6 Men’s Fragrances To Have Right Now

By Adam Kerr

If we had our way, we’d make it a rule that no one is allowed to enter any form of public transport without at least spraying on some kind of scent. It’s 2018; there’s no excuse in the world to validate laziness when it come to proper grooming. Whether you’re about to go into an important meeting, have dinner with your girlfriend or go about the daily grind, here are a couple of fragrances you might want to add to your arsenal.

Bleu de Chanel Parfum

$154 (50ml) & $217 (100ml). Available at all Chanel fragrance and beauty boutiques and counters.

Of course, Chanel would be in this list. How can it not, especially when the French couturier launched one of the classiest and most recognisable women’s fragrances in the world? Fast forward eight years, and the house has once again tinkered with the ingredients. For Bleu de Chanel Parfum, which is by far the most concentrated and purest of the three iterations, French perfumer Olivier Polge has remained faithful to the original, making adjustments to the proportions of wood and citrus. At its core, you’ll recognise the same top notes of lemon zest, bergamot, lavender and geranium, but what really takes centrestage and hits you are the much stronger and denser cedar and sandalwood notes.

Dolce & Gabbana The One Grey EDT Intense

$94 (30ml), $119 (50ml) & $165 (100ml). Available at all major departmental stores.

If it’s good enough for Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington, who’s the face of the fragrance’s campaign, it’s good enough for any suave, self-respecting man. There are a couple of great reimagined classics on this list, and this one’s no different. The One Grey builds on what made the original successful and loved, and adds a new twist (and colour) to create a fragrance that’s fresh, but still familiar. Opening the fragrance are hints of cardamom and bitter citrus notes of grapefruit, with whiffs of lavender and vétiver following after. The One Grey gradually reveals base notes of the original The One for Men, with notes of warm tobacco and grey woods.

Dunhill Century

$109 (75ml) & $139 (135ml). Available at all major departmental stores.

The nose behind this fragrance is legendary Moroccan perfumer, Carlos Benaim, who was also responsible for 2015’s Icon (and a whole bunch of other groundbreaking fragrances that are still popular in the market today). Probably one of the less intense masculine scents on this list, Century is a distinctly light fragrance, just as you would expect from its clear liquid. It’s a versatile, wear-everyday-to-work kind of scent, with fresh opening notes of bergamot, grapefruit and mandarin, complemented by salty neroli and warming olibanum, before spiking into its sandalwood and musk base notes.

L’Eau Super Majeure d’Issey

$106 (50ml) & $147 (100ml). Available at all major departmental stores from October.

In the early ’90s, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake created the now-iconic original perfume for women in 1992; and later in 1994, introduced the men’s equivalent, which shares a couple of ingredients from the women’s version. Since then, many reiterations for both men and women have been introduced. One in particular that has us swooning is this year’s L’Eau Super Majeure d’Issey. This boldly masculine fragrance is at once intense with its base notes of tonka beans and black vanilla from Madagascar, which creates the potent leather and smokey undertones. At its peak, you’ll recognise heart notes of dark patchouli, cashmeran and black salt, and balanced with top notes of clary sage and rosemary. A great scent to complement your equally impeccable outfit for a lasting impression on a first date.

Prada Luna Rossa Black EDP

$119 (50ml) & $160 (100ml). Available at major departmental stores.

The original Luna Rossa, introduced in 2012, became a mainstay for the Italian fashion house, producing a variety of flankers over the years. This new Black interpretation, completely dressed in black too, suggests that they’ve taken the same signature fresh notes of the original to a deeper level. And it doesn’t fail to deliver. The otherwise woody amber base of the Luna Rossa Black is topped with the fresh citrusy notes of bergamot and angelica before making way for a moodier patchouli and coumarin scent.

Terre d’Hermès Eau Intense Vétiver

$143 (50ml) & $195 (100ml). Available at all major departmental stores.

By far, all the Terre d’Hermès flankers have enjoyed great success, with the original gaining cult status since its launch by in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena 12 years ago. With the original, there’s a much more citrusy opening before the base notes of patchouli, vétiver and cedar takes over. However, in this version conceived by Ellena’s successor and current in-house perfumer Christine Nagel, vétiver, which only reveals itself later in the original, comes to the fore in the opening notes and hits you like the brightness of the sun. It takes you on a journey through heart notes of Sichuan pepper and bergamot, before settling into the original woody and earthy base notes of the first Terre d’Hermès. Another classic to consider if you’re looking to switch up your signature scent.