Best Fragrances for Men That Last So Long They Refuse to Quit
Life is a whirlwind of work and social gatherings, so you need a scent that’ll last longer than J.Lo’s marriages. With so many fragrances on the market, where do you begin to find a long-lasting cologne? This list of the best fragrances for men that last (and last and last) has you covered.
Related: This $18 Cologne on Amazon Rivals Fragrances 10X the Price
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Best Fragrances for Men That Last Long
Creed Aventus
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From the House of Creed, Aventus launched to celebrate Creed’s 250th anniversary (so yeah, not the band). It features head notes of lemon and pepper, heart notes of pineapple and patchouli, and base notes of ambroxan and oakmoss. Millésime is a wine term that means “best of the crop,” and Creed follows the same motto with its fine ingredients, including hand-picked Calabrian bergamot. Because of the caliber of high-quality components, Aventus lasts long into the night.
Best For: Make this your spring and summer date night cologne, though it works in fall and winter, too.
Bleu de Chanel
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If it’s good enough for Timothée Chalamet, it’s good enough for you. The Oscar-nominated actor/spokesman epitomizes the definition of bold, just like Bleu de Chanel. It exudes notes of vanilla, tonka bean, citrus, and cedar (we're talking about the fragrance now), and comes in three types: eau de parfum spray, eau de toilette twist and spray set, and parfum spray.
Best For: This cologne may be a little heavy for summer, so wear it during the colder months either in the day or night. (It lasts so long it may get you through both.)
Aramis
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Part of the Estée Lauder collection, Aramis—the ultimate long-lasting scent—has masculine and sensual varietals like Tuscany Per Uomo eau de toilette spray. The touches run the gamut from citrus to sage and leather. Since launching in the 1960s, this old-school scent has maintained its strong sillage, or long trail.
Best For: Wear this to spice things up in the winter months or whenever there’s a chill in the air.
Nuit D’Issey Pour Homme Eau de Toilette
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Issey Miyake Nuit D’Issey Pour Homme Eau de Toilette is a jet-black bottle full of spicy and woody scents. The top notes of bergamot and black pepper mix with middle notes of leather. Described as manly and highly concentrated, it indeed lasts for what seems like forever.
Best For: This extremely versatile scent can be worn in both warm and cold seasons.
Narciso Rodriguez For Him Bleu Noir
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What might first draw you to Narciso Rodriguez For Him Bleu Noir is the sharp black-and-blue gradient bottle. Spices like nutmeg and cardamom evoke a warm cup of chai, and it’s potent enough that you’ll only need a dash or two.
Best For: Cold weather and early sunsets.
Escentric Molecule 02
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It’s difficult to explain the science behind Molecule 02, but to put it in layperson’s terms, the derived scent has something to do with the sperm whale's digestive system producing ambergris. Um, yeah. But no whales harmed here: The fragrance contains 100 percent Ambroxan (a key component of ambergris’s marine odor), collected when washed up on shore, in alcohol and hardly any water. This leads to its definitive long-lasting appeal.
Best For: Whenever you want to feel slightly animalistic. Notes of green jasmine and gin and tonic mixed with amber make it an adaptable wear for any season.
Gamine
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Described as a “sensorial experience of walking through a field of fresh cannabis post an afternoon rain shower,” the youthful Gamine uses the best raw materials such as blue hemp, Cote D'Azur cypress, vetiver root, and wild Indonesian patchouli. People say its best applied after moisturizing.
Best For: Year-round during nights out.
Versace Eros
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Yes, Eros is the Greek god of love, but Versace Eros is also a fresh Mediterranean-inspired cologne. Hints of Italian lemon zest, mint, green apple, tonka bean, and geranium work for a springtime in Europe or a long workday, uplifting the spirits of you and your colleagues.
Best For: The richness of this fragrance sets it up to be a winter go-to.
Lalique Encre Noir
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From France, Encre Noir has been around since 2006 and made an impact on the market with a handcrafted, distinctive, ink-esque bottle. The scent is woody but not too woody. It’s balanced with smooth vetiver. One Reddit user said it’s possibly a masterpiece, and we agree.
Best For: Cozy winter evenings by the fire.
How Long Can Scents Last?
A quality cologne will last anywhere from four to six hours after you first spray it. Of course, some stick around longer and some fade faster. If you’re headed into a long day of work followed by a night out, you probably want to throw your cologne in your bag to refresh once the scent has dissipated.
Which Notes Last the Longest?
Fragrances are structured to include three layers: the top, mid, and base notes. These layers determine what you smell when you first spray the fragrance and then what lingers throughout your day.
Top Notes
These are usually the lightest fragrance notes that are used to form a first impression. This is what you smell when you give the cologne its first spritz and will last about 5 to 15 minutes after application, depending on a few factors. Top notes are often citrus- or floral-based—light, airy, refreshing, but not built to last.
Mid Notes
They form the heart of the fragrance and typically make up the bulk of the formula. These will hang around for about two to four hours after you’ve sprayed your cologne. Typical mid notes include mellow, herbaceous scents or spices such as lavender or clary sage. Sometimes you’ll find leather or woody scents in the heart of the fragrance as well. Since this is the most significant part of any fragrance, you’ll want to make sure you choose a product with mid notes that you enjoy.
Base Notes
Never to be outdone, base notes are the last to appear and the last to fade. They can linger for around four to six hours after application, sometimes longer. The base of a fragrance is usually made up of the heaviest, warmest scents. This may be vanilla, tonka bean, patchouli, or sandalwood.
What Makes a Fragrances Last Long?
