Burberry London vs Brit Men’s Cologne Comparison

Here in yet another cologne comparison posts, I want to put two Burberry scents head to head, Brit and London. Now, I wear both of these colognes and enjoy both of them a lot. So, I do recommend both of them, but I want to break things down further to see what separates the two. Which one performs better? Which is sexier? What do they smell like? Which one is better overall?

Tale of the Tape: Brit vs. London

Burberry London

Notes include: bergamot, cinnamon, pepper, lavender, port, mimosa, moss, tobacco leaf, leather

My original London Review

Shop on Amazon: BURBERRY London for Men Eau de Toilette, 3.3 fl. oz

Burberry Brit

Notes include: wild roses, tonka bean, green mandarin, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cedar

Read my original review

Click here to try: BURBERRY Brit for Men Eau de Toilette, 1.0 fl. oz

Opening

London is a darker and much more masculine scent than is Brit. London features a sweet tobacco leaf note that blends with cinnamon, pepper, port wine, and leather for a spicy and smooth start. The leather comes on stronger a bit later and the port wine ultimately disappears.

The opening is when London is at its spiciest and when it has a boozy edge. The cinnamon and pepper can be quite sharp, but it’s held in check by that tobacco note.

Brit on the other hand, is fresh and powdery with a hint of spice provided by the ginger note. The opening isn’t quite as smooth, as it will ultimately be. In fact, the opening feels quite green with the wild rose note, nutmeg, and a green mandarin orange. Not when Brit is at its best.

Brit is eventually much cleaner but I think that London is way more interesting and attention grabbing, at the start. The opening isn’t a strength for either, but London has a better go of it.

Edge: London

Projection

London is the heavier of the two scents. However, neither is really overpowering by any stretch. I’d say London is on the upper edge of moderate and Brit is a softer moderate.

Both do their job and do it well, just because it’s softer doesn’t mean Brit is weak BUT I’d say London gets the edge. I never have any issue with either being detected, either by my nose, or by those around me.

Edge: London

Longevity

Both sit in the 6-8 hour range for wear. There really isn’t an advantage between either to me in this category. I’d say both tend more toward 8 hours versus 6. I’ve tried recent bottles of each and the performance is still the same.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these colognes are in the autumn/winter wear category of men’s fragrances. I have worn both casually and on dates. I’d say that London is definitely sexier and more of a romantic cologne than is Brit.

I’ll give London the edge because I think it is a better evening wear fragrance but again Brit isn’t bad by any means. Neither is going to be one you’ll want to wear in the summer months.

Edge: London

Overall

I honestly do love wearing both of these scents. As I said in the Burberry for Men vs Brit cologne comparison, I often will switch between these colognes depending on my mood.  Brit is a very good scent, I love its freshness and powdery/green aroma on cold winter days.

London is just an interesting fragrance. It is spicy, woodsy, dark, and kind of boozy. London is the most masculine of the three while Brit is the softest.

London won’t be for everybody and plenty of guys will enjoy the rose, tonka, and ginger notes of Brit; but I’m going to give the edge to London. Conversely, there are plenty of guys who won’t like the powdery quality of Brit, even though it is a dynamic example.

Updating here in 2020, I’d rank them: 1. London, 2. Brit, 3. Burberry for Men. I have been loving wearing Burberry Brit, lately, as I more recently purchase a new full bottle.

Winner: London

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.