Summer always seems to hit like a cannon-ball. One minute it’s snowing and the next it’s lemonade weather and everyone’s wearing swimsuits and sunbathing. Summer is a great season, but finding a good summer cologne can be hard.
Temperatures vary so much depending on cloud cover, whether it’s daytime or night-time, and these temperature swings all affect the way the scent reacts with your body.
In this article, we’ll give you the best summer men’s fragrances for all kinds of summer conditions and situations, so you can rest assured; there’s something here for you no matter what summer is like where you live.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
What Makes a Good Summer Scent?
Summer is hot (usually), and very sunny. The sun warms up the fragrance molecules on your body, and “activates” them.
For this reason, heavier fragrance notes, such as vanilla, incense, and spices aren’t recommended. When they heat up, they become really strong, sharp, and cloying. In close quarters, they can give those around you a wicked headache.
You’ll want to look for fresh notes, such as aquatic accords, citrus, and lighter woods. These tend to counter the heavy heat, and mix really well with the summer air. Not to mention, they add to the summer vibes.
How We Choose Our Scents
At More Scents than Sense, we choose our perfumes based on a few critical factors, and we never EVER settle for something that’s “just ok”.
We’ve worn these colognes, researched them, gotten feedback from people who smelled them so you can rest assured: they’ve passed all the nose tests we’ve thrown at them.
We then rate them in a number of categories to give you a comprehensive breakdown on where the scent shines, and where it might struggle.
Without further ado, here are the best men’s colognes for summer.
Acqua di Gio Profumo
It’s iconic. You’ve seen it, you’ve smelled it, and for good reason. Acqua di Gio Profumo is the best men’s fragrance for the summer. Long lasting, fresh, and masculine, Profumo checks all the boxes.
Building on the original and wildly popular Acqua di Gio, Profumo adds incense and patchouli. This gives the perfume more depth and complexity. Acqua di Gio is a great compliment getter, and performance is better than the original.
One downside to this cologne is that it isn’t very unique, and when you wear it, you won’t really stand out from the crowd. However, if you’re just looking for an all-around fragrance for the summer that smells great and will get you compliments, you can’t go wrong with Acqua di Gio Profumo.
I would recommend this scent for the man who wears button-up shirts in the summer and holds the door open.
If this scent were a color, it would be a deep green.
Occasion: Anytime in the summer
Compliments: 9/10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Scent: 8/10
Versatility: 9/10
Originality: 6/10
Club de Nuit Intense Man EDP
Club de Nuit Intense Man smells very similar to Creed’s Aventus. As such, you know that this men’s summer fragrance will consistently deliver compliments. Fruity, fresh-spicy, and woodsy, Club de Nuit is an excellent choice for the summer, even costing less than some other options on this list.
While it may be more cost friendly, there’s nothing cheap smelling about this perfume. It opens with a blast of citrus and pineapple before settling into a woodsy, smooth musk scent.
I chose to go with the EDP over the EDT in this instance because the EDP smells more complex and smooth, and even though it’s an EDP, and technically more concentrated, I’ve found that it has longer and more gentle sillage and projection.
This scent is for the man who wants to receive compliments for the perfume he is wearing, but doesn’t want to think much about the process.
If this scent was a color, it would be a deep yellow.
Occasion: Anytime in the summer
Compliments: 9/10
Longevity: 8/10
Scent: 8.5/10
Versatility: 8.5/10
Originality: 6/10
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male in the Navy
A salty-mint vanilla fragrance, JPG’s Le Male in the Navy is an excellent men’s cologne for the summer. The scent opens with mint and watery notes before settling into vanilla, sea notes, and musk.
It’s really amazing, and develops quite well on the skin. It smells very aquatic, like a sea breeze mixed with vanilla and fresh spices. The fragrance is pretty good as a compliment getter as well.
I would recommend this scent for the man who likes to lounge and stare out at the sea, particularly when there’s a gentle breeze to ruffle his hair and his clothes.
If this scent was a color, it would be the many blues of the sea.
Occasion: Summer vacations, breezy evenings, lazy summer days
Compliments: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
Scent: 9/10
Versatility: 8/10
Originality: 7.5/10
Kiehl’s Original Musk
Kiehl’s original musk is a really interesting unisex fragrance, and doesn’t smell like anything else on this list. If you’re into more musky perfumes, this one’s for you.
Basically, Original Musk smells like warm, smooth, clean musk. It’s generally on the fresher side, and isn’t too terribly animalic. And while this is one of the best men’s fragrances for the summer, it really works in all seasons as well.
Original Musk is, I think, extremely elegant and sexy because it smells so unlike perfume; you’ll just smell like you naturally smell amazing.
I would recommend this for the person who just wants to smell like they naturally smell amazing. It’s very naturally cozy and alluring.
If this scent was a color, it would be smoky white shot through with blacks.
Occasion: Lazy summer afternoons, summer nights, hot dates
Compliments: 10/10
Longevity: 9/10
Scent: 9.5/10
Versatility: 10/10
Originality: 9/10
YSL Kouros
An extremely complex musk scent, Kouros is a love-it or hate-it fragrance for men in the summer. Very animalic, floral-spicy, and fresh vanillic, Kouros isn’t the easiest scent to pull off on this list – but if it works for you, you and those around you, will love it.
