Whether you're shopping for a special occasion scent or a daily fragrance to store in your gym bag, there's never a bad time to work out what are the best aftershaves for men. Unfortunately, without the proper help, the world of men's fragrances can be as layered as a pantomime dame and as confusing as the story in a Christopher Nolan movie. Tenet, anyone?
Still, armed with a little know-how, you can pick a fragrance that matches your personality, complements your look and suits any occasion — from parties to weddings, first dates to meeting the in-laws. Your chosen aftershave needn't break the bank either.
Below, we walk you through the most important points to consider when it comes to choosing your fragrance. And, in a bid to pin down the best perfume for men – or, at least narrow your potential options down somewhat – we've picked out 20 of our favourite fragrances across a wide spectrum of scents to help you find your signature bottle, no matter your preferences.
1
Best Sophisticated Fragrance for Men
DIOR Homme Eau de Toilette, 50ml
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2
Best Luxury Perfume for Men
Creed Aventus Eau de Parfum, 50ml
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3
Best Perfume for Men Who Don't like Perfume
ESCENTRIC MOLECULES Molecule 01 30ml
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4
Best Long-Lasting Fragrance for Men
Givenchy Gentleman Givenchy Eau de Toilette Spray, 50ml
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5
BEST FRESH FRAGRANCE FOR MEN
LE LABO Baie 19 - Eau de Parfum
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6
Best Herbaceous Scent For Men
AESOP Tacit Eau de Parfum 50ml
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7
Best Environmentally-Friendly Fragrance for Men
Laboratory Perfumes Amber Eau de Toilette, 100ml
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8
Best Strong-Scented Perfume for Men
Guerlain Homme Eau De Parfum 100ml
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9
Best Sustainable Fragrance For Men
Calvin Kelin Ck Everyone Eau De Toilette, 200ml
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10
Best Balanced Fragrance For Men
Maison Margiela Replica By The Fireplace Eau De Toilette, 100ml
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The Difference Between Aftershave, Eau De Toilette, Eau de Parfum, and Cologne
The difference between aftershave, eau de parfum, eau de toilette and cologne is often overlooked. While most blokes use the terms interchangeably when talking about scents, they actually refer to different products with distinct potencies and price points.
Eau de Parfum
Generally the most expensive of the group, eau de parfum can last up to eight hours and contains a concentration of between 15 and 20 per cent perfume oils. It's the most common dilution on the market and is the best option if you're looking for richer, deeper notes. Less is always more.
Eau de Toilette
Packing up to 8% perfume oils, eau de toilette is an ideal option for everyday use. It lasts around six hours, so keep a spare bottle on-hand for a top up if you plan on heading out for a long time. Keep it to your pulse points: neck, wrist and chest.
Cologne
This product has a lower concentration of perfume oils, around 5%. It usually lasts three or four hours and can be reapplied if necessary, but won't deliver the same effects of an eau de parfum or eau de toilette.
Aftershave
Containing between one and 3% perfume oils, aftershave is the weakest option, and will linger for two to three hours. The best aftershave for men is meant to contain moisturising, cooling ingredients like aloe vera, since it's designed to soothe your skin straight after a shave. Aftershave is also used as an umbrella term for 'fragrance'.
How to Choose the Best Aftershave for You
Start with scents you're familiar with and already like. The smell of your daily shampoo, a scented Tom Ford candle your partner gave you or even the fabric conditioner you use when washing your gym kit. The lightest whiff of a fragrance is enough to trigger buried memories, thanks to the 450 receptors connected to the olfactory bulb — your brain's smell centre. If you're still unsure, stick with fragrance families: citrus, fern, floral, oriental and wood.
When testing a new fragrance, spritz it directly on your skin to get a picture of how the aroma interacts with your natural scent. Avoid wearing any potent products on the same day and let the fragrance settle for at least 30 minutes, so all the notes are fully disclosed. Perfumed fragrances are created with top, medium – or 'heart' – and base notes that tend to dissolve relatively equally over time, ensuring the smell remains balanced. The top and medium notes hit the receptors in your nostrils first, followed by base notes that last longer and stick with you.
