The 10 Best Men's Cologne

Dior Sauvage has been the world's best-selling fragrance since 2021. It opens with bright bergamot and pepper, then dries down to a smooth, slightly salty woody note. The blend is fresh enough for the office and strong enough for a night out, so it suits a lot of people. That popularity is also the drawback: it was designed to please a crowd, so it smells like everyone else's. This bottle comes from a reseller, not Dior.

Clean and sea-air fresh, Armani Acqua di Giò has stayed in production since 1996. Marine notes and bergamot lead over jasmine, rosemary and cedar, with white musk underneath. It's light and bright rather than sweet, so it suits hot weather, offices and anyone who dislikes heavy vanilla scents. As an eau de toilette, it fades sooner than an eau de parfum, so plan on a touch-up later in the day. Plenty of people will recognize it on you.

For evenings, Azzaro The Most Wanted Parfum is a warm, sweet scent at parfum strength, the most concentrated kind. Red ginger opens over toffee and bourbon vanilla, with woods at the base; think caramel and spice, not soap and citrus. The Decantary, a fragrance retailer, estimates it lasts half a day or more with strong projection. It's built for cool nights, dinners and dates, and in summer heat or a small office it can be too much.

Versace Eros is a loud, sweet eau de toilette for people who want their scent noticed. It's usually described as mint and green apple over tonka bean and vanilla, a candy-fresh mix, and the teal glass bottle has the Medusa head molded on the front. Go easy on the sprays, since sweet scents carry far. It shines on nights out and in cool weather, but it can read as too sugary for daytime or a quiet office.

The men's version of Armaf Club de Nuit Intense brings a smoky, fruity designer-style scent at a low cost. It moves from bright lemon, pineapple and black currant to smoky birch and soft vanilla as it dries. It's often compared to Creed Aventus, a far pricier scent, though Armaf doesn't claim to copy anything. Claims of all-day wear are only an estimate, and the bottle is plain matte black with a heavy square cap.

Yves Saint Laurent Y eau de parfum sits between fresh and warm. Apple, sage and bergamot open it, and tonka bean rounds out a clean, polished scent made for work and every day. One retailer estimates it lasts most of a workday. The dark navy bottle fades to clear, and other strengths come in similar bottles, so check that the label says eau de parfum. It's a safe choice rather than a memorable one.

Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian created Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male in 1995, and it still comes in its famous bottle, a glass male torso in a striped sailor shirt. It pairs barbershop freshness with dessert warmth: mint, lavender and cardamom up top, then vanilla, sandalwood and tonka underneath. A nightclub staple in the late 1990s, it now reads as a retro choice. Many versions share the torso bottle, so check that the label says eau de toilette.

Dry, grown-up and woody, Ralph Lauren Polo is the original green-bottle Polo from 1978. Green herbs open it, then pine, patchouli and oakmoss, with leather and tobacco underneath. Nothing about it is sweet, and it's made for fall and winter. The deep green bottle and brass cap are now refillable. It's strong, so one or two sprays are plenty, and younger noses can find it old-fashioned.

From a family-owned company in the United Arab Emirates known for low-cost Arabian-style scents, Lattafa Asad is a warm, spicy eau de parfum. Black pepper, pineapple and tobacco open it, coffee and iris follow, and amber, vanilla and dry woods settle at the base, for a dark, sweet scent sold as unisex. Lattafa claims long wear, but no independent figures back it, and it's too heavy for hot days or close quarters.

A low-risk first bottle for a teenager or anyone unsure about cologne, Nautica Voyage is a simple, fresh eau de toilette made by Coty. Green apple opens it, water lotus sits in the heart and cedarwood anchors the base, for a clean, slightly watery scent that works for school or the gym bag. It's light, so it can need a second spray by afternoon, and it won't make much of an impression in the evening.