12 Best John Varvatos Fragrances For Men


The house of John Varvatos is a fragrance house known for its unique and luxurious fragrances However, what are the best John Varvatos fragrances for men?

The House Of John Varvatos And Its Fragrances

John Varvatos is an American fashion brand, founded in 2000. After it’s initial focus on tailored clothing and sportswear, John Varvatos has grown into a much broader fashion brand. Nowadays, John Varvatos sells bags, belts, watches, eyewear, and of course, fragrances.

The very first John Varvatos fragrance was launched back in 2004 and was simply called John Varvatos. After the first release, many more followed. Among those are the popular John Varvatos Artisan and John Varvatos Dark Rebel line. However, the house of John Varvatos has many more fantastic fragrances to offer. Below are listed some of the best John Varvatos fragrances, in no particular order!

1. John Varvatos John Varvatos

Scent: John Varvatos John Varvatos is a very interesting fragrance with a slightly sweet scent. When you first spray this fragrance, you’re greeted by a soft and sweet scent of vanilla and caramel. Quickly after the opening, a bunch of woody notes are added, giving the fragrance a warm undertone. This is also the point where some herbal notes start to present themselves. These herbal notes balance out the sweetness and give it a fresh and green undertone. In the base, a nice dose of leather starts to appear, making for a masculine finish.

Notes: The notes of John Varvatos John Varvatos are styrax, balsam fir, dates, olibanum, oud, herbal notes, hay, amber, tamarind, caramel, leather, and vanilla.

Best for: John Varvatos John Varvatos is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the colder months. This fragrance has a rather sweet scent with a warm dry down of woods and leather, making it a little too strong for the warmer months. When it’s colder, though, it’s perfect. You can best wear this fragrance casually, either during the day or at night. This one will even work great on nights out or on dates. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

2. John Varvatos Artisan Pure

Scent: John Varvatos Artisan Pure is an amazing fragrance with a bright and fresh scent. This fragrance opens with a blast of bright and vibrant citruses, creating a luxurious scent that smells like pure quality. Shortly after the opening, some herbal notes start to show themselves, giving the fragrance a nice edge. Along with the herbal notes is the note of ginger, which gives off a fresh and spicy scent that blends in beautifully with the citruses from the opening. In the end, you’re left with a high quality and fantastic smelling fragrance.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Artisan Pure are lemon, thyme, bergamot, marjoram, clementine, and mandarin. The middle notes are ginger and petitgrain. The base notes are musk, amber, orris root, and woody notes.

Best for: John Varvatos Artisan Pure is a fantastic fragrance with an extremely fresh scent. Such a scent works best during the spring and summer where the refreshing scent fits in perfectly with the warm temperatures. During the warmer months, you can easily wear this fragrance casually throughout the day, but it will also work wonders in a formal setting as well. There’s this luxurious, high-quality feel to this fragrance that makes it shine everywhere. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

3. John Varvatos Vintage

Scent: John Varvatos Vintage is a great fragrance with a rich and aromatic scent. This fragrance opens with an herbal scent of tobacco and spices, creating a scent that’s both fresh and sweet. A little while after the opening, a sweet scent of tonka bean comes forth, blending in nicely with the tobacco and warm spices. When this fragrance starts to dry down, it takes a leathery turn. The leather in the dry down gives an undeniably masculine undertone to the fragrance and makes for a beautiful finish to a great fragrance.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Vintage are fennel, quince, rhubarb, pepper, basil, and wormwood. The middle notes are orris root, jasmine, cinnamon, green leaves, lavender, and juniper berries. The base notes are oakmoss, patchouli, suede, woody notes, balsam fir, tobacco, and tonka bean.

Best for: John Varvatos Vintage is an amazing fragrance that’s best worn during the colder months. This is mainly because of the richness of this fragrance that would be a little out of place during the warmer months. Throughout the colder months, though, this fragrance is perfect for casual everyday wear. You could even use this as a signature scent, as this one will fit in pretty much everywhere. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

4. John Varvatos Oud

Scent: John Varvatos Oud is a beautiful fragrance with a warm and spicy scent. This fragrance opens with a rich scent of spices, mainly cinnamon, and a light tobacco. This immediately creates a deep and slightly dark opening, setting the tone for this fragrance. Shortly after the opening, some woody notes can be detected, giving the fragrance a warm undertone. This is also the moment where the note of oud starts to shine. Overall, you’re left with a warm and spicy scent of soft oud.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Oud are cypress, sage, nutmeg, juniper berries, and tobacco. The middle notes are cloves, cardamom, osmanthus, pepper, jasmine, cinnamon, rose, and saffron. The base notes are incense, opoponax, amber, labdanum, leather, cedar, myrrh, and oud.