How to Apply Aftershave
After a shower, spray the fragrance onto your chest while you're still undressed. Then put your shirt or t-shirt on and spritz your neck and shoulders; it'll disperse as you walk. Try not to go overboard, or you'll risk smelling like you've had a fistfight in a perfume shop – moderation is key – and don't rub your wrists together if you apply it there, as it can damage the compounds in the fragrance.
To make sure your scent goes the distance, keep the bottle in the cool, dry environment, avoiding temperature fluctuations and direct sunlight – so, not the windowsill in the bathroom or the dresser above the radiator. Moisture and heat degrade the ingredients rapidly, which kills the scent. If your fragrance has changed smell or colour, or the liquid has become thinner or thicker, it's probably gone off.
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Described by its creator François Demachy as having an 'unmistakably virile signature' – take from that what you will – this eau de toilette combines leathery cedar, earthy patchouli and woody vetiver notes for a bold, intense fragrance.
Fragrance notes | Intensely woody masculinity |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
Launched to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the brand, Aventus is modern and dynamic. Notes of blackcurrant and Italian bergamot are blended with Calville Blanc apples for a sophisticated, rich fragrance. To be worn confidently and applied sparingly.
Fragrance notes | Pineapple, blackcurrant, apple, bergamot |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
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Dubbed 'the fragrance for those who don't like fragrance', Molecule 01 contains just one ingredient: Iso E Super – a cedar-like, velvety aroma-molecule that doesn't exist anywhere in nature. The entire Escentric Molecules range is designed to meld with the wearer's natural pheromones.
Fragrance notes | Subtle, velvety, woody |
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Fragrance type | Eu de toieltte |
4
Best Long-Lasting Fragrance for Men
Givenchy Gentleman Givenchy Eau de Toilette Spray, 50ml
Now 19% Off
Classics are hard to reimagine, but Givenchy Gentleman eau de toilette is an elegant choice. Floral without being sweet, with fresh pear, warm cardamom and lavender. It's like an unstructured blazer in perfume form: always appropriate, never out of style.
Fragrance notes | Pear, orris, lavender, leather, Patchouli |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
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Le Labo is described as the haute couture of the fragrance industry, which explains the price. But what does it smell like? An 'ode to heavy rain after a prolonged dry spell', Baie 19 is fresh and herbaceous with notes of juniper berry, patchouli and green leaves.
Fragrance notes | Juniper berry, patchouli and green leaves |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
Crisp, citrusy and green with a herbaceous undercurrent – that'll be the Basil Grand Vert, a type of large-leaved basil – Tacit is inspired by the culture and vegetation of the Mediterranean coastline. It's striking and subtle all at once.
Fragrance notes | Grand Vert basil and fresh citrus |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
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Inspired by the British countryside and coast, this environmentally-friendly, cruelty-free fragrance is designed to evolve throughout the day – starting with bright greenery that develops into rich spice before mellowing into earthy wood and balmy ambergris.
Fragrance notes | Wood and ambergris with grassy, spicy top notes |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
With top notes of mojito, lime, mint and bergamot, a middle of riubardo, green tea and pelarganium and a rum, cedar and vetiver base, this Guerlain Homme is a fresh, mysterious and intense scent. The cap features a guilloché detail borrowed from the world of watch-making.
Fragrance notes | Mojito, lime, mint and bergamot |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
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So you're probably already familiar with CK One, but the latest version of this classic fragrance is vegan, made from naturally-derived alcohol and infused with ingredients derived from natural origins – including ginger, orange oil and blue tea.
Fragrance notes | Blue tea, orange oil, cedarwood |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
10
Best Balanced Fragrance For Men
Maison Margiela Replica By The Fireplace Eau De Toilette, 100ml
Now 68% Off
The creation of Belgian designer Martin Margiela, the Replica series looks to capture a moment in time – literally. This one, said to be reminiscent of Chamonix in 1971, is intended as a bottled memory of 'burning wood and chestnut'. It sounds heavy, but orange flower petals, clove oil, vanilla and Peru balsam balance out the heady middle notes.
