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Versace has a whole line of wonderful smelling men’s colognes and two of the best selling fragrances in the world belong to the franchise, Eros and Versace Man Eau Fraiche. As such, many guys narrow their choice of what cologne to purchase to between these Versace gems. How do they compare? Which one smells better? Which lasts longer? In this post, I want to compare these two scents and try to determine a clear winner or at least point to some deciding factors, that should help make a decision.
Tale of the Tape: Eau Fraiche vs. Eros
Versace Eros
Notes of Eros: mint, green apple, tonka bean, madagascar vanilla, vetiver
Shop Amazon for: Versace Eros Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fluid Ounce
Versace Man Eau Fraiche
Notes include: Lemon, Rosewood, Carambola, Cedar leaves, Tarragon, Sage, Musk, Amber, Sycamore
Click here to try: Versace Man Eau Fraiche By Gianni Versace For Men Edt Spray 3.4 Oz
Opening
The opening of Eros is rich and complex. It’s a gourmand type of scent that blends the crispness of mint and apple with the smooth flavors of tonka bean and vanilla.
Update: Newer bottles seem to have more lemon, then they used to. As such, the opening act has a more noticeable citrus kick.
Eau Fraiche is a very cool fragrance that opens with the scent of frozen citrus, you literally get a chilled scent. It’s quite sharp with lemon and starfruit. Add to that, some rosemary spice and the freshness of the woody base.
I think Eros has more character and is more interesting from the beginning, though I have no complaints about either. I do really like the starfruit aspect of Eau Fraiche, but I’d still give Eros the edge.
Update: Ehhh, coming back to these two. I am going to change it to Fraiche. Maybe it’s just me, but the balance of the newer Eros bottles seems off. The opening of Fraiche is sharp and fresh, but strikes me as a bit better now.
Edge: Fraiche
Projection
Neither of these bad boys is weak by any means. Eros is loud and heavy. Seriously, I wouldn’t ever overdo this scent. Eau Fraiche is no slouch and while not as strong as Eros it can still be a projection beast, at first.
Update: Eros has weakened somewhat, but is still ahead in this matchup. Eau Fraiche becomes more of a moderate, the further along you get into it. It’s sharpness up top, does project very well, though.
Edge: Eros
Longevity
Again, both are good performers. All day wear from both. Eros just doesn’t seem to quit sometimes, while Man Eau Fraiche, usually gets me 6-7 hours of solid wear before tapering off.
Update: Nowadays, I get in the 8-9 hour range with Eros. Not double digits anymore.
Edge: Eros
Versatility
To me, this is where the true decision lies between these two colognes. Eros is a cold weather fragrance and can be too much for casual situations (at least use it lightly).
Meanwhile, Eau Fraiche is a classic summetime scent, it can hold up during the rest of the year but it has that warm weather vibe to it. Plus, Eau Fraiche, is better for casual situations since it is not as heavy.
Eau Fraiche just has an easier time fitting in during a greater number of scenarios. Neither is a formal fragrance, however.
Edge: Eau Fraiche
Overall Scent
I like Eros better. I just find the warmth and complexity inherently appealing. However, Versace Man Eau Fraiche is probably more serviceable as an everyday wear. One is built for the winter while another shines in the summer.
They really are on two ends of the spectrum, so the best buy is up to your personal needs from the fragrance. I’d rather wear Eros out of these two. Even, with the slight changes I pick up from newer bottles of Eros, I still would gravitate toward that more often.
That being said, it’s much closer than it used to be and I’m very close to give Fraiche the win straight up. If I’m going to get a lemony opening from both, I like the pairing with starfruit from Fraiche.
The mint, vanilla, lemon blend used to be better. But, on the whole, Eros still has plenty going for it.
Winner: Eros (very slightly)
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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.