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The Best Cologne for Men in 2024 to Smell Great and Feel Confident
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Men have more than 400 types of complex olfactory receptors in our brains. Evolutionary science suggests they initially helped with survival, but today they affect the way we enjoy food, nature, and even romantic relationships. Consider that the next time you decide to walk out the door without putting on a men’s cologne (a blanket term we’ll use in this story for all types of fragrance).
“Fragrance is a way to communicate one’s individuality,” says Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation in New York City. “It’s an invisible accessory that has incredible power to define, attract, and empower.” She also mentions cologne for men has been linked to higher self-reported levels of wellbeing.
The best smelling cologne for men—and those it can attract—is highly subjective. Everyone’s tastes are different. However, we recommend you not let your body wash or deodorant be the first thing people smell. Because that’s what too many men do and, frankly, you deserve better. With men’s cologne, you want to stand out. But with so many options out there, it’s best not to start from scratch.
In my search for the top cologne for men—ranging from the best cologne for young men to the best cheap cologne—I found
And for some of the other greatest hits from our 2024 Men's Journal Grooming Awards, including best face sunscreen, shaving cream, aftershave, beard oil, and beard brushes.
Best Cologne for Men at a Glance
- Overall Best Cologne for Men:
Armani/Privé Santal Dan Sha - Best Award-Winning Cologne:
Arquiste L’Or de Louis - Best Travel Cologne: Le Labo Lavande 31 Liquid Balm
- Best Cologne for Young Men:
Calvin Klein Eternity for Men - Best Intense Cologne: Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Coral Fantasy
- Best Cologne With Well-Rounded Ingredients: Caswell-Massey 2571
- Best West Coast Cologne:
Baxter of California Valley Mist - Best Eclectic Cologne: Fulton & Roark Thousand Palms
- Best Luxury Cologne: Parfums de Marly Perseus
- Best Italian Cologne:
Ferragamo Red Leather - Best Smoky Cologne:
Tom Ford Oud Minerale - Best New Cologne:
Montblanc Legend Blue - Best Boutique Cologne:
DS&Durga Black Magenta - Best Celebrity Cologne:
David Beckham Aromatic Greens - Best Cologne for Date Night: Trudon VIXI
- Best Cheap Cologne:
Cremo Reserve Collection Palo Santo - Best Musky Cologne:
Kiehl’s Original Musk - Best Woody Cologne:
Diptyque Tam Dao - Best Cologne for a Night Out:
Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club - Best Classic Cologne:
Ralph Lauren Polo Blue - Best International Bestselling Cologne: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Aqua Media Cologne Forte
- Best Small-Batch Cologne: Officine Universelle Buly Triple Sumi Hinoki
Overall Best Cologne for Men: Armani/Privé Santal Dan Sha
Armani/Privé Santal Dan Sha Eau de Toilette is the best cologne for men.
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It’s the scent I kept using after testing concluded, and I highly recommend spending a bit more for its elevated experience. You won’t regret it when you start receiving heaps of compliments on how great you smell.
Best Award-Winning Fragrance for Men: Arquiste L’Or de Louis
Arquiste L’Or de Louis is our favorite award-winning cologne for men.
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Wearing boutique fragrances shows that you’re scent savvy, but also means you won’t smell like anyone else in the room.
Best Travel Cologne: Le Labo Lavande 31 Liquid Balm
Because it comes in a portable package, Le Labo Lavande 31 Liquid Balm is the best travel cologne.
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You don’t have to love lavender to get into this scent. Le Labo Lavande 31 Liquid Balm is mixed with bergamot and neroli (an essential oil made from bitter orange blossom) for fresh greenery to balance, as well as notes of amber and musk that make it slightly more masculine. Plus, this handy roll-on balm is great for travel and keeping your scent right where you want it, i.e. not on your clothes, if that’s not your thing.
Best Cologne for Young Men: Calvin Klein Eternity for Men
If you're just starting your fragrance journey, try Calvin Klein Eternity for Men, the best cologne for beginners.
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New to cologne?
Best Intense Cologne: Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Coral Fantasy
If you want a bold, statement-making fragrance, try Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Coral Fantasy.
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This scent is not for the faint of heart—or nose. However, Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Coral Fantasy is not as intense as the others in the Born in Roma collection. This one relies on fruit accords, amber, and sage to balance the tobacco base notes. It strikes a charming balance between intense and fresh—perfect for this time of year.
