Fragrance comparison

Big Sur vs Once upon Don

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 1 Nov 2026 39 ratings analysed

Big Sur

L'Aromatica Perfume

4.0037 votes

Rank #21,314 AromaticGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

15%scent match

Clearly different

2 wins

Once upon Don

Mykonos

4.502 votes

Rank #55,716 White FloralOzonic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Once upon Don takes 2 of 4 categories.

Big Sur
Choose it for a aromatic and green character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Once upon Don
Choose it for a white floral and ozonic character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Big Sur1/4

Once upon Don2/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Tie
Sillage & projection: Once upon Don
Value for money: Once upon Don
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Big Sur

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Big SurL'Aromatica Perfume

Once upon DonMykonos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 37 votes

Have 23%Had 5%Want 72%

4.50/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 11%Had 11%Want 78%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

41%Love

35%Like

11%Ok

11%Dislike

3%Hate

37 votes

50%Love

50%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

2 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage48

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate88

Category winners

LongevityTie

SillageOnce upon Don

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value68

¤ Price value100

Category winnerOnce upon DonBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

aromatic100%

green92%

woody84%

fresh spicy77%

marine69%

herbal61%

white floral100%

ozonic92%

fresh84%

warm spicy77%

green69%

aquatic61%

Scent match15%Clearly different · both green

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Notes

SequoiaBay LeafSea NotesNettleArtemisiaMossHerbal Notes

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Violet LeafMandarin OrangeCardamomPineapple

Heart

Lily of the ValleyJasmineLavenderArtemisia

Base

White MuskAmberwoodMoss

InformationalShared notesArtemisia and Moss. Durations are only published for Big Sur, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring80

Summer100

Fall90

Winter40

Day100

Night42

Spring100

Summer100

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men33

Unisex67

Women0

Men0

Unisex100

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#21,314

PerfumerLoreto Remsing

Launched—

Reviews10

Overall rank#55,716

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerBig SurHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Big Sur by L'Aromatica Perfume captures the raw, invigorating aroma of the Northern California coastline where towering redwoods meet cold Pacific breakers. Built around earthy sequoia wood, bitter green artemisia, and salty sea air, this indie scent skips artificial marine sweetness in favor of damp coastal needles, …

Reviews →

Once upon Don opens bright and aromatic, with mandarin, cardamom, pineapple, and violet leaf giving it a cool green lift rather than a heavy fruity feel. As it settles, lavender, soft florals, moss, amberwood, and white musk keep it clean, airy, and gently woody. It looks best suited to someone who wants a modern unis…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Monoï et TiaréAdopt ParfumsWINNER vs

See & Be Seen SashaBenefitRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

BalboisBalint ParfumsRUNNER-UP vs

Le Mille e Una NotteSantiago Luxury ParfumWINNER

1 person compared this today

Black MarquinaAurora ScentsRUNNER-UP vs

The BeatBurberryWINNER

1 person compared this today

Hien Le No1VerduuWINNER vs

Lavanda CalmWe PinkRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Big Sur or Once upon Don?

Once upon Don takes 2 of 4 categories. Big Sur is rated 4.00/5 from 37 votes; Once upon Don is rated 4.50/5 from 2 votes. Choose Big Sur for a aromatic and green character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Once upon Don for a white floral and ozonic character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Big Sur or Once upon Don?

They last about the same: Big Sur 60/100, Once upon Don 60/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Big Sur or Once upon Don?

Projection is very close: Once upon Don 50/100, Big Sur 48/100 for sillage.

Do Big Sur and Once upon Don smell similar?

Clearly different: a 15% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share green accords. Common notes include Artemisia and Moss.

Is Big Sur or Once upon Don better for summer or winter?

Big Sur suits daytime wear; Once upon Don suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Big Sur and Once upon Don?

Big Sur features Sequoia, Bay Leaf, Sea Notes, Nettle and Artemisia. Once upon Don has top notes of Violet Leaf, Mandarin Orange, Cardamom and Pineapple, heart notes of Lily of the Valley, Jasmine, Lavender and Artemisia, a base of White Musk, Amberwood and Moss.