Fragrance comparison

French Smoking vs Norell

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

Updated 10 Oct 2026 397 ratings analysed

French Smoking

Evaflor

4.0011 votes

Rank #38,964 WoodyCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

29%scent match

Clearly different

3 wins

Norell

4.17386 votes

Rank #1,843 AromaticGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Norell takes 3 of 5 categories.

French Smoking
Choose it for a woody and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, daytime wear.
Norell
Choose it for a aromatic and green character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

French Smoking2/5

Norell3/5

Ratings & consensus: Norell
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Norell
Sillage & projection: French Smoking
Value for money: French Smoking
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Norell

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

French SmokingEvaflor

NorellNorell

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.00/ 5 · 11 votes

Have 31%Had 42%Want 28%

4.17/ 5 · 386 votes

Have 69%Had 31%Want 0%

Category winnerNorellRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

55%Love

18%Like

0%Ok

27%Dislike

0%Hate

11 votes · too few to score

44%Love

41%Like

1%Ok

13%Dislike

0%Hate

386 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity64

〰 Sillage81

♥ Love / hate75

⏱ Longevity76

〰 Sillage68

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityNorell

SillageFrench Smoking

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value92

¤ Price value63

Category winnerFrench SmokingBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

citrus91%

powdery83%

lavender74%

aromatic65%

musky56%

aromatic100%

green92%

floral84%

warm spicy77%

yellow floral69%

woody61%

Scent match29%Clearly different · both aromatic and woody

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

LavenderBergamotMandarin Orange

Heart2-3 hrs

CedarJasmine

Base4-6 hrs

SandalwoodMusk

Top

NarcissusGalbanumHiacynthLavenderBergamotLemonMandarin Orange

Heart

CarnationArum LilyCorianderRoseMimosaIrisGardeniaYlang-Ylang

Base

OakmossVetiverMyrrhMuskAmberCedarSandalwoodVanilla

InformationalShared notesLavender, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Cedar. Durations are only published for French Smoking, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring67

Summer67

Fall67

Winter100

Day100

Night69

Spring79

Summer55

Fall100

Winter72

Day100

Night77

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men80

Unisex20

Women0

Casual 44%Work 31%Party 14%Date 11%

Men0

Unisex30

Women70

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#38,964

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#1,843

PerfumerJosephine Catapano

Launched—

Reviews89

Category winnerNorellHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

French Smoking by Evaflor is a straightforward, budget-friendly men's cologne built around aromatic herbs, zesty citrus, and dry woods. The first spritz delivers an eye-opening burst of sharp lavender, tart bergamot, and sweet mandarin orange before leveling out into clean cedar and gentle jasmine. Down in the base, q…

Reviews →

Norell by Norell, composed by Josephine Catapano in 1968, opens with an unmistakable snap of bitter galbanum and hyacinth. Lemon and bergamot provide a bright citrus flash, but green resin dominates the immediate atmosphere. As the sharp top notes soften, a complex heart of clove-spiced carnation, narcissus, ylang-yla…

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.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, French Smoking or Norell?

Norell takes 3 of 5 categories. French Smoking is rated 4.00/5 from 11 votes; Norell is rated 4.17/5 from 386 votes. Choose French Smoking for a woody and citrus character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, daytime wear. Choose Norell for a aromatic and green character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and fragranxe ranking. Best in fall, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, French Smoking or Norell?

Norell lasts longest (Norell 76/100, French Smoking 64/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, French Smoking or Norell?

French Smoking projects furthest (French Smoking 81/100, Norell 68/100), based on community performance votes.

Do French Smoking and Norell smell similar?

Clearly different: a 29% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic and woody accords. Common notes include Lavender, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Cedar.

Is French Smoking or Norell better for summer or winter?

French Smoking suits daytime wear; Norell suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in French Smoking and Norell?

French Smoking has top notes of Lavender, Bergamot and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Cedar and Jasmine, a base of Sandalwood and Musk. Norell has top notes of Narcissus, Galbanum, Hiacynth and Lavender, heart notes of Carnation, Arum Lily, Coriander and Rose, a base of Oakmoss, Vetiver, Myrrh and Musk.