Best Cologne With Well-Rounded Ingredients: Caswell-Massey 2571
Caswell-Massey 2571 is earthy, woody, and herbaceous, making it a well-rounded cologne for any man.
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Caswell-Massey 2571 has it all—earthy cardamom, sandalwood, and cypress mixed with verdant bergamot and vetiver, plus powdery orris root for a scent that’s undeniably warm and rich. The ingredients span many different ingredient families, making it an incredibly balanced scent. Don’t want to commit to full size? Buy the travel size first instead.
Best West Coast Cologne: Baxter of California Valley Mist
Want to smell like the West Coast? Then you have to try Baxter of California Valley Mist cologne.
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You might know them for their Grooming Award–winning shampoo and conditioner, but this brand recently launched its first suite of fragrances.
Best Eclectic Cologne: Fulton & Roark Thousand Palms
Fulton & Roark Thousand Palms cologne is fruity yet unique, ensuring that you're the only man in the room with this particular fragrance.
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Fulton & Roark Thousand Palms will keep everyone on their toes. It’s woody and green at the start. As the day goes on, fresh mango, jalapeño, and coriander appear. It ends with earthy patchouli, incense, and amber. It’s a sexy, eye-opening blend inspired by the Mojave Desert that won’t get old.
Best Luxury Cologne: Parfums de Marly Perseus
Like to spend a little more on your cologne? You'll love Parfums de Marly Perseus, our favorite luxury fragrance.
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Named for and inspired by a famous forest outside Paris that inspired its ingredients, this brand creates some of the most high-end fragrances out there. So if you’re prepared to treat yourself, start with Parfums de Marly Perseus—a refreshing mix of sharp grapefruit, grassy vetiver, and dry woods that’ll keep people asking, “What are you wearing?”
Best Italian Cologne: Ferragamo Red Leather
You don't need to travel overseas to experience the best that Italy has to offer. Our favorite Italian cologne is Ferragamo Red Leather.
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You may know them for their famous loafers, but this fashion house knows its way around men’s cologne too.
Best Smoky Cologne: Tom Ford Oud Minerale
Tom Ford Oud Minerale cologne oozes a smoky musk that rivals the best cigars and whiskey.
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This iconic menswear designer is known as much for his fragrances as he is for his clothing. His love of deep scents like oud (an expensive oil derived from Arab agarwood) is expressed fully in
Best New Cologne: Montblanc Legend Blue
The best new cologne for men is Montblanc Legend Blue.
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One of the newest men’s colognes on this list, the aqua-inspired
Best Boutique Cologne: DS&Durga Black Magenta
DS&Durga Black Magenta, one of our favorite colognes of 2024, is made in-house at a boutique fragrance firm.
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This Brooklyn-based boutique fragrance house’s newest scent is meant to evoke the smells of New York nightlife (the good ones, anyway). Lean into the florals and hit the dance floor with pineapple and iris backed by dianthus—the scent’s magenta floral namesake—and dark, moody amber. Bonus:
Best Celebrity Cologne: David Beckham Aromatic Greens
You might not be able to bend it like Beckham, but you can certainly smell like him by using his signature cologne.
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Celebrity power doesn’t mean a scent will be good. In fact, they often disappoint. But the freakishly fresh scent of
Best Cologne for Date Night: Trudon VIXI
Trudon VIXI cologne is the perfect scent for date night.
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You might know this brand for its extraordinary candles or its heritage, which dates back to 1643. But now they make haute fragrances too. Trudon VIXI mixes Italian petitgrain and cardamom with Balkan sage, sandalwood, cedarwood, and Indian jasmine for a complex fragrance that’s worth every spray. It may be pricey, but these bottles are deceptively large. I dare you to finish the whole thing.
Best Cheap Cologne: Cremo Reserve Collection Palo Santo
Cremo Reserve Collection Palo Santo is a fantastic and affordable entry-level cologne.
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You know Palo Santo as those fragrant wood sticks that high-end shops will burn for a warm, intoxicating smell. But Cremo, makers of your favorite shaving products, uses it to create
Best Musky Cologne: Kiehl’s Original Musk
Kiehl’s Original Musk is a classic choice that brings out the best of your natural scent.