If you’ve experimented with different colognes, you’ve probably discovered that some scents seem to linger much longer than others. But what is the actual reason behind that? Well, according to fragrance experts, there are a few different factors that contribute to the sillage, a French word referring to the length of time a scent stays in the air once you’ve sprayed it.
Concentration
The first, and perhaps most obvious, reason that some colognes last longer than others is their concentration. The more concentrated a scent is, the more potent its smell will be and the longer it will last. That’s why you should keep in mind cologne concentration when picking out a long-lasting fragrance.
Fragrance Notes
Most fragrances are made up of three layers: top notes, mid notes, and base notes. The top notes are what you smell when you first spray a cologne, the mid notes are the heart of the fragrance, and the base notes linger long after the top and mid notes have faded. Some inexpensive fragrances don’t include a base note, which can explain how short-lived they are.
Skin Chemistry
Believe it or not, you have a lot more to do with the sillage of your cologne than you might think. Dry skin lacks the oils necessary to distribute the scent, and therefore can cause a cologne to fall flat. One way to control this is to apply some moisturizer before spritzing on your cologne.
Which Types of Fragrances Last the Longest?
There are a few different strengths of fragrance, and the strongest ones are also the longest-lasting. Depending on how many hours you’re hoping to smell great, you’ll want to look for the proper concentration.
• Eau de Cologne: 2-5% concentration, lasts up to 2 hours
• Eau de Toilette: 5-15% concentration, lasts up to 3 hours
• Eau de Parfum: 15-20% concentration, lasts up to 5 hours
• Parfum: 20-40% concentration, lasts up to 10 hours
Tips to Make Your Scent Last All Day
If you’re playing the long game, try these tricks to make your fragrance last.
DO apply the fragrance after a shower.
“I always tell people that you want to be clean,” Matt Moore, founder of EastWest Bottlers, tells Men’s Journal. He also recommends applying a non-fragrant moisturizer. “Moisture is going to help that fragrance really project. If your skin is very, very dry, it's almost like the body kind of absorbs it and the fragrance itself is just going to not give you that same projection.”
DO apply to multiple pulse points.
“Pulse points are basically your body’s VIP areas for cologne,” Sahina Ibrahim, owner of Nuhr Home, said. “Behind the ears, wrists, inside the elbows, and behind the knees are perfect. The heat from these areas helps your scent radiate. Applying to your chest and neck works wonders, too, but let’s not overdo it. You don’t want to be the person everyone smells from a mile away.”
But DON’T rub it in.
“Sometimes people rub their wrists together, and that's really going to change the formulation of the fragrance,” Moore says. “You're actually starting to incorporate the oils of the skin into the fragrance, and we want the fragrance to almost sit on top.”
Ibrahim compares rubbing the wrists together to “shaking a soda can before opening it.” She says: “It crushes the top notes and messes with the scent."
Moore recommends even wearing jewelry made of wood, stones, or something absorbent. “As you wear those throughout the day and as your body heats up depending on your activity, that will also help the scent project.”
DO spray the scent on your clothes.
“It's totally appropriate,” Moore says. “If you spray on your neck area and the next morning you put a T-shirt on, you get that beautiful recall of, ‘Wow, that's a warm scent that I just absolutely love,’ and then you reapply and move forward.”
However, Ibrahim is split on applying scents to clothes. “Fragrance works best when it’s on the skin, where it can mingle with your natural oils and body heat,” she says. “Spraying it directly on clothes can sometimes alter the scent and potentially leave marks.” But walking into a scent cloud can work, too.
“If you love the idea of a scent cloud, go ahead and step into it,” she adds. “It’ll give you a lighter, more even application.”
DON’T store the fragrances in the bathroom—or your car.
“The bathroom is usually going to be one of your worst places due to the fact that a lot of folks have brighter light [in the bathroom],” Moore notes. “You want to keep it out of sunlight. You also have a lot of humidity that's varying by showering.”
“Fragrances are a bit like vampires—they hate sunlight,” Ibrahim adds. “Keep them in a cool, dark place, like a drawer or cupboard, away from heat or light.”
Moore suggests a slightly different place. “My father kept a bottle of Polo Green in his wardrobe, and we created a scent for my brand called Sportsman that comes in a green bottle,” he says. “The wardrobe itself is the perfect place to keep fragrances because it’s away from light, a lot of humidity, and temperature variances.”
But the worst place to keep your fragrance? Your vehicle. “Don’t leave your perfume in the car unless you fancy a melted fragrance bottle,” Ibrahim says.
DON’T overdo it.
Whether you choose a heavier, oud-based fragrance or something lighter, layering the scents provides projection. For instance, EastWest’s acclaimed Moonshine has notes of black pepper, and Moore recommends layering it with a black pepper-scented lotion.
But the most important tip concerns the application. “Don’t drench yourself in perfume,” Ibrahim says. “More isn’t always better. Sometimes less is more, especially when your scent is doing a great job on its own. Over-spraying is a common rookie move. It’s supposed to be an accent, not an alarm bell.”
DO layer your fragrance.
If you have a favorite cologne, look for body lotions, aftershaves, or deodorants with similar scent profiles. Applying these products together will help the smell stick around for longer. You can also apply more than one cologne at once, or stagger them throughout the day to ensure some fragrance lingers.
DO get picky about base notes.
Base notes are the ones that stick around the longest, so look for a cologne that has a strong base. Notes like honey, chocolate, or vanilla—fragrances associated with foods—typically last the longest.
DO make sure it hasn't expired.
Most colognes are only good for about three to five years, so if you’ve had a bottle for longer than that, there’s a chance that most of the scent has evaporated.
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