The 12 Best Fresh Colognes for Men

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Men’s fragrance has a rich history when it comes to fresh scents. One could argue that the original colognes were what we now consider “fresh.” In fact, the term cologne actually refers to a less concentrated (aka lighter) kind of perfume that generally relies on citrus notes like lemon and orange. These days, we tend to use that term colloquially for any fragrance that men wear, but it’s no surprise that so many men’s scents are still all about bringing the freshness.

Wearing a fresh cologne can instantly liven your mood by making you feel (and smell) cleaner and, well, fresher. You’ll still find a lot of citrus in these fragrances, but you’ll also often find florals, green notes from herbs, and aquatic elements like sea salt and ozone. Often inspired by nature, fresh scents are all about capturing the feeling of being outside and bringing it straight to your skin. This also makes them incredibly versatile and very appropriate for daytime and warm-weather wear (though many fresh colognes are equally suitable year-round).

If you think fresh colognes are one-note, think again. Fresh fragrances make up a huge portion of men’s perfumery, so you’ll find a nearly infinite variety. While many share similar olfactory signatures, you’ll be surprised at how different they smell. So no matter what kind of fragrances you’re drawn to, there is a fresh cologne out there for you. We sniffed and smelled and wafted until we found the absolute best available.

Imagination

This citrus-forward cologne is deceptively simple. The optimistic scent is a brilliant blend of citruses with a tinge of sweetness and a hint of spice warmed up with a subtle base of amber and wood. It smells great at first spritz but really blooms when it has time to dry onto your skin, giving you a luxurious freshness that’s equally attention-grabbing during the day or night.

Polo Eau de Toilette

There have been many iterations of Polo through the years, but the original, which debuted in 1978, has stood the test of time. Today it smells traditional, sure, but in a throwback masculine way that’s impossible to argue with. There’s a lot going on in terms of notes, but the overall effect is fresh and herbal with a hint of spice and a semisweet, musky dry down. It’s a versatile cologne for guys who like a crowd-pleaser with a bit of tradition.

Terre d’Hermès Eau de Toilette

There’s a slight nostalgic feel to this fresh and woody cologne, but it’s anything but musty. Instead, it feels timeless, just like Hermès itself. The brightness of the citrus mixes with woods and earthy patchouli as it dries on your skin, leaving a distinctive, confident scent. It’s the kind of fragrance you wear with a crisp white shirt open at the collar and a well-tailored but relaxed linen suit.

L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Eau de Toilette

This classic cologne gets a lot of attention for its unique mix of citrus, which gives the opening its distinctive character. (Maybe it’s the yuzu.) But as you wear it, you’ll notice a clean, soapy quality that makes you feel and smell like you just took the best shower of your life. It’s not in-your-face but subtle and unobtrusive. It’s the kind of fresh cologne that is just aching to be worn outside.

Light Blue Pour Homme Eau de Toilette

If Dolce & Gabbana can be trusted with anything, it’s capturing the vibe of the Italian coast. This fresh, pleasing cologne is all about the intense burst of sharp citrus at the top that makes it instantly uplifting. (You’ll notice its fruits are all found in Italy.) The dry down is equally special, with a smooth, woody feeling plus a hint of spice from the pepper. It’s unequivocally masculine but still subtle and light. Wear it with your best swimsuit.

Sea Salt + Driftwood Eau de Parfum

The fresh, salty, and aquatic combination of this cologne has a nostalgic quality that recalls the iconic scents of the ’90s but with a modern update. It’s lighter, crisper, and just a tad more subtle. Think of this as the grown-up equivalent of a post-workout body spritz. It instantly makes you feel fresher and cleaner, but it’s way more elegant than something that comes in a can.

Green Irish Tweed

The citrus in the opening of this cologne is crisp but also green, not sharp like the citrus you’re used to, and as it dries, floral notes like iris emerge to produce a natural, outdoorsy vibe. Once it dries down on your skin, it takes on a clean quality that’s smooth and slightly woody, like a very expensive, very elegant soap. It’s a classic (released in 1985) for a reason.