Best for: John Varvatos Oud is an amazing fragrance to wear when its colder outside. This fragrance has a warm and welcoming scent that works incredibly well with the colder temperatures, making it perfect for the fall and winter. During those months, this fragrance is perfect for casual everyday wear but will work just as well at night. On the other hand, the oud also makes this fragrance luxurious enough to wear formally. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

5. John Varvatos Dark Rebel

Scent: John Varvatos Dark Rebel is an incredible fragrance with a rich and dark scent. This fragrance immediately opens with a dark scent of rum, leather, and some smoky notes. Shortly after the opening, some floral notes start to peek through, balancing out the initial richness. When this fragrance starts to dry down, it becomes a little sweeter. Still, the leather and booze are noticeable, only accompanied by some freshness and sweetness. Overall, this is an amazing fragrance that does its name justice.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Dark Rebel are clary sage, cardamom, artemisia, sugar cane, and rum. The middle notes are pepper, styrax, fir resin, and leather. The base notes are akigalawood, castoreum, juniper, vanilla, tobacco leaves, and woody notes.

Best for: John Varvatos Dark Rebel is an amazing cold-weather fragrance, perfect for the fall and winter. During the colder months, you’re best off wearing this fragrance casually, as the dark scent doesn’t really fit in well with a formal setting. Casually, you can either wear this one throughout the day or at night. At night, you can definitely wear this one to the club or to a date, as you’ll definitely grab the attention of the people around you. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

6. John Varvatos Artisan

Scent: John Varvatos Artisan is a beautiful fragrance with a fresh and soapy scent. This fragrance opens with a bunch of citruses, of which the notes of tangerine and clementine are the strongest. Along with these citruses are some floral notes. Together, they create the soapy feeling of this fragrance, giving it a very clean vibe. After the opening, a spicy touch of ginger makes itself known, giving the fragrance some depth. In the base, a layer of woody notes are present, however, these go relatively undetectable.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Artisan are marjoram, thyme, tangerine, and clementine. The middle notes are jasmine, lavender, ginger, and orange blossom. The base notes are musk, amber, and woody notes.

Best for: John Varvatos Artisan is the original of the John Varvatos Artisan line and is perfect for the warmer months. Here, you can wear it pretty much all the time. It’s clean and inoffensive enough to wear to the office and you could even wear it while you’re working out. Of course, it’s also perfect for casual daytime wear and you could even wear it on a warm summer night. If you’re looking for a fantastic soapy, orange fragrance, this is the one. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

7. John Varvatos x Nick Jonas Crimson

Scent: John Varvatos x Nick Jonas Crimson is a fantastic fragrance with a warm scent. This fragrance opens with a beautiful scent of suede and leather, making for a warm and rich opening. Added to the leather are the notes of rum and coffee, giving the fragrance a more gourmand feel. After a little while, some soft spices are added as well. From here, the fragrance doesn’t really change that much anymore, leaving you with a fragrance that mainly smells warm, spicy, and leathery.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos x Nick Jonas Crimson are cedar, coffee, rum, green apple, and bergamot. The middle notes are amber, suede, lavender, and saffron. The middle notes are patchouli, vetiver, musk, incense, and labdanum.

Best for: John Varvatos x Nick Jonas Crimson is a great fragrance that you can wear during the spring, winter, and fall. During these months, a rich and warm fragrance like this will be perfect, as it provides you with a welcoming vibe. During these months, you’re best off wearing this fragrance casually either during the day or at night. This one doesn’t really fit in a formal setting, but casually it’s amazing. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

8. John Varvatos Artisan Acqua

Scent: John Varvatos Artisan Acqua is a great fragrance with a very fresh scent. This fragrance opens with a fresh and green scent of herbal and citrusy notes. These immediately set the tone for this bright fragrance. Shortly after the opening, some aromatic floral notes are added, creating an almost barbershop-like scent. From here, the fragrance doesn’t really change too much anymore. This leaves you with a clean, masculine, and incredibly fresh fragrance.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Artisan Acqua are angelica, mastic, pomelo, mandarin, and galbanum. The middle notes are basil, jasmine sambac, toscanol, coriander, palmarosa, lavender, geranium, and clary sage. The base notes are fir resin, musk, and patchouli.

Best for: John Varvatos Artisan Acqua is an amazing fragrance to wear during the spring and summer. This fragrance has a beautiful fresh scent that works perfectly with the high temperatures. And because of the clean and inoffensive scent, you can wear this one pretty much whenever you want. It’s perfect for casual daytime wear but will work just as well in the office or any other formal setting. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

9. John Varvatos Artisan Black

Scent: John Varvatos Artisan Black is a variation of the original John Varvatos Artisan and actually smells quite similar. This fragrance also opens with a citrusy fresh scent. The only main difference is the addition of the note of blood orange, which gives off a slightly sweeter scent. From here, the fragrance continues into a slightly spicier version with the addition of the note of ginger. Once this fragrance starts to dry down, it once again takes a slightly sweeter turn. Still, though, this fragrance manages to stay fresh and soapy.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Artisan Black are watermelon, blood orange, tangerine, and lemon. The middle notes are cardamom, ginger, neroli, coriander, orange flower, and jasmine. The base notes are leather, orris root, patchouli, musk, vetiver, amber, kephalis, and woody notes.

