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Updated Mar 06, 2025The 10 Best Colognes for Men, from Every Day to Wedding Day
You already look the part–now it's time to smell it.
Photos: the Harmonist, Sephora, Dior
Scent has powerful ties to memory. It can easily take us back to a place, or moment from our past or even conjure a person from your past. As such, you certainly don't just roll up to your wedding (one of the most important days, IMO wearing deodorant and nothing else. Nope. To-be-weds are eager to not only find a fragrance for their wedding but a signature one to tie directly to the moment–it's as important a decision as your suit and shoes. Selecting a wedding day fragrance gives you a moment to pause and ponder: What do you want the best version of yourself to smell like?
Your wedding's vibe and venue can play into your decision, but it doesn't have to. For example, you may not want to wear a crisp, clean scent to an outdoor wedding with a bohemian decor. You might try something more outdoorsy instead. . Wearing a cologne for the first time at your wedding doesn't necessarily mean you'll never wear it again–it just means that every time you wear it after your wedding day it'll take you back in time.
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Editor's Top Picks: Best-Smelling Colognes for Men
I'm bringing some personal bias into this–I'm a big fragrance guy and have a rotation of about 9 or 10 on my dresser at any given time. I know a scent is a keeper when I pick up a new bottle after I run out rather than just trying something different. What follows are the most reliable of the bunch and the ones I tend to re-up on after they've run dry.
- Floral and Fresh: Boy Smells - Rose Load
- Sweet and Sultry: Harmonist - Hypnotizing Fire
- Spicy and Complex: Floris - No. 007
- Subtle and Simple: Jo Malone - Oud & Bergamot
- Musky and Masculine: Tom Ford - Ombre Leather
Best Colognes for Men in 2023
I've done a lot of market research here, which is to say every single time I'm in a menswear store or a department chain like Nordstrom I am guaranteed to lose five to ten minutes smelling any and all colognes in sight. What follows is a range of some of the best on the market and personal selections from my collection. I've done my best to curate a wide range of scents and, in turn, a wide range of vibes to suit any wedding environment. The cologne you're going to wear on your wedding day often comes down to personal taste, but I'd bet there's something of the below selections that will help make your wedding memories all the more special.
It's also worth noting that I know I'm not the only one who finds cologne descriptions a bit impenetrable. I can't look at a "sandalwood and amber" label and have any idea what that translates to in real life. While we're at it, I don't know the difference between a base scent and a top note. So I've done my best to break down what the manufacturer describes them as smelling like and then, in whatever terms I feel best get the message across, what they actually smell like.
Boy Smells: Rose Load
Photo: Boy Smells
What the bottle says: Floral and woody, rose petals, raspberry blossom, cardamom, papyrus, sandalwood
What it really smells like: Rose Load is the closest thing I have to an everyday scent. It's a genderless cologne that bridges the gap between traditionally feminine and masculine fragrances. The name really says it all: this will have you smelling like a fresh bouquet, in a good way. There are some woodier undertones to give it some balance and a bitter (in a good way) finish. It's a very Harry Styles kind of vibe.
When to wear it: Any time, any place, but especially outdoor weddings.
Vacation
Photo: Vacation
What the bottle says: Petitgrain essence, coconut water, bergamot, solar musk, banana, pineapple, sea salt
What it really smells like: Do you want to literally smell like the beach? Spritz some of Vacation's signature fragrance and bring the vibes with you to your wedding. This cologne smells like sunscreen, coconut water, and the ocean.
When to wear it: I mean, it's pretty perfect for a beach wedding. It would also probably work well for any sort of destination wedding near a beach. Think tropical.
Tom Ford: Soleil Blanc
Photo: Sephora
What the bottle says: Coco de Mer, Ylang Ylang Comores Islands, Cardamom
What it really smells like: Soleil Blanc is adjacent to Vacation–sort of its older brother that set the standard it reaches for. It's summery and beachy and kind of has a vanilla-coconut tone to it.
When to wear it: Spring or summer weddings are gonna be the sweet spot here. Gardens, beaches, and destination locales are the move.
The Harmonist: Hypnotizing Fire
Photo: The Harmonist
What the bottle says: Pepper tree, pimento berries, cloves, rose, patchouli, praline, vanilla
What it really smells like: Someone told me I smelt "like a candle, but not in a bad way" when I was wearing this. It's heavy on the sweet notes, with the vanilla and berries but balanced out well by pepper and patchouli.
When to wear it: In chillier weather and virtually any locale. Its cozy and familiar.Your spouse will thank you when they catch a whiff of this during the first dance.
Floris: No. 007
Photo: Floris
What the bottle says: Amber, bergamot, rose
What it really smells like: Like you're the world's greatest secret agent who's just stepped off of a boat and into a seaside bar in Jamaica. Floris developed No. 007 to celebrate 60 years of James Bond in film in 2022 and the result is a year-round fragrance that smells zesty, spicy, and lemony. No. 007 gets top billing on my dresser.
When to wear it: This is one for all locales and seasons, but it's also a sneaky good fit for beach and destination weddings–although I'd personally suggest leaning into the Bond of it all and wearing it with a tux.
Jo Malone: Oud & Bergamot
Photo: Sephora
What the bottle says: Oud and bergamot
What it really smells like: This one is fresh and clean with a hint of musk and mellowness. It's subtle, which can be a good thing.
When to wear it: This feels like a good fit for indoor weddings, be it in a church, banquet hall, or historical venue. Bergamot is colloquially known as the "prince of citrus" and it gives this fragrance a very regal vibe.
Ds & Durga: Amber Kiso
Photo: Todd Snyder
What the bottle says: Japanese cedar, incense, cypress, patchouli, hinoki, leather, treemoss
What it really smells like: Amber Kiso is rich, musky, and mysterious. Seriously, you're gonna smell like a bad boy from a romance novel wearing this fragrance, or like someone who's traveled the world and brought a little bit of every country you've visited back with you.
When to wear it: Amber Kiso feels like a good fit for colder weather, especially if the vibe of your wedding skews artsy and bohemian.
Dior: Gris Dior
Photo: Dior
What the bottle says: Jasmine, bergamot, a lot of flowery language about how it smells like the color grey (not even kidding).
What it really smells like: It's a unisex scent with clean, floral notes. It's like a way less intense Dior Sauvage had a baby with Boy Smells' Rose Load. It's on the subtler side, too. If Dior's other scents like Sauvage smell like a night out, Gris Dior is brunch the next morning.
When to wear it: This is another any time, any place fragrance, but it would pair perfectly with garden nuptials and cocktails in a historic venue, just saying.
Chanel: Bleu de Chanel
Photo: Chanel
What the bottle says: Cedar, sandalwood, aromatic-woody
What it really smells like: Bleu de Chanel is clean and masculine, a down-the-middle cologne that's rich, fragrant, and uncomplicated.
When to wear it: Personally, I get an indoor ceremony vibe from Bleu. It's got a refined scent that feels elegant, the sort of black-tie vibe that might suit a church or country club wedding.
Tom Ford: Ombré Leather
Photo: Sepohra
What the bottle says: Black leather, violet flower, jasmine flower
What it really smells like: Do you want to smell like James Dean? Okay, I don't actually know whatJames Dean smelled like but I have to imagine it was something like this. It's leathery, musky, and full of ambery tones thanks to patchouli and flower to balance out the intensity of the leather.
When to wear it: I can't explain it so you've going to have to trust me: this is a nighttime scent, regardless of setting. It's mysterious, masculine, and memorable in all the best ways.
