Fall smells good and so should you. To create a personal scent-story synchronous with the season, look to colognes with deep, rich low notes on the nose like pine or bergamot with spicy, but lighter top notes like juniper, lavender, and sage. Much like warm apple cider or the smell of firewood being chopped, the scent of fall is found in all things that evoke thoughts of comfort, warmth, and settling in for a long winter.
With so many scents out there in a variety of price ranges, it’s hard to choose which one might be best for you. When in doubt, head to the men’s cologne counter at your local higher-end department store and start spritzing those samples until the cows come home. By actually smelling options on yourself, you’ll get a sense of what life will be like with a signature scent.
We’ve rounded up the best fall colognes that will get you through the transitional season of warm days and cool nights all while smelling your best. Without further adieu, let’s find a scent for you.
Ted Baker Au – $85
Experience a warmly intense, yet clean and spicy aroma with Ted Baker’s Au cologne, which provides the perfect complement to your sophisticated fits or even your daily work attire. It puts off bold fall hints of bergamot, spicy clove, and vanilla, ensuring that your essence matches the season’s atmosphere. It’s great for fall, but can hold its own all throughout the winter months too.
Viktor Rolf Spicebomb – $112
Viktor Rolf’s Spicebomb truly lives up to its name. It’s an absolutely explosion of bergamot and grapefruit that will stick with you all day without being overpowering. The fragrance boasts a nice leathery finish of cinnamon and tobacco to counterbalance the strong floral and fruity base.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter on the nose, the Spicebomb Fresh ($98) is a great in-betweener which smells like you’ve brought a nice summer breeze into the cold season. With a lavender, amber, and tobacco essence, this one finishes with a scent powerful enough to last all day, yet subtle enough to wear anywhere.
Jimmy Choo Man Blue – $90
Blue is Jimmy Choo’s newest release, and although it features a quick stab to the nose off the bat, it offers woodsy, leathery goodness on the finish that is perfect for holiday gatherings and late autumn date nights. Fragrance notes include clary sage and the ever-popular bergamot with a lasting aroma of black pepper, grey amber, and woodsy cypress.
John Varvatos x Nick Jonas – $94
This John Varvatos X Nick Jonas collaboration makes our roundup of best men’s cologne picks because it’s extremely neutral, yet oddly reassuring, kind of like the two men its modeled after. It features a fresh scent reminiscent of that first fall rain, but the best part is that it’s not overwhelming like many other colognes. The notes of lavender, sage, sandalwood, and mandarin on top offer a great balance that is perfect for adding some spice to your scent without punching yourself (or others) in the nose.
Mugler Come Together – $70
Mugler has a whole line of options to make sure you find the smell that fits your personality just right. Come Together is utterly earthy, blending green petitgrain and white musk for a truly invigorating scent that exudes a masculine sexiness that just seems to go well with colder weather. Mugler’s Fly Away ($70) concoction is another great option from the same brand if you’re looking to smell like you just took a journey through a damp forest of pine trees, hemp, and grapefruit.
Dunhill London Icon – $130
If you’re looking for a fragrance that screams fall, then Dunhill London’s Icon cologne is the scent for you. Musky yet sincerely fresh and sweet. The oaky essence of Icon is brimming with hints of sage, juniper and sleek vetiver.
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male – $71
Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male comes prepared in an amazing coffee tin-like packaging and is stored in a provocative bottle that models virility and power. With the perfect blend of mint and vanilla, Le Male cologne is one of the best men’s cologne choices because its aroma evokes the warm feeling of a trip to an old barber shop from a simpler time. Jean Paul Gauliter also just released a new Macy’s exclusive,Le Male In The Navy ($116), that pays homage to our maritime members with powerful sage, peppermint, and vanilla.
P.F. Candle Co. No. 11 Amber and Moss – $48
If you want to ring in the cold season with a musky, woodsy aura, but you don’t want to make a dent in your wallet, P.F. Candle’s No. 11 Amber and Moss will make you feel like an early morning hike on a damp forest floor, with notes of oakmoss, musk, and amber, all while keeping the top notes bright with touches if lavender, sage, and orange.
Clean Reserve Terra Woods – $95
For those of you who like to keep your lighter fragrance throughout the colder months, Clean Reserve’s Terra Woods has a perfect floral blend combined with just enough woodsy-ness to pass must for our best fall cologne qualifications. Off the top ,you’ll get fresh notes of jasmine sambac, geranium, and coconut, which give way to a light musky finish of warm vanilla and tonka bean.
Cartier Pasha Edition Noire – $110
We had to make Cartier Pasha Edition Noire a feature member of our best men’s cologne and not just because it’s our friends at Birchbox’s highest rated fragrance. No, it’s because this cologne is the perfect cocktail of seasonal scents that’s at once masculine but not overbearing. This blend features ideal autumnal notes of sandalwood, cedar, and amber, with lasting top notes of citrus.
D.S. & Durga Mississippi Medicine – $175
D.S. & Durga’s Mississippi Medicine might be steep in price, but for what it lacks in affordability it makes up for in uniqueness and pure tantalizing spirit. Opening with crisp notes of red cedar, aldehydes, and frankincense distillate, this seasonal, smoky scent is grounded in incense and cypress root and boasts a medium-bodied essence that will please you, your nose, and everyone around you.
Now that you’ve found your perfect fall fragrance, why not treat yourself to an autumn-inspired cocktail?
Last updated September 2018 to reflect newly released fragrances and prices.
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