Fragrance comparison

Cologne à la Française vs NeroStar

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

Updated 15 Nov 2026 64 ratings analysed

3 wins

Cologne à la Française

Institut Très Bien

4.1562 votes

Rank #10,870 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

14%scent match

Clearly different

NeroStar

Orca

5.002 votes

Rank #39,107 FreshMusky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Cologne à la Française takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cologne à la Française
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
NeroStar
Choose it for a fresh and musky character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Cologne à la Française3/4

NeroStar1/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Cologne à la Française
Sillage & projection: NeroStar
Value for money: Cologne à la Française
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Cologne à la Française

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Cologne à la FrançaiseInstitut Très Bien

NeroStarOrca

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.15/ 5 · 62 votes

Have 41%Had 16%Want 43%

5.00/ 5 · 2 votes

Have 19%Had 0%Want 81%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

43%Like

3%Ok

3%Dislike

0%Hate

40 votes

100%Love

0%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

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate84

⏱ Longevity60

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate100

Category winners

LongevityCologne à la Française

SillageNeroStar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value100

¤ Price value75

Category winnerCologne à la FrançaiseBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aromatic83%

fresh spicy65%

lavender48%

woody30%

fresh100%

musky92%

aldehydic84%

woody77%

floral69%

ozonic61%

Scent match14%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

LemonGrapefruitCitronLimeBergamot

Heart

VerbenaRosemaryLavender

Base

BenzoinNeroliIris

Top

AldehydesCitronNeroliLemonBergamot

Heart

HedioneOzonic notesLavenderRose WaterWhite Blossom

Base

Iso E SuperWhite MuskSugarAmbrox SuperAmbrostar™

InformationalShared notesLemon, Citron, Bergamot and Lavender. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring90

Summer100

Fall20

Winter10

Day100

Night15

Spring100

Summer100

Fall50

Winter50

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men20

Unisex60

Women20

Men0

Unisex75

Women25

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,870

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews12

Overall rank#39,107

PerfumerGib Osbert

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCologne à la FrançaiseHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cologne à la Française by Institut Très Bien is a bright Citrus Aromatic fragrance that highlights a crisp, natural feel. Launched in 2005, it features a bracing blend of lemon, grapefruit, and bergamot layered over a green, floral heart of verbena, rosemary, and lavender. It is an excellent choice for hot summer days…

Reviews →

NeroStar is a crisp, sparkling floral aldehyde fragrance built around bright citrus and clean ozonic tones. It matches active summer days and professional morning environments, offering a clean laundry freshness that stays breezy. Grounded by a base of sugar, Iso E Super, and white musk, the scent feels modern and lig…

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.

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Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Cologne à la Française or NeroStar?

Cologne à la Française takes 3 of 4 categories. Cologne à la Française is rated 4.15/5 from 62 votes; NeroStar is rated 5.00/5 from 2 votes. Choose Cologne à la Française for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose NeroStar for a fresh and musky character. Wins on sillage & projection. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Cologne à la Française or NeroStar?

Cologne à la Française lasts longest (Cologne à la Française 69/100, NeroStar 60/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cologne à la Française or NeroStar?

NeroStar projects furthest (NeroStar 63/100, Cologne à la Française 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cologne à la Française and NeroStar smell similar?

Clearly different: a 14% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Lemon, Citron, Bergamot and Lavender.

Is Cologne à la Française or NeroStar better for summer or winter?

Cologne à la Française suits daytime wear; NeroStar suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cologne à la Française and NeroStar?

Cologne à la Française has top notes of Lemon, Grapefruit, Citron and Lime, heart notes of Verbena, Rosemary and Lavender, a base of Benzoin, Neroli and Iris. NeroStar has top notes of Aldehydes, Citron, Neroli and Lemon, heart notes of Hedione, Ozonic notes, Lavender and Rose Water, a base of Iso E Super, White Musk, Sugar and Ambrox Super.