For the next heat wave, keep it cool with these refreshing smells.
Summer colognes are like shorts: no one needs them, but they sure do make you feel good. It’s nice to lighten up and air things out after a long winter of comfortable, comforting scents.
The key to making summer colognes is to use components that are associated with summer: citrus, plants, and flowers. There are even colognes with “marine” notes, which is a fancy way of saying “attempt to capture the scent of water.” This usually translates to a beachy scent, and if that isn’t summery, I don’t know what is.
Picking a summer scent with notes you’re already familiar with or known for wearing is the best way to go. Since we’re talking about men’s cologne, such notes are probably musk, wood, vetiver, or leather. You know, manly things. Summer colognes will contain the same ingredients as winter colognes, but will be blended with lighter scents to make them less heavy and more seasonally suitable.
The majority of summer colognes fall within the Fougère category, which translates to “fresh.” Herbaceous, pungent, and occasionally downright green, these smells are for you. Consider them your summer vacation colognes, ideal for times you need a change of pace. Additional benefit: they can make you feel like you’re outside even if you’re not. Whether you go full fougère or just dabble, the best summer colognes all have one thing in common: they make you feel lighter. This year, check out the top 15 summer colognes for men.
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Chanel Bleu For Men Eau De Parfum 100ML
Bleu de Chanel is a gentleman’s perfume. It’s crisp, sophisticated, and elegant, but not in the way that an elderly person would be. It doesn’t rely on musk like some more typical “gentleman” colognes do, instead relying on citrus and mint top notes blended with woody green undertones to provide a burst of freshness.
Ralph Lauren Polo Deep Blue For Men Parfum 125ML
Polo Blue is a summer fragrance classic, but the new Deep Blue version, if you can believe it, is even more summery. It features all of the original’s distinctive marine notes, plus Hawaiian Green Mango for a tropical vibe and CristalFizz, which adds a crispness that mimics a spray of seawater on your face.
Bottega Veneta Illusione For Men Eau De Toilette 90ML
Bottega Veneta Illusione For Him features all of the summer fragrance all-stars: woods, citrus, and vetiver. This cologne, which combines a mix of lemon, fir, and fougère notes to evoke the sensation of an afternoon spent in nature, would smell like a trip through the woods if it could be bottled.
Ovation For Men by Shawn Crenshaw
This exquisite fragrance combines bergamot, vetiver, and tobacco with other classic masculine components to create something elegant and modern. It’s clean yet musky at the same time, making it great for a man who wants the best of both worlds.
Costa Azzurra Acqua Cologne by Tom Ford
Costa Azzurra Acqua is fresh and woody (due to juniper berries and myrtle), as well as crisp and bright (thanks to lemon and something called cistus). A spritz of this perfume transports you immediately: it’s like sunning on a yacht’s deck before diving into the ocean to cool off.
Calvin Klein Eternity For Men Eau De Toilette 100ML
Eternity by Calvin Klein is a classic fougere, and this new edition is no exception. This scent smells green with a capital G, much like the juice. The list of ingredients reads like a garden inventory (apple, sage, lavender, geranium) and makes you smell like you’ve spent the day in one (in a good way).
Armani Acqua Di Gio Profundo Pour Homme
Acqua Di Gio, another popular summer perfume, has been reimagined for 2020. To create a powerful and mature aroma, this Profundo version combines botanicals like rosemary, lavender, and cypress with woods like patchouli. It’s summery enough to wear all season, but appropriate enough to wear when the holiday is done.
Toy Boy by Moschino
Because of a high quantity of Italian bergamot, Moschino Toy Boy smells fresh and floral when first sprayed. The middle note of clove, as well as the base notes of amber and sandalwood, dry down to something deeper and sexier the longer you wear it. It’s like going directly from the beach to the club.
Moroccan Leather Cologne by Memo Paris
Memo Paris Moroccan Leather has a lot of leather in it, but it’s lightened up for summer with florals like orange blossom and iris. Greens like vetiver and spices like pepper, on the other hand, may make you scent like a foreign traveler even if you’ve never left your hometown.
Huntsman Birch & Black Pepper Cologne by Jo Malone London
To be appropriate for summer, colognes do not have to be fully green and fresh. Jo Malone Huntsman Birch & Black Pepper, for example. This woody, spicy smell, developed in conjunction with Savile Row tailors Huntsman, is traditional, like the musk you wear in the winter, but it’s lighter and won’t overshadow your summer thoughts.
