Varon Dandy

I LOVE it! I am reviewing the 1000(!)ml "cologne" strength ($20-30). Personally I think that this and Tabac "original" cologne (ideally the 10 ounce bottle that you can find for $15-20) are absolute must haves in your cabinet. Of course if your dumb reach is Creed Wood and Spice and you buy 5 bottles of it at a time every month (without causing a dent in your family's financial security) well then you are covered already... BUT I think many who still may have an extremely distinguished display case of objectively amazing and exorbitant fragrance treasures that most rational people would think was absurd will appreciate having something as lovely as this to spray wherever and whenever every so often throughout many precious days. For these two wonderful frags I put them in convenient 4 ounce body mist type pumps and leave them here and there, house car etc. The Tabac has Chanel vibes and the Varon Dandy has the Iris Citrus Spicy Woody vibes that so many recent designers have carved out. Nobody will mistake this for a designer. But it is dense and oily in a good way and gives you a very big cloud burst benzoin blast that somehow always catches you off guard and makes you smile in the same manner that Dior Homme does. After 20 minutes it certainly is an arms length sillage shy creature but because of the feisty oils the most subtle waxing or waning of body heat will shake those scent particles back into the air. I get a lot of compliments on this but NOBODY does or ever will take it to be a trendy designer or even a dupe/clone of one. Because this is a Spanish staple and nobody wears it here it surprises and pleases with the Tonka the benzoin and the orange cream. It isn't fundamentally idiotic like an OS Swagger or Bath and Body Works Mahogany and Methane(?) or other domestic products that I just don't even wish to think about. Not screechy at all and it does have a very calming evening breeze feel. Like I said just a fantastic scent and a joy to have in the home. (Disclaimer: bath and body works aerosol body sprays are great for fabric furniture fresheners-couches-chairs.)

This "Spanish Old Spice" is indeed very similar to classic Old Spice in overall vibe and construction. As another reviewer said, Its old school, dandified, powdery, and spicy-sweet. Seems a bit softer, sweeter and maybe with a bit more floral manifestation than Old Spice. As an American who loves Old Spice, I almost detest saying that I may even like Varon Dandy a bit more. But Old Spice IS the primary comparison for Varon Dandy in terms of scent profile (and apparently in terms of national culture too), in my opinion. Of that, I have no doubt. But I don't think Varon Dandy is a Chypre, as is listed on this page, nor a Fougere, as so many reviewers here opine. Like its American counterpart Old Spice, Veron Dandy is much more a Spicy Oriental. It's been a while since I put my nose on the great Chypre, Mitsouko, but I don't think there is much similarity with Varon Dandy. But Old Spice is known as the world's first Spicy Oriental for Men, and was released in 1938. If Varon Dandy was released in 1923, and is a Spicy Oriental, shouldn't it receive the title? I sprayed this heavily on clothes and its performance was outstanding. This is a great find.

I buy a litre of this for €10 when I'm in Spain. It's very masculine, I can detect oakmoss, wood, soap, powdery aspects. My perfume-loving best friend (male) views it as a classic fougère. It's definitely classic, an I can definitely get a powdery dimension that fougères have, but for me it lacks any floral accords. And it's all the more masculine for it. I like this especially if I'm going to be up close in groups working all day, for example. They smell it, but wouldn't object to sharing a car with me. In the evening, It layers well as warm or ambery or spicy or woody scents. But I’m very happy to use as is, any time. I really view it as a classic, masculine must have - a Swiss army knife of perfumes. My little daughter picks up things I've worn, enters rooms I've been in, sits on chairs I've sat in, and says, "Smells of daddy."

What a bargain for a vintage chypre lover's delight! The many commonalities (including structural) this shares with Mitsuoko likely stem from the fact that both were first formulated in the early 1920s in the fashion of Coty's famous 1917 Chypre; the other parts of it, especially the heavy carnation, seem to have inspired Shulton's classic masculine Old Spice in 1938. so wearing this, to me, is like wearing the best of two of the greatest fragrances of all time. The downside (and there had to be one, didn't there?) is that the exceptionally dominant carnation and oakmoss are probably very old-fashioned notes to many contemporary noses, especially given how strong the sillage of this is. I would either go exceptionally easy on the trigger finger or just wear it at home to please yourself. But it is such great stuff!

To my nose opening briefly resembles Acqua di Parma Collezione Barbiere aftershave, then Varon Dandy becomes more similar to Old Spice which was mentioned by other reviewers. My dad used to wear Old Spice and from what I remember it felt more robust and a bit rough around the edges. Varon Dandy on the other hand feels soft and warm from the start. It perfectly captures class and charm of bygone era. It's subtly sweet, prominently spicy and pleasantly powdery. Very dandy, undoubtedly old fashioned yet absolutely wearable nowadays. Longevity is above average. 1l bottle made by Coty is a terrific value for money. Highly recommend it, if you like this kind of scent profile.

