Ostrall buying guide
Men's fragrance buying guide: cologne and aftershave
By Ostrall · Updated October 20, 2026
Two bottles with the same name can be different products: strength, edition and size all change the price. Ostrall matches the exact fragrance you mean, so prices in pounds compare like with like.
What Ostrall asks to narrow it down
- Which fragrance, and which edition?
- Eau de toilette, eau de parfum, or parfum?
- What size?
- New, or partly used?
Aftershave or fragrance?
In the UK "aftershave" often means any men's fragrance. Strictly, an aftershave splash or balm is a lighter product for after shaving, usually sold alongside the eau de toilette of the same scent at a lower price.
Concentration: EDC, EDT, EDP and parfum
The name tells you roughly how much perfume oil is in the bottle, which mostly affects how long it lasts:
- Eau de Cologne (EDC): about 2–4%. Light and short-lived.
- Eau de Toilette (EDT): about 5–15%. The most common for men's fragrances.
- Eau de Parfum (EDP): about 15–20%. Lasts longer, often a little richer.
- Parfum or Extrait: 20% and up. Strongest, usually the most per ml.
The same scent in EDT and EDP can smell noticeably different.
Same name, different product
"Intense", "Elixir", "Sport" and reformulated editions are different scents. Ostrall keeps the full name, concentration and size together when it compares prices.
Scent families
- Fresh and citrus: bergamot, lemon, grapefruit.
- Aromatic: lavender and herbs; the classic barbershop style.
- Woody: cedar, sandalwood, vetiver.
- Amber and spicy: vanilla, resins, spice.
- Aquatic: marine, "clean" notes.
Price per ml, testers and gift sets
Bigger bottles usually cost less per ml. Testers are often the same fragrance without a cap or retail box, and samples and travel sizes are the lowest-cost way to try a scent. Gift sets (a bottle plus a shower gel or aftershave balm) often cost little more than the bottle alone. A price far below every other shop for a popular scent is the usual sign of a fake.
When prices move
Fragrance prices in the UK move most before Father's Day in June, on Black Friday and before Christmas, when gift sets fill the shops, and again in the Boxing Day and January sales.
Let Ostrall find it
Search in your own words. Ostrall asks only the question your search leaves open, then shows the fragrances that fit, with today's prices in pounds (VAT included), from stores such as Boots, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, and a link straight to each store's product page.
Results come closest match first, then what is in stock, then the cheapest delivered price. No store pays to rank.