Fragrance comparison

Why Not A Cologne vs Madame Gres

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 789 ratings analysed

Why Not A Cologne

Mark Buxton

3.9042 votes

Rank #34,591 FruityWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

5 wins

Madame Gres

Grès

3.89747 votes

Rank #2,339 FloralWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Madame Gres takes 5 of 7 categories.

Why Not A Cologne
Choose it for a fruity and woody character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Madame Gres
Choose it for a floral and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Why Not A Cologne2/7

Madame Gres5/7

Ratings & consensus: Madame Gres
Community sentiment: Why Not A Cologne
Longevity: Madame Gres
Sillage & projection: Madame Gres
Value for money: Madame Gres
Versatility: Why Not A Cologne
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Madame Gres

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Why Not A CologneMark Buxton

Madame GresGrès

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.90/ 5 · 42 votes

Have 30%Had 14%Want 56%

3.89/ 5 · 747 votes

Have 71%Had 29%Want 0%

Category winnerMadame GresRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

24%Love

57%Like

7%Ok

10%Dislike

2%Hate

42 votes

29%Love

47%Like

10%Ok

12%Dislike

2%Hate

747 votes

Category winnerWhy Not A CologneMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity58

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate73

⏱ Longevity68

〰 Sillage64

♥ Love / hate72

Category winners

LongevityMadame Gres

SillageMadame Gres

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value41

¤ Price value82

Category winnerMadame GresBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

woody90%

sweet80%

leather70%

floral60%

fresh50%

floral100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

sweet77%

fruity69%

patchouli61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both woody, fruity and floral

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top30 to 45 minutes

Red ApplePineappleMagnolia

Heart1 to 2 hours

Floral Notes

Base3 to 4 hours

Teak WoodLeather

Top

PineappleCardamomGrapefruit

Heart

MagnoliaPeonyFreesia

Base

PatchouliSandalwoodVanillaLeather

InformationalShared notesPineapple, Magnolia and Leather. Durations are only published for Why Not A Cologne, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer88

Fall47

Winter12

Day100

Night53

Spring79

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerWhy Not A CologneMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men76

Unisex24

Women0

Men2

Unisex5

Women93

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#34,591

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews4

Overall rank#2,339

PerfumerSidonie Lancesseur

Launched—

Reviews106

Category winnerMadame GresHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Why Not A Cologne by Mark Buxton offers an energetic burst of fresh fruit over a warm, structured foundation. Released in 2021, the scent opens with crisp red apple, sweet tropical pineapple, and a touch of light magnolia flower. As the bright initial burst softens, gentle floral notes settle into the heart before res…

Reviews →

Madame Gres by Grès opens with a sharp burst of canned pineapple, bitter grapefruit, and warm cardamom. The initial fruitiness hits fast before softening into a lush heart of magnolia, peony, and freesia. As the hours pass, the scent settles into a dense base of patchouli, creamy sandalwood, sweet vanilla, and subtle …

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, Why Not A Cologne or Madame Gres?

Madame Gres takes 5 of 7 categories. Why Not A Cologne is rated 3.90/5 from 42 votes; Madame Gres is rated 3.89/5 from 747 votes. Choose Why Not A Cologne for a fruity and woody character. Wins on community sentiment and versatility. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Madame Gres for a floral and woody character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Why Not A Cologne or Madame Gres?

Madame Gres lasts longest (Madame Gres 68/100, Why Not A Cologne 58/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Why Not A Cologne or Madame Gres?

Madame Gres projects furthest (Madame Gres 64/100, Why Not A Cologne 55/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Why Not A Cologne and Madame Gres smell similar?

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, fruity and floral accords. Common notes include Pineapple, Magnolia and Leather.

Is Why Not A Cologne or Madame Gres better for summer or winter?

For summer, Why Not A Cologne is the stronger pick. For winter, Madame Gres is the stronger pick. Why Not A Cologne suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Why Not A Cologne and Madame Gres?

Why Not A Cologne has top notes of Red Apple, Pineapple and Magnolia, heart notes of Floral Notes, a base of Teak Wood and Leather. Madame Gres has top notes of Pineapple, Cardamom and Grapefruit, heart notes of Magnolia, Peony and Freesia, a base of Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Leather.