449 community ratings

Dark Rebel

2015MenClassic

7.8/ 10

Community score
449 ratings

John Varvatos Dark Rebel is a sweet, spicy woody-leathery men's fragrance with a dark character, suited to autumn and winter evenings; it has been discontinued.

Compare

Skunky's take: Voters picked cool weather; in winter it is a warm hug.

How does it perform?

From 419 community ratings, all out of 10.

Longevity

7.0 /10

Holds up through the day and fades gently toward evening.

Sillage

6.8 /10

Leaves a light trail and stays polite in a crowd.

Bottle

8.5 /10

Talks even from the shelf.

Value for money

7.9 /10

Most people feel it is worth the price.

Blind buy risk

Low risk

85% of votes are positive and opinions barely differ.

Notes

They open one after another, from the first spray into the evening.

Top notesfirst 15 minutes

Cuban sugar cane

Clary sage

Cardamom absolute

Jamaican rum

Davana

Heart notesfirst few hours

Black leather

Snapdragon

Black pepper Fir balsam

Styrax absolute

Nutmeg

Base noteswhat stays into the evening

Balsa wood

Mexican vanilla

Akigalawood®Tobacco leaf Canary Islands juniper Castoreum

Accords

From most dominant to most subtle.

Sweet
Spicy
Woody
Oriental
Animal
Resinous
Earthy
Smoky

What does Dark Rebel smell like?

Its longevity is rated good and its sillage moderate. Most voters pick autumn and winter, with evenings and nights out leading and business wear well behind. It reads largely as masculine.

It opens with Cuban sugar cane, Jamaican rum, cardamom absolute and clary sage, sweet and spicy from the start. The heart is led by black leather, black pepper and nutmeg, and the base of Mexican vanilla, tobacco leaf and castoreum settles into a smoky, earthy, faintly animal warmth.