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Introduced in 1963,
Best Woody Cologne: Diptyque Tam Dao
Diptyque Tam Dao is the best woody cologne for men, standing out from a crowd of many other fragrances.
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Woody scents for men are far from groundbreaking these days.
Best Cologne for a Night Out: Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club
With a name like Jazz Club, Maison Margiela's cologne certainly captured the mood and smell of a fun night out.
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What’s cooler and sexier than a private jazz club filled with a wood bar, cigars, and whiskey?
Best Classic Cologne: Ralph Lauren Polo Blue
You've seen it on shelves. Now you want it on yours. Ralph Lauren Polo Blue is a classic cologne that's useful for every man and every occasion.
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How does one capture the scent of the seaside? With
Best International Bestselling Cologne: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Aqua Media Cologne Forte
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Aqua Media Cologne Forte is a favorite around the world for a reason. That's why it's on our list of the best colognes for men.
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The “nose,” or fragrance maker, behind each scent often goes unrecognized—except when they’re this good. Kurkdijian was the nose behind Jean-Paul Gaulier’s Le Male, an international, all-time bestseller.
In Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Aqua Media Cologne Forte, he mixes verbena extract, sweet fennel, bergamot, and musk. It’s the perfect blend of greenery and aqua notes that will transport you to the Calabrian seaside.
Best Small Batch Cologne: Officine Universelle Buly Triple Sumi Hinoki
Officine Universelle Buly Triple Sumi Hinoki, a small batch cologne, is something special, which is why it's on our best fragrances for men list.
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This boutique fragrance house makes everything on site. Officine Universelle Buly Triple Sumi Hinoki has a unique water base, versus many oil bases, that you shake first before spritzing. It’s a sexy cologne that combines smoked cypress, Japanese Hinoki wood, and incense for a distinctive scent that will show your high taste level and worldliness.
What to Look for When Choosing the Best Cologne for Men
Finding the right men’s cologne is a subjective, personal journey that should involve lots of trial and error. “Discovery is an essential part of the fragrance process,” says Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation. But first, let’s review some terminology.
“Cologne” is often used as a blanket term for men’s fragrance, but many of the scents in this list aren’t colognes at all. It all depends on the amount of essential oils present. Those with high amounts are called eau de parfum. Slightly less is eau de toilette. And those with the least amount of essential oils are eau de cologne. None of these are inherently better than the others, but the more essential oils in a men’s fragrance, the longer it will stick around.
Fragrances with more essential oils are going to be more expensive, but don’t be scared off. These are good investments when you consider the cost per wear. A $200 scent, when used daily, will only cost you 50 cents a day to smell amazing. A sound investment. Don’t believe us? Ask your significant other.
I tested these the same way you should: By smelling them on my skin. Part of the magic of fragrances is that they mix with your body’s own alchemy to create an original scent that’s different on every person. It’s simply not the same as smelling it on a piece of paper. So, don’t just pop the cap off and have a whiff. Test it on a pulse point like your wrist, forearm, or neck, where your body’s warmth will help circulate the scent.
More good news to make the experience easier: You don’t have to pick just one. It’s wise to have at least one lighter men’s cologne for warmer months and daytime events. But also buy a deeper, more intense winter cologne for men that’ll also work for formal events. Pro tip: You can also layer some of the simpler men’s colognes together to create something entirely new.
Other than avoiding cheap colognes that are too strong and contain high amounts of alcohol, there’s no wrong men’s fragrance to choose. But keep your standards high. Don’t settle for something that makes you think, “This is nice.” Instead, hold out for a scent that makes you say, “Holy crap, this is amazing. What is this?”
When you find a winner, keep it in a dry, cool place away from sunlight (i.e. not in your bathroom, which gets steamy with each shower!), and it will keep for three to five years.
Why You Should Trust Us
I’m a men’s grooming expert who’s been testing and writing about products for nearly 15 years. I’m the former fashion and grooming editor at Men’s Health, and my work has also appeared in Travel + Leisure, Bloomberg Pursuits, Rolling Stone, and more. I’ve also interviewed hundreds of dermatologists, research scientists, estheticians, and other skincare experts.
For this article, I contacted Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation in New York City. The foundation serves as the preeminent resource for the fragrance industry and awards the best fragrances each year. As the organization’s head, Levy’s expertise and influence in the fragrance world can’t be overstated.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.