Fragrance comparison

L'Eau Cologne vs Old Story

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

Updated 21 Oct 2026 74 ratings analysed

L'Eau Cologne

Caron

3.9030 votes

Rank #19,025 CitrusAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

67%scent match

Closely related

4 wins

Old Story

Alexandria Fragrances

4.2344 votes

Rank #25,486 AromaticFresh Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Old Story takes 4 of 7 categories.

L'Eau Cologne
Choose it for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Old Story
Choose it for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

L'Eau Cologne3/7

Old Story4/7

Ratings & consensus: Old Story
Community sentiment: Old Story
Longevity: Old Story
Sillage & projection: L'Eau Cologne
Value for money: L'Eau Cologne
Versatility: Old Story
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: L'Eau Cologne

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

L'Eau CologneCaron

Old StoryAlexandria Fragrances

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.90/ 5 · 30 votes

Have 33%Had 11%Want 56%

4.23/ 5 · 44 votes

Have 45%Had 8%Want 46%

Category winnerOld StoryRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

37%Love

37%Like

7%Ok

20%Dislike

0%Hate

30 votes

46%Love

36%Like

10%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

39 votes

Category winnerOld StoryMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity55

〰 Sillage61

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity62

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate80

Category winners

LongevityOld Story

SillageL'Eau Cologne

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value75

¤ Price value70

Category winnerL'Eau CologneBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

citrus100%

aromatic86%

fresh spicy72%

woody58%

green44%

white floral30%

aromatic100%

fresh spicy90%

woody80%

white floral70%

green60%

citrus50%

Scent match67%Closely related · both aromatic, fresh spicy and citrus

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top15-30 mins

BergamotSea NotesYellow Mandarin

Heart2-3 hrs

PetitgrainNeroliRosemary

Base3-5 hrs

CedarVetiverMusk

Top

NeroliLavenderPetitgrainRosemary

Heart

JasmineGeraniumGalbanumClary Sage

Base

AmberVetiverSandalwoodOakCedar

InformationalShared notesPetitgrain, Neroli, Rosemary and Cedar. Durations are only published for L'Eau Cologne, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring82

Summer100

Fall45

Winter0

Day100

Night24

Spring100

Summer90

Fall95

Winter35

Day100

Night70

Category winnerOld StoryMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men17

Unisex83

Women0

Casual 45%Work 35%Date 12%Party 9%

Men92

Unisex8

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#19,025

PerfumerRichard Fraysse

Launched—

Reviews5

Overall rank#25,486

PerfumerHany Hafez

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerL'Eau CologneHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Caron L'Eau Cologne opens with a sparkling rush of Italian yellow mandarin, tart bergamot, and salty marine mist. It instantly clears the mind. Within twenty minutes, the initial citrus burst softens into green petitgrain, herbal rosemary, and clean neroli blossom. The base stays light and grounded with dry Virginia c…

Reviews →

Old Story leans aromatic, green and woody, opening with neroli, lavender, petitgrain and rosemary before moving into a sharper herbal heart. The jasmine and geranium soften it slightly, but this stays firmly fresh, structured and masculine in character. On skin, it usually reads like a crisp woody floral musk with a c…

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, L'Eau Cologne or Old Story?

Old Story takes 4 of 7 categories. L'Eau Cologne is rated 3.90/5 from 30 votes; Old Story is rated 4.23/5 from 44 votes. Choose L'Eau Cologne for a citrus and aromatic character. Wins on sillage & projection, value for money and fragranxe ranking. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Old Story for a aromatic and fresh spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in spring, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, L'Eau Cologne or Old Story?

Old Story lasts longest (Old Story 62/100, L'Eau Cologne 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, L'Eau Cologne or Old Story?

L'Eau Cologne projects furthest (L'Eau Cologne 61/100, Old Story 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Do L'Eau Cologne and Old Story smell similar?

Closely related: a 67% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share aromatic, fresh spicy and citrus accords. Common notes include Petitgrain, Neroli, Rosemary and Cedar.

Is L'Eau Cologne or Old Story better for summer or winter?

For summer, L'Eau Cologne is the stronger pick. For winter, Old Story is the stronger pick. L'Eau Cologne suits daytime wear; Old Story suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in L'Eau Cologne and Old Story?

L'Eau Cologne has top notes of Bergamot, Sea Notes and Yellow Mandarin, heart notes of Petitgrain, Neroli and Rosemary, a base of Cedar, Vetiver and Musk. Old Story has top notes of Neroli, Lavender, Petitgrain and Rosemary, heart notes of Jasmine, Geranium, Galbanum and Clary Sage, a base of Amber, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Oak.