Best men’s fragrances and colognes 2024: find your signature scent and good gift ideas

We’ve rounded up our picks of the best men's fragrances, including classics from Hugo Boss, Tom Ford, Chanel and more

The best men's fragrances and colognes make you feel put together on a big day, put you in a good mood, and even make people remember you, so finding the right one is extremely important.

With so many men's fragrances and colognes to choose from, it can be hard to narrow down what you like and what you're looking for, plus if you're looking for a gift for someone, it can be even harder. Are you a musk fan or do you prefer lighter scents? Are you fresh and floral or deep and amber? It's all down to personal preference so heading to your local fragrance stores to give the latest scents a whiff can be a huge help.

But if you prefer to shop online, finding the best fragrance can be a little difficult, as you can't smell it! But here, T3 has you covered with our list of the best men’s fragrances, for whether you’re looking for a delightfully scented gift for a loved one, or you're on the hunt for your own signature scent.

Looking for women's scents? Try our best women's fragrances and perfumes guide.

WRITTEN BY
Author
WRITTEN BY
Bethan Girdler-Maslen

Beth is Home Editor for T3, covering style, living and wellness. From the comfiest mattresses to what strange things you can cook in an air fryer, Beth covers sleep, yoga, smart home, coffee machines, grooming tools, fragrances, gardening and much more. If it's something that goes in your house, chances are Beth knows about it and has the latest reviews and recommendations.

The top three

Best men's fragrances 2024 ranking

Why you can trust T3 Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The best Woody Fragrances for Men

The best Fresh Fragrances for Men

The best Amber Fragrances for Men

The best Floral Fragrances for Men

How to choose the best fragrances for men

Not sure what you like, or aren’t sure how to put your own preferences into words?

Fragrance families can be a good starting point: scents will fall into a floral, fresh, fruity, citrus, oriental, woody or spicy category – all fairly straightforward and telling. But even the most high-end fragrances can suffer a little from poor application. Every sitcom has at least one episode where a young man heading out on his first date is chastised for wearing too much cologne, so don’t let that be you.

One spritz, on dry skin, will usually do for polite sillage (that’s how much the fragrance lingers in the air after you). Scents are best applied on the warmest parts of the body to help them project, so pick one spot out of the neck and lower jaw, chest, wrist and forearm, or inner elbow.

If you do apply to your wrists, don’t rub them together, as this can break the molecular bonds in the perfume and “kill” the note – and nobody wants that. Looking for more expert fragrance tips? Check out our guide on how to choose the right cologne or aftershave.

Men's fragrance FAQs

What's the difference between Aftershave, Eau de Toilette, Cologne and Perfume?

First off, let's clear up the difference between aftershave, eau de toilette, and cologne – it's a common misconception that the terms are interchangeable.

It's all to do with strength. An aftershave is the weakest, and is made up of around 1%-3% perfume oil. To help soothe your skin after a shave, it'll usually contain soothing and cooling ingredients, such as Aloe Vera. It should only last around two to three hours after application.

An eau de toilette (EDT) is made up of around 4%-8% of perfume oil. This is too much oil to apply to the face, so should be put on the 'pulse points' (neck, wrist, or chest). It should last around six to eight hours after application.

A cologne contains between 2%-5% oil, and is a happy medium between aftershave and EDT.

Finally, if you're looking for something really powerful, a parfum or perfume contains around 15%-30% oil. That means you only need a tiny amount on the pulse points to last for a long time. It is quite rare and expensive.

How we test the best fragrances for men

How we test

A selection of three men's fragrances on a wooden table. There is a green wall and dried flowers behind them.

(Image credit: T3)

We've all, at one point in our lives, gone into a shop, sprayed a few different colognes on our wrists, sniffed them straight away, and then made a snap decision on which one we like the most. This may seem like a good way to test fragrances, but it's not, and you'll be happy to know that at T3 we spend a little more time finding the best men's fragrances and colognes. 

We'll either spray the fragrance on blotter paper from around 15 centimetres away or test the fragrance on our own skin. This will give an accurate representation of what the scent actually smells like. 

We'll take in the strong top notes that hit straight away. Of course, we'll then continue to come back to the fragrance to test how it develops over time as the heart and base notes come out. This is important as this 'dry down' is what the fragrance will be like for most of the day.

It's important to mention we don't test men's fragrances in a lab at T3 – we use them just as you would. This lets us know how they develop in the real world and means we can give accurate recommendations based on our experiences.

Bethan Girdler-Maslen
Home Editor

Beth is Home Editor for T3, looking after style, living and wellness. From the comfiest mattresses to what strange things you can cook in an air fryer, Beth covers sleep, yoga, smart home, coffee machines, grooming tools, fragrances, gardening and much more. If it's something that goes in your house, chances are Beth knows about it and has the latest reviews and recommendations!


Having always been passionate about writing, she’s written for websites, newspapers and magazines on a variety of topics, from jewellery and culture, to food and telecoms. You can find her work across numerous sites, including Wedding Ideas Magazine, Health & Wellbeing, The Bristol Post, Fashion & Style Directory, TechRadar, CreativeBloq and more. In her spare time, Beth enjoys running, reading, baking and attempting craft projects that will probably end in disaster!

With contributions from