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Cologne and eau de Cologne are the same thing, right?

post #1 of 10
5/7/08 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 
I just had an online chat with a customer service rep at an online discounter who tried to tell me they were different concentrations. The discounter was offering a scent I was interested in purchasing, two bottles listed at different prices, same size, same concentration, except that one was listed as Cologne Spray and the other listed as Eau de Cologne. The Cologne Spray is less expensive than the Edc. She told me that Edc is a lighter concentration, that they were just having a special on the Cologne. Sounds like hogwash to me. :-/ But maybe she is correct? I apologize if I have posted this on the wrong board, wasn't sure.
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post #2 of 10
5/7/08 at 11:40am
Right board, I think. And very definitely a good question!
My short answer is: if the spray is cheaper anyway, then I'd go for that one. You might get a stronger concentration for less money. Yay! More stink for less bucks has to be a good thing!

My long answer: (you can start yawning now if you like...)
Eau de Cologne can be one of two things:
There's the 'classic Eau De Cologne' which is a particular recipe that is fresh/citrus and I won't go into it here. The boys can tell you about that if you want chapter and verse (there was quite a bit of discussion about it recently on the emergency board. I learned a lot from the boys. Very precise, some of those BN boys).
Or there's 'eau de cologne strength' of many perfumes available (I've seen lots of Guerlains) and if I remember correctly, that means there is 5% jus in the mix. It's the lightest concentration available and great for splashing on merrily in the summer without asphixiating your colleagues.

I think it's possible the SA is telling the truth. The greatest likelihood is that it's an older company that uses old-fashioned terminology. Just as I often use the British term 'scent' as another word for 'fragrance' or 'perfume', I'm sure I've read in US books people using the word 'cologne' as just another word for 'perfume' or 'scent' or 'toilet water'.

Things haven't always been as uniform as they are today. I have an oldish bottle of Jicky eau de parfum and it's called a parfum de toilette. It's definitely way stronger than the edt, so I assume this is their old name for the edp strength.

Does this help?
x
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post #3 of 10
5/7/08 at 11:56am
As far as i'm aware. A lot of companies call some products Cologne Sprays, this can mean one of three things.
1) It's a 'cologne' style fragrance, usually Citrusy with herbs (like John-Marine Farina - I think)
2) It is Eau de Cologne, which is a concentration.
3) Or, it's just being referred to as a Cologne, instead of a Fragrance.

I'm presuming they're just talking about it as an Eau de Cologne concentration, but usually most EdCs are splashes, rather than sprays, hence the title of 'Cologne Spray'

Concentrations wise from lightest to strongest:
Eau de Cologne (Just Cologne sometimes)
Eau de Toilette
Eau de Parfum (Or Parfum de Toilette, as Lisa noted)
Parfum (Extrait sometimes)
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post #4 of 10
5/7/08 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you both for your responses. It was Weil Antilope, by the way, that I was looking at. And I just don't think that Parfums Weil offer two *concentrations* of cologne, one called eau de cologne and one called cologne spray. The Customer Service rep said that they are two different concentrations, but I think they are just two ways of referring to the same frag. I had never heard it put that way before, though, so just wanted to check. If it were a classic Guerlain I would be more likely to accept her explanation. Thanks again!
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post #5 of 10
5/8/08 at 1:28am
Aww geez. Yet again I've read reviews about something and absolutely have to get my hands on some of it. At least this frag won't break the bank!
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post #6 of 10
5/8/08 at 4:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilybelle View Post

It was Weil Antilope, by the way, that I was looking at. And I just don't think that Parfums Weil offer two *concentrations* of cologne, one called eau de cologne and one called cologne spray.....

You need to ask Zibeline about this - she's our expert in all things Weil!!.
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post #7 of 10
5/8/08 at 5:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by an_oud_girl View Post

Aww geez. Yet again I've read reviews about something and absolutely have to get my hands on some of it. At least this frag won't break the bank!

Antilope is a wonderful fragrance (hopefully it hasn't been changed for the worse yet - I tried an older sample someone had sent me), and yes it is very inexpensive. I'm trying to decide whether I want Antilope or Je Reviens, which is similar, because I don't need both. They're certainly cheap enough to have both, but I just want a small collection with no languishing bottles. I'm trying to contain my acquisitiveness (might be a losing battle!). :-)
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post #8 of 10
5/8/08 at 5:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taolady View Post

You need to ask Zibeline about this - she's our expert in all things Weil!!.

Do you think I could start a shout out thread "Calling Zibeline"? Not sure about protocol.
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post #9 of 10
5/8/08 at 10:11am
You can send her a personal message (PM).
Find a post she's made then click on her name in the title, above where it says Basenotes Member. You'll get a list of options, one of which is send a PM, click on it and you're off and running.
She's really nice and it's perfectly fine to contact her directly to ask her a question on a subject we all know she's an expert on.
If you feel shy, blame me and Taolady!
x
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post #10 of 10
5/8/08 at 10:45am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, Wordbird, I'll do that. :-)
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Cologne and eau de Cologne are the same thing, right?