This is incredible time-travel juice, old time barbershop at its finest. Chypre, powdery, masculine. Got a 2025 1L EDC and the only downer is the longevity... Still, for the very low price it is incredible and I don't mind. Love it and will be a dumb reach, refresher, or even for after shave. Evyan's "The Baron" has some powdery similarity, but way more flowery. Varon Dandy is spicy macho juice. Que chulada!

i love pampering myself by splashing large amount of this on my neck and bedtime clothing after night showering. It is very soft and warm . I wish there was body lotion smells similar. I am very happy with this online blind discovery and i am glad i bought the 1lt bottle and i was really surprised that it is glass bottle! Extra tip: layers perfect with Samsara because of the sandalwood ❤️

Very old school, dandified, powdery, soapy sweet fougere construction. Rather than the sharpness of lavender, which is more typical in fougeres, this has a jasmine/white floral top end. Some birch/woody, vanilla elements in the mid-base add variety to the oakmoss/coumarin chord.

Lovely. A mossy Old Spice meets Aqua Velva Musk. Doesn’t stick around long, unfortunately. It’s always the ones you love the most which seem to leave you the soonest.

deliciously dated, made today by Coty, lasts as an edT. I understand the connotation in Spain, but here in France without bias against, it s really good.

This is an oriental interpretation of old spice with a aftershave vibe. Initially I thought it was a bit too old school drugstore aftershave feeling but since I've worn it a few times spraying liberally, I've come to appreciate this DNA. Carnation dominant mossy woody features. It smells classic and makes me feel like a bull fighter after a shower in Spain. I've been using it for aftershave and going on jogs and I think it mixes well with my chemistry. I don't think this will appeal to modern noses, but it's a nice blast from the past I wear for fun 🐂 Scent 5.8/10 Performance 3.5/10

Varon Dandy Perera... ...a classic chypre of high quality. The brief mild citrus opening is followed by creamy, spicy notes and a mossy, woody slightly powdery drydown. A pinch of Cuban tobacco in the distance even though no tobacco is listed as a component. I personally don't detect any close resemblance to Shoulton/ P&G Old Spice. To me it is a mix of Floïd aftershave, Knize10 and it's very own character. Beautiful, classic, old school and timeless. I own the 1000ml (one litre !!!) glass bottle which means I have to be reincarnated three times in order to be able to use it all up.

The history of European perfume tends to be very Gallic. Exceptions are rare but I may mention some milestone examples such as Wilhelm Muelhens' "KölnischWasser" and the English tradition of William Penhaligon Hammam. The olfactory culture is essentially understood as a French business, but the history of perfume is actually a transnational theme. In addition to the French superpower, it is worth looking and smelling other fragrance cultures in order to explore other reasons, other causes, and their consequent effects. It is in this regard that it is worth mentioning the national masculine fragrance of Spain: Varón Dandy. It was launched by Parera in 1924. This was one of the two men's perfumes of the 1920s listed in the H&R Genealogia do Perfume (1989 version) - the other is Knize Ten. Parera was acquired by the German corporate empire Benckiser / Coty in 1990, famous for its mid-range and low-end products, even though many were once luxury items. Joan Parera Casanovas pursued the objective of providing Spaniards with the possibility of smelling as distinct as any French citizen, but at a more affordable price than that of an imported French perfume. In 1912 he started his perfume company - Parera - in Badalona, Catalonia, and the business really took off in the 1920s. Perfumes became part of a middle class consumer and leisure culture, but projecting a desirable exclusivity of the upper classes. To this day, the brand iconic man in a top hat and the emblem of Varón Dandy's gloves still appear on the packaging. The aspiring male consumers wanted to see themselves in that elegant and stylish figure. A wide range of products placed Varon Dandy in the context of a culture of male hygiene. For many years this scent reigned with promotional phrase "Varón Dandy brings together all the articles of perfumery that are essential to the comfort of modern man". In a Latin paddle with a macho, conservative and patriarchal culture, this position avoided suspicions that the use of a male perfume meant femininity or homosexuality. The name of Varón Dandy itself bridged the gap between Spanish masculinity (varón means 'firstborn male'), and the cosmopolitan sophistication of the stylish and fashionable Anglo-French "dandy". Even in the less urbanized and industrialized southern Europe, this expression of consumerist metrosexuality spread like wildfire, and Parera's product reached record sales in the Spanish society. Varón Dandy quickly became the emblematic scent of the Spanish machismo. It wouldn't be long before the civil war started. After the fascist victory, Joan Parera Casanovas adapted to the new order. Varón Dandy inevitably became part of the Spanish olfactory landscape of the Franco era. Varón Dandy, like many Spanish products, was widespread in the Hispanic markets of the old empire. And from Latin America it migrated to the United States. In the Spanish Harlem of the 1950s, the Mambo was danced. 'Los hombres' was sprayed with Old Spice aftershave lotion, but on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays - days of dancing the Mambo - they used 'Varon Dandy'. This was the fragrance for dancing, not the gringo perfume, but the emblem of Spanish masculinity. Nowadays Varón Dandy is still available online, and in fact always at a low price. It hasn't changed much since its early days. It is a barbershop full of glamor, with hot spices, oak moss, woods and a slight oriental chord. I recommend that you at least try this piece of Iberian fragrance history.