Fragrance notes | Cade, cashmeran, chestnut |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
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A woody, aromatic fragrance from French luxury beauty brand Sisley. If the bottle, designed by Polish sculptor Bronislaw Krzysztof, wasn't already standout enough, the scent inside is even more compelling. You'll find notes of bergamot, bitter orange, iris, jasmine, white tea, ambergris, vetiver and more.
Fragrance notes | Lentisk, bitter orange, bergamot, lemon, iris, jasmine, orange pekoe tea, reeds, green cistus, sandalwood, vetiver |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
Black pepper, orchid and amber wood create an enigmatic fragrance from AllSaints that's best described as woody and floral. The bottle is equally edgy, featuring daguerreotypes of orchids on the back.
Fragrance notes | Black pepper, smoky orchid, amberwood |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
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13
Best His & Her's Fragrance For Men
Tiffany & Co. Tiffany & Love For Him Eau de Toilette, 90ml
Now 20% Off
The understated bottle look great on your shelf, and the citrusy, aromatic scent will turn heads too – with notes of ginger, mandarin, cardamom, juniper-cypress, sandlewood, vetiver and blue sequoia. It has a matching scent for her, 'created as a tribute to modern love'.
Fragrance notes | Cardamom, juniper, cypress, blue Sequoia |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
Spritzing on this scent feels akin to diving into the crystal-clear water of the Cote D’Azur sea. That's the intention from Tom Ford, who combined zesty lemon, juniper, pine, woody Cypress oil and myrtle to create an irresistibly fresh fragrance.
Fragrance notes | Cypress oil, oakwood extract and salty amber |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
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Described by its creator Elsa Chabert as 'an olfactory metaphor for Churchill's famous favourites; whisky and tobacco', Tobacco Absolute blends notes of ginger, bergamot, cedarwood, violet, Peruvian balsam and patchouli to deliver a robust, woody scent reminiscent of nutmeg.
Fragrance notes | Ginger, bergamot, cedarwood, violet, Peruvian balsam and patchouli |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
AllSaint's Sunset Riot leads with notes of pink pepper and rose. Orange flower brings a punchy citrus kick that delivers brightness and freshness, balanced with earthy cedarwood undertones for added warmth.
Fragrance notes | Cedarwood, orange flower, pink pepper |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
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From a sophisticated, timeless fashion house: a sophisticated, timeless scent. It's aromatic and woody, with a citrus freshness – you'll find notes of nutmeg, ginger, patchouli, mint, jasmine, grapefruit, incense, cedar and pink pepper.
Fragrance notes | Nutmeg, ginger, patchouli, mint, jasmine, grapefruit, incense, cedar and pink pepper |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
Prada's Luna Rossa Ocean is a fragrance of contrasts. The masculine scent mixes refreshing bergamot with the extreme sophistication of vetiver, tonka bean and elegant notes of iris, which means it works whether you're lifting iron at the gym or need something for a special occasion.
Fragrance notes | Bergamot, iris, vetiver, tonka bean |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |
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With Montblanc Legend you have two options, you could opt for the cheaper eau de toilette or you could go for the eau de parfum, where fresh violet leaves, a floral note of Magnolia and a captivating trail of vibrant wood leather will linger long into the night. We know which we prefer.
Fragrance notes | Leather, magnolia, violet leaves |
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Fragrance type | Eau de parfum |
A take on the brand's signature 'Love Oil' – created in the 1920s and reintroduced in 1963 – this warm, gentle fragrance leads with creamy, fresh citrus, followed by rose, ylang-ylang and neroli, and finished with tonka nut and musk (of course).
Fragrance notes | Citrus, rose, ylang-ylang, neroli |
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Fragrance type | Eau de toilette |