Fresh, Citrus and Marine Men's Perfume
With fresh fragrances, the choice is between marine notes, citrus and green accords. If you love the sea, you can start with Venetian Blue by The Merchant of Venice, a marine fougère with lemon, bergamot, apple and pineapple over a base of patchouli and birch. Acqua dell'Elba's Linea Classica Uomo also blends marine and floral notes, with the island as its point of reference. Carthusia offers Carthusia Uomo, a fresh, elegant scent that smells clean, of the open sea, fresh fruit, fine Russian leather and freshly spun cashmere.
If you prefer a citrus opening or a green note, look to other fragrances. Creed's Aventus Cologne, an eau de parfum despite its name, opens with ginger, mandarin and pink pepper. Crazy Basil by Dries Van Noten is an intensely green fragrance, with basil at its center supported by cedar.
For Those Who Love Woods and Spices
Among the spicy woody scents is Amouage's Interlude Man, with no florals and dry, piercing notes. In Blackpepper by Comme des Garçons, Madagascar pepper meets cedarwood, with Akigalawood (patchouli, agarwood). From the same house as Interlude Man comes Journey Man, which opens with Sichuan pepper and bergamot, moves on to cardamom and neroli bigarade, has juniper and incense at its heart and finishes with tobacco notes.
For Leather, Amber and Oud
If you're after leather, start with leather fragrances, scents in which the leather accord dominates. In Knize Ten, from 1925, leather prevails over a green, citrus opening, with a floral heart and a base of spices, woods and vanilla notes. Tom Ford has Ombré Leather, a fragrance with a bold structure and a tactile sensuality, and Creed has Tabarome, a modern take on the tobacco-and-leather theme.
For oud and amber there's Montale, with Honey Aoud, featuring honey, Sumatran patchouli, Ceylon cinnamon, leather, amber and Madagascar vanilla, and Aoud Leather, a spicy leather with pepper, cardamom and saffron, a touch of bergamot and a base of oud and ambergris. Tom Ford also has Noir Extreme, a woody oriental with amber.
Concentrations and Formats: What Difference They Make
The same fragrance changes with its concentration. Geo F. Trumper's Eucris, as an eau de toilette, has sandalwood and coriander, with lily of the valley, jasmine, musk and blackcurrant. In the eau de parfum, sandalwood and musk join coriander, cumin and blackcurrant, softened by lily of the valley and jasmine. Among the extraits are Duro by Nasomatto, a spicy woody, and Pardon from the same house, a powdery floral, while Amouage's Reflection 45 Man is a woody, amber extrait.
Format also changes how you apply a fragrance. Knize, the Viennese tailoring house founded in 1858 and purveyor to the Habsburg court, created Knize Ten in the 1920s as the house scent. The fragrance comes as an eau de toilette spray, as a splash and as an aftershave lotion, and Ten Golden Edition is the reserve created in 2000 for the fragrance's 75th anniversary. Silver Mountain Water also comes as an Huile Parfumée, a perfumed oil the house links to the ancient ritual of scenting the body with unguents.
Fragrance and Shaving in the Same Accord
Many men's classics also come in a shaving version. Geo F. Trumper, the London barber opened in 1875 at 9 Curzon Street in Mayfair, offers an alcohol-free, glycerin-based Eucris aftershave that on sensitive skin can also be used before shaving. Its Eucris even appears in literature: in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," Ian Fleming puts a bottle in Marc-Ange Draco's bathroom. Acca Kappa has the 1869 shaving foam, with aloe vera and shea butter, and for the beard there's Tom Ford's Beard Oil Tobacco Vanilla, which softens and nourishes it with almond, jojoba, grapeseed oil and vitamin E. Brushes, soaps and shaving creams are in the barbershop collection.
If you'd like to look beyond fragrances labeled masculine, there are the woody fragrances and niche perfumery collections, and the women's selection is under women's perfume.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fragrance for men?
There's no single best fragrance for men: the choice starts with the scent family you like. Among fresh scents there's Creed's Silver Mountain Water, among woody ones L'Artisan Parfumeur's Timbuktu, created by Bertrand Duchaufour and inspired by a journey to Mali, and among leather scents Knize Ten, created in 1925.
What's a good fresh fragrance for men?
For a fresh men's fragrance, you can start with Creed's Silver Mountain Water, described as a fresh scent. Aventus Cologne opens with ginger, mandarin and pink pepper, and Venetian Blue by The Merchant of Venice is a marine fougère with lemon, bergamot, apple and pineapple. Dries Van Noten's Crazy Basil is a green scent built on basil and cedar.
What is a leather fragrance like Knize Ten?
A leather fragrance is one in which the leather accord dominates. In Knize Ten, from 1925, leather prevails over a green, citrus opening, with a floral heart and a base of spices, woods and vanilla notes. On the same theme there's Creed's Tabarome, a modern take on tobacco and leather, and Tom Ford's Ombré Leather.
What's the difference between Knize Ten and Ten Golden Edition?
Ten Golden Edition is a special reserve commissioned by Heinz Gottschalk in 2000 for the 75th anniversary of Knize Ten. It starts from the original formula but is rounder, less dry and woody, with a more pronounced contribution from the floral notes. The name Knize Ten comes from the highest handicap in polo.
What does splash mean for a fragrance?
Splash refers to a bottle without an atomizer, while a spray mists the fragrance. Knize Ten comes as an eau de toilette in both versions and also as an aftershave lotion. The composition is the same, so the choice simply comes down to how you prefer to apply it.
What are good extrait de parfum fragrances for men?
Among the extraits are Nasomatto's Duro and Pardon, both in 30 ml. Duro is a spicy woody the house dedicates to male virility, and Pardon is a powdery floral that, according to the house, evokes charm and elegance. From Amouage there's Reflection 45 Man, a woody, amber extrait de parfum.
What are good woody, spicy fragrances for men?
Among the spicy woody scents is Amouage's Interlude Man, a fragrance with no florals and dry, piercing notes. Giorgio Armani's Stronger With You Intensely is a woody oriental with fougère accents that opens with pink pepper and lavender. Finally, in Comme des Garçons' Blackpepper, Madagascar pepper meets cedarwood.
What's a good oud fragrance for men?
For an oud fragrance for men, look to Montale, the house behind Honey Aoud and Aoud Leather. The first blends honey, Sumatran patchouli, Ceylon cinnamon, leather, amber and vanilla; the second is a spicy leather with pepper, cardamom and saffron over oud and ambergris. Comme des Garçons' Blackpepper contains Akigalawood, with patchouli and agarwood.
Which men's fragrances come with a matching aftershave?
Knize Ten has its own aftershave lotion, and Geo F. Trumper pairs Eucris with an alcohol-free, glycerin-based aftershave to use before or after shaving. From the same house, the Sandalwood line has the cologne and the aftershave in travel size. Finally, Acca Kappa offers the 1869 shaving foam, made with the house's 1869 fragrance.