Allure Homme Eau de Toilette

Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy list of notes—that’s kind of the point of this one. There’s a lot going on, which can make it hard to pin down with just your nose. The vibe seems to evolve quickly, but it starts with a burst of citrus that sticks around for a fresh, clean feeling, then slowly transforms into something sweeter, muskier, and more powdery. It’s a mature, nostalgic fragrance that isn’t aggressive but instead creates a sense of allure.

Gentle Fluidity Silver Eau de Parfum

This unisex scent is an exercise in subtlety, despite its well-known longevity. (It really does last for hours.) A slightly boozy freshness from the juniper berries mixes well with the tinge of spices, yet somehow that makes it feel fresher instead of spicier. The musk, amber, and vanilla combine on your skin to produce a smooth, skin-like quality that never loses its fresh feeling. It’s quite obviously a niche IYKYK type of scent, like “quiet luxury” in a bottle.

MYSLF Eau de Parfum

Apart from the initial burst of freshness from the double dose of bergamot in the top note, this cologne gets most of its freshness from orange blossom. The chic, clean, white floral note sticks around and rises above all the others, even during the dry down, leaving you smelling light and fresh, but not like a bowl of potpourri. It’s an incredibly versatile cologne, yet somewhat unexpected for a men’s scent.

Geranium Pour Monsieur

Unlike many fresh fragrances that get their zingy freshness from citrus, this unique cologne is all about the burst of mint. It’s the kind of mint you get from fresh herbs, not a cloying, fake, chewing-gum mint. The geranium in the name is more of a supporting character, giving the mint a smooth, floral quality that tempers the herbaceousness a bit but doesn’t take away its bite. It’s a bright, refreshing cologne that, while ideal for warm seasons, is equally wearable year-round.

Colonia Eau de Cologne

While this one is all about the citrus, there’s also a clean, soapy quality that calls to mind the type of wood-paneled barbershops your grandfather would visit to get his shave. It’s a traditional scent but still feels wearable today. A true eau de cologne, this is on the lighter side but mingles with your skin effortlessly to produce a clean, fresh vibe even after it’s gone a bit quiet. It’s the kind of fragrance you wear with everything.

What to Look For in a Fresh Cologne

Of course, fragrance is always a deeply personal choice and it’s hard to tell how you’ll respond to a scent based on the notes alone, but that’s always a good place to start. Most fresh fragrances will have an element of citrus that helps to give them their zing, but you’ll also find herbs, florals, and other notes.

Arguably the most important aspect of any cologne is the dry down—the part that sticks around your skin the longest. You’ll often find ambers, woods, and plants like patchouli and vetiver that help to ground the more fleeting top notes to your skin. Dry down also contributes to the longevity of the scent, which is another important factor.

Eau de colognes and eau de toilettes are the least concentrated, and while they tend to be fresher, they also don’t last as long. You won’t find very many eau de parfums that are considered fresh, but when you do, you can trust they’ll stick around longer due to their higher concentration.

Why Trust Us

We’re not going to say something is great unless it’s actually great. Every Esquire roundup is carefully curated by our grooming and e-commerce teams.

When it comes to fragrance, one of the most important grooming items a man can have, you can rest assured that we’re hand-selecting scents that we’ve personally tried, tested, and loved. Our grooming editor, Garrett Munce, along with the rest of the style team, has spent years spritzing, spraying, wearing, and test-driving hundreds (thousands!) of colognes, and we are confident that these are the best.

Every product on this list (and our other lists) is chosen based on these years of testing. We know that no two tastes are the same, no two men are the same, and how you want to smell may differ from how someone else wants to smell. But if you’re looking for the right place to start, with advice from folks who care (possibly too much!) about this sort of stuff, this is the place to be.

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