Kouros is very manly, and not at all for the faint of heart. It most certainly leaves an impression and is almost guaranteed to turn heads. Longevity and projection here are absolutely incredible here – even after a full day of wear, and shower, you can still smell it lingering.
I would recommend this scent for the manly-man who isn’t afraid to trailblaze his own path, even when he has to go through stone wall after stone wall to get there.
If this scent was a color, it would be a silver shimmering color.
Occasion: When you’re out and about, getting things done
Compliments: 8/10
Longevity: 10/10
Scent: 9/10
Versatility: 5/10
Originality: 9/10
Carven L’Eau Intense
Carven L’Eau Intense is a citrusy green fragrance that offers wearers a great value buy for the summer. It smells, in simple terms, like walking through fields of mint and forests.
Carven L’Eau Intense is very emblematic – it takes the clean, fresh office scent genre and moves it slightly off center with the deeper drydown and lavender woods.
I would recommend this fragrance for the man who wants an excellent men’s cologne for summer office wear.
If this fragrance was a color, it would be a green, like the green of leaves and grass.
Occasion: At the office, at the grocery store
Compliments: 7/10
Longevity: 7/10
Scent: 8/10
Versatility: 8.5/10
Originality: 7/10
Terre d’Hermès Eau Très Fraîche
Orange, geranium, cedar, and patchouli. These are the main notes in Terre d’Hermès’ Eau Très Fraîche, one of the most unique, classiest men’s fragrances for the summer.
The opening is full of juicy, pulpy citrus, particularly orange. It smells very rugged, very earthy, and very transparent.
It’s one of the most wearable scents on this list, to the point where I feel its charm is very near universal.
While the original Terre d’Hermès’ influence can definitely be felt, Terre d’Hermès Eau Très Fraîche is its own fragrance, and excellent in its own right.
I would recommend this for the man who is very laid back, very go-with-the-flow. The kind of guy that everyone seems to know and like.
If this scent was a color, it would be the green-brown of a forest floor.
Occasion: Anytime you want
Compliments: 9/10
Longevity: 9/10
Scent: 9/10
Versatility: 8/10
Originality: 8/10
Bvlgari Aqva
This is a real freshie – it’s citrusy, masculine, and smells very much like the sea. People seem to react really well to this scent too, and it feels very inviting and charismatic.
There’s a definite beach vibe going on here, making it a great choice for summer days and nights when there’s a light breeze to aid in the ambiance.
Bvlgari Aqva opens with orange citrus and crushed leaves. Middle notes are seaweed, lavender, and cotton, giving it that classic beach feel, with the lavender adding a soft smoothness. The base notes are chock full of woods, patchouli, sage, and amber.
It smells complex, inviting, and nothing like the “classic summer cologne” smell.
I’d recommend this scent for the man who enjoys getting lost, and wears white cotton button up shirts with linen pants.
If this scent was a color, it would be blues and sandy browns, the color of the Italian coast, or the Greek islands.
Occasion: Breezy summer days and nights, dates by the water, a romantic seaside stroll
Compliments: 9/10
Longevity: 9/10
Scent: 10/10
Versatility: 8.5/10
Originality: 9/10
Gray Vetiver by Tom Ford
Gray Vetiver by Tom Ford is one of the most versatile fragrances in existence. You really can wear it anywhere, including summer-time.
As you might have guessed, this fragrance has vetiver in it, as the defining note and character of the entire composition. Vetiver is a great versatile fragrance note, and generally smells earthy, woody, leathery, and sometimes even smoky. Think freshly cut grass on a hot day.
Gray Vetiver opens with grapefruit, orange blossom, and sage. The opening is bright, and the floral elements help smooth it out. In the middle, we have nutmeg, orris (a kind of iris), and pimento. This adds a lot of character to the scent, helping prevent linearity. In the base, there’s vetiver, amber, oak-moss, and woods. It’s here that the cologne gets extremely earthy and green, and really opens up.
I would recommend this for the man that is extremely thoughtful in nature, and enjoys cloudy days not to be a contrarian, but because he likes the way it paints the world in grays.
If this scent was a color, it would be the many shades of gray.
Occasion: Breezy summer days and nights, dates by the water, a romantic seaside stroll
Compliments: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
Scent: 9/10
Versatility: 10/10
Originality: 9/10
Mugler Cologne
Mugler Cologne is a great men’s summer fragrance because of the innately green, lush scent trail it leaves behind. There is something to be said about simplicity, especially when done well. That’s the essence of what you get with Mugler Cologne, from the name itself to the masterfully blended composition.
It gets started with neroli, bergamot, and the smell of freshly crushed leaves. It smells very green and slightly floral. In the middle, you get African orange flower, aiding in that floral, citrus vibe. The base is all musk, and leaves an incredible scent trail lingering in your wake.
I would recommend this scent for the laid-back man who values simplicity, in his life and in the things that he does, and places more emphasis on quality rather than quantity.
If this scent was a color, it would be a light green.
Occasion: Anytime in the summer
Compliments: 9/10
Longevity: 7/10
Scent: 9/10
Versatility: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
