Privacy PolicyContact UsColognes Home

Top 10 Colognes

Men’s colognes have evolved from their origins as a popular splash after a brief wash, in cold water, in the German city of Cologne. Over time colognes have been liberated from the traditional Old Spice type of fragrance to produce some exotic, classic and romantic scents a man can feel good about wearing.

Trends in Men’s Colognes

Men’s fashion has developed into a rainbow of colors and styles, and so have their fragrances. Scents that were the preserve of ladies and gentlemen of the theatre are acceptable and fashionable.

One example of this trend can be seen in recent colognes featuring patchouli, once an over-used scent of a hippy lifestyle. The sweet and mysterious oriental fragrance has been rehabilitated in recent offerings in tamed and well blended formulas.

Mens colognes now often feature floral scents like jasmine, rose, and vanilla. The arrival of these typically female elements in the world of men’s colognes indicates the world is ready for men to smell as good as women.

Types of Colognes

Six major categories of scents make up men’s colognes.

  1. Citrus colognes are sporty, fresh outdoor types scents, made from a large variety of lemon, orange, grapefruit and mandarin scents.
  2. Woody colognes feature sandalwood, cedar wood, redwood and more exotic notes such as aloes wood, the most expensive perfume in the world.
  3. Mossy or fougere type colognes smell like mossy woods, with the main elements such as of vetiver strongly featured.
  4. Leather colognes are strongly masculine in nature, reminiscent of a men’s club.
  5. Spicy colognes include notes like cardamom, cloves, black pepper and cinnamon.
  6. Romantic colognes blend flower scents such as jasmine and yang ylang in a new way to produce colognes which retain a masculine flavor with the addition of floral notes.

How to Store Colognes

Colognes that are properly stored will last for several years.

  • Never expose colognes to strong light. Keep them in their original packaging, if possible, since they are designed to protect the bottles from damage by sunlight.
  • Heat is another element which causes a shorter life for your colognes. Inside a cool room, such as bathroom, is a better choice than a heated bedroom.
  • Consider buying the spray version of any cologne you do not plan to use up in a few months, since bottles that permit splashes of cologne don’t last as well as sealed ones.
  • Sprays experience less alteration of their fragrance by air, dust and other contaminants which can enter open bottles.

The Top 10 Men’s Colognes

  1. Aqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani remains steadfastly at the top of most lists of men’s colognes. Women love its exotic blend of bergamot, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, rosemary, persimmon and patchouli. Reading the list of different notes which make up this popular cologne, it seems only a master perfumer could have combine them in a harmonious whole, since some of them are almost contradictory in nature. Perhaps that is the secret of this scent; which is often emulated, but has never been successfully copied. Neroli comes from the flower of the bitter orange tree, citrus aurantium, a very rare and costly perfume and one that has distinctly a female nature, while jasmine is considered the king of flowers, in the same way rose is the queen. They are both traditional aphrodisiacs, long known to produce euphoric states when used in their original essences. In the final analysis, this is a great example of a man’s cologne that suits many different ages and styles, which must account for its success.
  2. Cool Water for Men by Davidoff is another fragrance that appears on everyone’s favorite men’s cologne list. It is the opposite of the first fragrance, which shows just how diverse men’s scents have become. This cologne has a very sporty and outdoors vibe from its combination of coriander, sage, oak moss, rosemary and amber. The overall effect is sporty, but with later notes of spicy coriander and amber developing over time. The two of the ingredients, sage and rosemary give it a very clean scent, reminiscent of an old herbalist’s store, and are known to revive tired minds and help maintain concentration.
  3. Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche has been a successful men’s cologne for over a decade, due to its wide appeal and very masculine vibe. A classic fragrance, Drakkar Noir combines all he traditional citrus notes with woods, buts adds a touch of patchouli, a note much in vogue at present. This may account for its long run of popularity and recent resurgence, with a whole new generation of men discovering its appeal.
  4. Unforgivable by Sean John is a sublime blend of fruity and herbal tones, giving a fresh and bubbly sent the younger generation adore as its nothing like the colognes their fathers wore. The move to add fruits to fragrances, making them smell almost edible began with vanilla, a very popular note. The notes to this lively formula are rumored to include champagne, rum, lemon and basil, a heady “party” combination. Fans of the cologne cite its extraordinary staying power, with the deeper notes appearing throughout the day.
  5. Hugo by Hugo Boss provokes very strong reactions in all who test it, since the strongest note in this blend is a wood note that smells like fresh pine needles. It resembles the first fragrance, Acqua Di Gio in the way its green notes predominate, but the other ingredients of green apple, spearmint, jasmine, lavender, cedar, love and sage refine it into a blend for day or evening wear, suiting younger men.
  6. Obsession by Calvin Klein is another offering from the world of fashion design. An everyday man’s cologne with a twist on the traditional citrus and spice blend. The rather classic masculine scent features bergamot, lavender, mandarin, myrrh, nutmeg, amber and clove in a blend that allows the myrrh to breath through the other notes in a controlled manner to compliment the bergamot and create a memorable modern classic cologne.
  7. Eternity by Calvin Klein blends woods with floral notes to produce a classy and very masculine floral sent. The combination of lavender with jasmine, and rosewood with sandalwood is grounded by a hint of vetiver which acts as a base note and harmonizes between the flower and wood elements.
  8. Angel Men by Thierry Mugler is a romantic and exotic men’s cologne featuring both vanilla and patchouli, two very fashionable scents for this year. The female tendencies of these notes is tempered and controlled by the judicious use of coffee, peppermint and tonka bean to produce a very individual cologne that suits evening wear as much as day time activities.
  9. Polo for Men by Ralph Lauren is the supreme sporty man’s cologne, spending many years on the best sellers list due to its versatility at work and at play. A green scent featuring notes of juniper, cumin and basil, this cologne has become a modern classic, well known and recognized as a sign of good taste.
  10. Curve by Liz Claiborne is one of her finest offerings in a popular line of men’s colognes stretching back almost 20 years. Citrus fruits such as lime and bergamot combine nicely with the deeper notes of vetiver and musk to complement lavender, clove and sandal wood traces.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 10:47 am and is filed under Cologne, Men, Popular. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

Copyright © 2008 - 2009 Colognes.Net. All Rights Reserved.