I could compare him to the also-Spanish (Puig) Brummel, if I had to. Although these are the oldest type, male colognes are similar to each other because of the common lavender, moss, bergamot, geranium DNA, the differences are obvious. The kings of the line are Dior Eau Savage and Armani Eau Pour Homme. They are utterly masculine and elegantly fresh. Here the lavender, bergamot, moss trio are the main players, without sweetness. Varon Dandy is much sweeter than these because of the tonka, so I like it less. Old Spice is the least mossy-lavender, most oriental. One thing's for sure, all of these and the whole line, have a kindly past their time and museum-like feel, but at the same time they are awe-inspiring and a very pleasant experience for a fragrance fanatic to encounter. The modernized Armani Eau Pour Homme (silver-soled) is the easiest of these to wear these days, but it is very much in demand for a formal look. My own Varon Dandy seemed too soft and sweet, so I added an extra dose of lavender, bergamot and a touch of thyme and cardamom seeds steeped in it. It's starting to develop to my taste. Unfortunately, it's hard to back it up even a little bit with all the tonka, but I tried, on my own authority. Varon Dandy is still a nice old-timer and a good companion for looking into the past...

I am fond of my 1 liter bottle of Varon Dandy Colonia cologne, with its handsome label, though the presentation would improve if the big white plastic cap were black, perhaps in faux bakelite. This belongs on a brass and glass etagere in a 70s unisex hair salon, to reassure the gentlemen customers. Repeat, 1000ml = 1 liter bottle! And I paid more in customs fees than purchase price. The fragrance is sweet and spicy. There is Old Spice, original Necco candy hearts, pink carnation, perfumed talc, soap, and auto air freshener. My apartment building concierge, a charming Spanish man, will mop the floors with a cloying modern floral fragrance, and Varon Dandy is MUCH better than that. If he weren't Spanish I would try to swap this into his cleaning supplies. I would like to smell our Art Nouveau central stairwell reeking of this. Pleasant barbershop scent - but the masculine, wakeup kind. This is not comforting. Very long-lasting on fabric. I will buy the EDT next time I'm in Spain. I would love to have an 80 year old bottle. Wouldn't you, too?

I have a bottle of this old Spanish eau de cologne so I decided to try it today......umm!!!! it's not what I expected to be (or smell in this case); very synthetic and sweet, estrange mixture of floral and old cloying candy jar that has been kept in the shelves for years without being opened; it's too sweet and has some vanilla over the top; no what I'd define as man's cologne;.........it's been a really disappointing experience, I'd rather I have bought "BRUMMEL EAU DE COLOGNE" again but this one; it's a fragrance just to add to the water when you're going to mop the floor as it just chocks your nose and blocks your senses.........in other words "it's so awful that it'd be a crime to wear this horrible and repugnant scent, I may use it after washing my cat; it will suit better on my cat definitely.

It seems the old versions were eau du cologne in the 3 oz glass bottles, today though the 3 ounce glass bottles are spray edt. the cologne version is in a large bottle. anyways, I have the soap, and it smells nice - oriental like. It smells like a sandalwood type of scent, with some type of light musky dirtyness perhaps, and some light spicy materials, surely a bit of patchouli in it, and s touch of what might be a somewhat masculine sweetish floral aspect rounding it off, which might actually just be bergamot as fragrantica lists it. I like oriental and incensy and earthy scents, so I will probably get the fragrance too at some point.

One of the best. At first I thought animalic barbershop, but according to the note breakdown I would consider Varon Dandy to be an oriental barbershop. Varon Dandy defines the genre Chypre. I'm a huge fan of the EDC, although not the aftershave. Also, for another outstanding Spanish barbershop, try Floid Original.

especial warm oldfashioned oriental vintage cologne which in Spain you can buy in 1 litre bottles. for me it's very unusual fragrance, maybe too much sweet, but extravagant and express an atmosfere of retro style Spain epoque

the classic of the classics in Spain,dad used for decades,barber shop smell