La Nuit de l’Homme vs The One EDT

La Nuit de L’homme from Yves Saint Laurent and The One by D&G have both been best sellers for over a decade now. They often can get compared to one another since they do have some overlap in notes, while actually being pretty distinctly different fragrances with how they smell. But, while also sharing a similar use case. So, which of these men’s fragrances is better?

Tale of the Tape: La Nuit vs. The One EDT

La Nuit

Notes include: cardamom, bergamot, vetiver, lavender, cedar

Try it out: Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3-Ounce

Read my review: La Nuit de l’Homme

The One by D&G

Notes include: grapefruit, ginger, basil, coriander, amber, tobacco, orange blossom, and more

Click here to try: THE ONE By DOLCE & GABBANA; EDT SPRAY 5 Ounce

Opening

La Nuit opens up with lots of cardamom and a citrus bergamot note, in the beginning. It is fresh, warm, and has that light addition of bergamot. Then, the lavender really begins to come into its own, sometime thereafter. It is a really captivating start, that gives you a nice bit of spice before settling down.

It does later become a bit more powdery and fresh, but above is what I get from the opener.

The One, meanwhile, gives me a bit less noticeable citrus (grapefruit) versus the bergamot in Nuit. Also, the cardamom feels less intense early on, and I get more of a blend with the ginger and light basil note.

The One is warm and has an amazing amber note with hints of the orange blossom giving it a floral touch. Personally, I prefer orange blossom to lavender.

Which is better? I’ve always loved how The One starts off. I enjoy La Nuit also, but with my personal bottle, my favorite part has been the dry down recently.

Edge: The One

Projection

Neither one of these has a monster projection. The sillage of La Nuit is fairly middle of the road for a few hours and then becomes light and finally a skin scent.

The One starts off nicely but really quickly fades, on my skin. It may have better performance for others, but the D&G has never really mustered much of anything for me.

Edge: La Nuit

Longevity

La Nuit used to get 6-8 hours of wear for me. The 2021 batch that I bought is more along the lines of 4-5…6 if I really spray the hell out of it. It’s for sure lost a step.

Again, The One has always had terrible performance on my skin. I might get 2 hours out of it, if I go heavy. With normal sprays, 1.

It may react differently for you, but I wouldn’t expect it to be better than the YSL, even at its peak.

Edge: La Nuit

Versatility

Both The One and La Nuit are best worn in fall/winter, but can venture into more mild temperatures, without issue.

Their versatility as popular signature scents is one of the greatest strengths that these colognes both share. Both lean more towards being nighttime wears, but honestly, neither is out of place in the daytime either.

I don’t really see much of a distinction in this category.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

Between these two fragrances, which do I prefer?

If we’re going just based on smell alone, I like The One EDT better. It’s got a warmth, lightness, and sweet almost boozy quality about it that I’ve always loved. The downside, is that it just doesn’t work on my skin for whatever reason.

But, if it does work on yours…you should probably go with that.

However, based on smell and performance in conjunction, La Nuit wins this round. It’s not a superstar with how it lasts, but it smells really great and isn’t that far behind the Dolce cologne in terms of enjoyment.

You’re going to be getting plenty of the spicy cardamom, a general freshness, and light powdery finish. So, The One may be more appealing, if that doesn’t sound all that great to you.

Winner: La Nuit

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.