Best for: John Varvatos Artisan Black is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the warmer months. When it’s warmer outside, you can perfectly wear this one throughout the day, regardless of the occasion. Besides casual daytime wear, you can also wear it to the office, to the gym, or even at night. The extremely likable and inoffensive scent will fit in anywhere. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

10. John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider

Scent: John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider is an incredible fragrance with a rich and dark scent. This fragrance opens with a rather sweet scent with a very distinct leather note. Added to the sweetness is an almost boozy, smoky undertone that gives the fragrance a lot of depth. As the fragrance starts to dry down, you can start to pick up a hint of cacao, which gives off an almost chocolaty scent. In the base, there are some woody notes present, although these go relatively unnoticed.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider are hyssop, marjoram, saffron, bitter orange, and aldehydes. The middle notes are olibanum, rock rose, black violet, tolu balsam, resins, osmanthus, and orris. The base notes are patchouli, cedar, vanilla, cacao, leather, and woody notes.

Best for: John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider is a fantastic cold-weather fragrance, perfect for the fall and winter. During these months, you can easily wear this fragrance casually throughout the day. However, because of the richness, it also works wonders at night as well. You could even wear this to dates if you’d like. On the other hand, though, this fragrance is somewhat soft, allowing it to be worn in the office as well. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

11. John Varvatos Artisan Blu

Scent: John Varvatos Artisan Blu is a fantastic fragrance with a fresh and aromatic scent. This fragrance opens with a fantastic scent of fresh citruses, making for a bright and vibrant opening. Shortly after the opening, some green notes start to appear, giving off a new kind of freshness to the fragrance. Along with the green notes are some herbal notes, once again providing the fragrance with some depth. When this fragrance starts to dry down, some floral notes start to appear, giving the fragrance an almost soapy finish.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Artisan Blu are bitter orange, basil, lavender, bergamot, and chayote. The middle notes are clary sage, orange blossom, iris, palmarosa, and geranium. The base notes are tamarisk, pistachio, pine, cedar, and patchouli.

Best for: John Varvatos Artisan Blu is a fantastic warm-weather fragrance, perfect for the spring and summer. During these warmer months, a fresh fragrance like this will always be fantastic. You can easily wear this casually throughout the day, whether you’re hanging out with friends, going to the gym, or just hanging out at home. However, it will work just as well in the office as well. There really is no going wrong with a fresh and inoffensive fragrance such as this. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

12. John Varvatos Platinum Edition

Scent: John Varvatos Platinum Edition is a great fragrance with a warm and leathery scent. This fragrance opens with a warm scent of cinnamon, supported by a few more spicy notes. Shortly after the opening, a warm scent of amber starts to reveal itself, leaving a warm and slightly sweet scent behind. After a little while, a masculine scent of leather starts to show and will stay there all the way till the dry down. Overall, you get a rich and warm fragrance with a masculine dry down of leather.

Notes: The top notes of John Varvatos Platinum Edition are cinnamon, coriander, sage, myrtle, bitter orange, and bergamot. The middle notes are leather, vetiver, and incense. The base notes are sandalwood, amber, and woody notes.

Best for: John Varvatos Platinum Edition is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the fall and winter. This fragrance has a rather warm and rich scent that goes great with the lower temperatures. Throughout the colder months, this fragrance actually works bet at night. Even though it will work nicely casually throughout the day, it’s more of a nighttime scent, whether you’re just at home or going to the club. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!

Are John Varvatos Fragrances Worth It

The house of John Varvatos is a fragrance house known for its high-quality and great-smelling fragrances for affordable prices. Added to that is the fact that most John Varvatos fragrances aren’t just your typical designer fragrances. These fragrances have unique scents that you won’t really find anywhere else. Safe to say, a John Varvatos fragrance is more than worth it.

Besides great smelling fragrances, the house of John Varvatos also has something for everybody. If you’re looking for something fresh, take a look at the whole John Varvatos Artisan line. If you’re looking for something dark and rich, give the John Varvatos Dark Rebel line a try. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s a John Varvatos fragrance for everyone!

Jasper Pieterse

Hi, my name is Jasper and I've been a long time fragrance fan. Ever since 2014, I started to get a huge interest in fragrances and I've had my nose on countless of different fragrances. I'm excited to share my experiences!

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