one for a couple of days now. What a pleasant scent this is! It's not very challenging or forward, but it is pleasant, gently noticeable and just different enough to warrant consideration. As usual with JV, it fades quickly, so it's not worth retail, but when I can get 100ml in the $30s (or 75 ml in the $20s), I'll grab a bottle. What sets it apart for me is the mint note. It fits somewhere between Viking and BDC, not pretending or trying to be either. It's a nice, not-sweet, freshie that will work well for a quiet warm summer day when you want to enjoy a minty blue.

John Varvatos XX Indigo is basically “summary in a bottle” — a classic blue scent at its core, but with a twist that sets it apart. You’ll get that familiar fresh, clean vibe typical of modern masculine fragrances, but it’s lifted by a cool minty edge. It’s definitely leaning masculine, and while it smells great upfront, the performance is where it falls short. On your skin, it sticks around for maybe 4 hours, quickly turning into a subtle skin scent with low projection. Not a powerhouse, but at €28 for 75ml, it’s hard to complain — especially if you’re into easygoing daytime scents that won’t overwhelm. Best for: warm weather, casual use, or when you just want to smell good without thinking too hard about it.

So i wanted to try JV for sometime now. I loved the Vintage, so wanted to try the Artisan blu or Artisan XX. So I went ahead and blind bought them both (lol). Around 27usd. TBH its a nice scent profile. Nothing greta or groundbreaking. Doesn't last long as seen with all JV flankers. Subtle projection. 7 to 8 sprays. lasts around 5 hrs or so. Opens minty, i also get mild pineapple notes in the opening that subsides within 10mins. Its a nice summer perfume. Good for the summer evenings. Performs well in closed spaces with AC setting even during the day. If ur a JV fan like i am; then go for it.

I use it in summer and winter. I bought Dylan Blue and Nautica Voyage DNA. It is ideal for summer. I sprayed it on my wrist once. The scent could be felt deeply until the next evening. But for full performance, you can spray 8 sprays and get full performance throughout the day. It is good for its price. yaz kış kullanılır dylan blue ve nautica voyage dna aldım yaz için çok ideal bileğime bir fıs sıktım ertesi gün akşama kadar koku derinden hissediliyordu ama tam performansı 8 sprey sıkıp gün boyunca tam performans alırsınız fiyatına göre iyi.

I don't get the comparison to Dylan Blue. Like at all. To me this opened bright and fresh, but quickly went sweet. Like carnival sweet. Like when you're walking by the food and snack stands. With the candied apples, cotton candy, kettle corn, ect. Not that it smells like any single one of those. The scent just reminds me of the smell in the air in those places. I really like it. It just seems to sit a bit close to the skin, and after about an hour it's really close.

Scent: 6.5/ 10 Longevity: 5/ 10 Sillage: 5/ 10 Versatility: 8/ 10 Uniqueness: 5/ 10 Quality: 7/ 10 Presentation: 7/ 10 Price: 5/ 10 Just alright, typical Varvatos fragrance, terrible Longevity and nice skin scent. Good gym fragrance I always recommend trying decants before blind-buying full bottles, this fragrance and 900 others available at www.scentswithsense.com

I'd gift this to a man I wanted to be intimate with because it would probably drive me a little wild. I ended up with this as a sample and spritzed some on myself to test. Apparently I'm a sucker for blue fragrances since I think this is incredible. Fresh and green with deep woodsy musk. Clean and masculine.

What I get: It Opens up smelling a bit like CK Eternity and dries down to something really close to Dylan blue but it’s definitely a pleasant scent. Do I think it’s worth retail? Definitely not but it is a good smelling fragrance.

Smells like Dylan Blue with some added mint. A nice mature masculine scent. Performance is moderate so I recommend overpaying. Good for the price, but I prefer Dylan Blue because of the performance. I give it a 6.5/10

WTH? An average score near 3.50?! Should be closer to 4.00. This is very nice and way better than half the mediocre fragrances out there. Unique and pleasant.