Calvin Klein is without a doubt, one of the most influencial fashion houses today. We have gone through their perfumes, to find the top 10 best Calvin Klein colognes for men. You’ll find a scent for every occasion, character and season of the year.
Calvin Klein really don’t need a presentation. They are deeply rooted in the perfume world and have made some of the best perfumes for men of all time.
So writing this article and reviewing all these colognes was a true honor for everyone involved.
10 Best Calvin Klein Cologne
With so many great colognes to choose from, it can be hard to pick one out.
Thus, we have filtered out the mediocre colognes and kept all the good ones.
We have also reviewed and categorized them carefully, so that you quick and easy can identify the scent that suits you.
1. Calvin Klein Eternity for Men
Time: Day
Season: Spring, summer
Signatures: Aromatic, citrus, fresh spicy, lavender
Keywords: Classic, masculine, versatile, mature
Calvin Klein Eternity is one of the older fragrances from the fashion house. Launched for the first time in 1990, this cologne comes in a bottle which looks dated, but not in a bad way. It looks classic – that’s the way we’d put it.
This is a fragrance that has withstood the test of time, and mostly due to the expert formulation that it carries. It is a complex one though, with 18 different notes coming together to make this cologne the legendary one that it is. The middle is the richest part of it, with nine elements mixing.
The prominent note here is lavender, which is present from the opening as one of the top notes. The other ones are citrus: lemon, bergamot, and mandarin.
There are a lot of things going on in the middle of this fragrance, but the florals – in particular, white florals – and spices are the prominent players. Jasmine, orange blossom, lily, and lily-of-the-valley give the white floral tone, and sage, coriander, and basil are the spices.
Juniper berries and geranium are also in the heart of the cologne. The base is earthier, with sandalwood, vetiver, Brazilian rosewood, musk, and then the sweetness of amber.
This is a classic, masculine fragrance. It is mature, so best for older men, and will work well as an office or dinner cologne. It performs moderately, lasting about six hours while projecting modestly.
2. Calvin Klein CK One
Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Citrus, green, woody, powdery
Keywords: Unisex, casual, fun, safe
Another of the quintessential Calvin Klein fragrances, CK One was launched back in 1994. It comes in a minimalist and modern bottle, holding a complex formulation made up of 21 notes!
We won’t be mentioning all of them but instead the most prominent in each tier of its perfume pyramid.
The top of this fragrance is a mix of fruits, leaning towards citrus. There is lemon, bergamot, and mandarin, joined by pineapple and papaya. Green notes are very prominent too.
The middle is led by lily-of-the-valley and jasmine for a white floral touch. It is generally floral though, with violet, rose, and freesia too.
The green accord is back in the base, with musk, cedar, and sandalwood joining it.
This is strong with its citrus flavor, and it smells delicious without leaning too strong to any gender. This is a great gym scent, thanks to that freshness, but it is equally amazing when worn casually.
This is an average performer, both in terms of longevity and sillage. It won’t last to the end of the work day, but for as long as it does, you’ll love having it on.
3. Calvin Klein Euphoria for Men
Time: Day
Season: Spring, fall
Signatures: Fresh spicy, warm spicy, aromatic, woody
Keywords: Masculine, modern, safe, intimate
Euphoria comes in a modern and stylish rounded square of a bottle, with a cuboid cap perched on top of it. It is a classy, elegant look, and with a name like Euphoria, it brings high expectations.
Relatively simple in its upper layers, Euphoria gets heavy at the base. Ginger and pepper signal the opening, as the two most prominent notes in the fragrance, and the only two at the top.
The spice and aromatic nature continue into the middle, thanks to black basil and sage. Cedar also rests here. The base is made up of amber, patchouli, suede, and Brazilian redwood, for that masculine feel.
This cologne is fresh and spicy, bringing a soft warmth that makes it perfect for spring and fall. It is mature and subtle, making this a safe buy for pretty much any man. It is not unique or groundbreaking, but it smells good all the same.
It’s a shame though, considering how good it smells, that it doesn’t perform exceptionally at all. It has weak longevity, lasting maybe three hours at most and it barely comes off of the skin. This is best for intimate occasions when people will move in close, because otherwise, they won’t smell it.
4. Calvin Klein One Shock for Him
Time: Night, day
Season: Fall, winter
Signatures: Tobacco, warm spicy, amber, sweet
Keywords: Warm, comforting, mature, classy
CK One is one of the most popular and successful fragrances from Calvin Klein, so it’s no shock that it has flankers, such as CK One Shock. This is a masculine fragrance, though there’s a women’s variant as well.
The bottle is a glossy black, with the same calm lettering as the original CK One, plastered with audacious green text that says “SHOCK”.
Inside the bottle are a number of notes which are relatively rare in cologne. The top notes consist of clementine, cucumber, and lavender, making for an interesting combination.
In the middle, the spices are the main player. Cardamom, pepper, and basil work together here, along with Osmanthus.
The base holds the most prominent note in the fragrance – tobacco – and it is joined by the regular players when it comes to base notes: amber, patchouli, musk, and woody notes.
It is comforting and pleasant with that main tobacco note in it. It seems like a really nice formal and gentlemanly flavor for the winter, so the bottle might be misleading in its youthful energy.
It lasts just six hours on the skin, so longevity could definitely be better unfortunately. Projecting well for only about the first half of those.
5. Calvin Klein Eternity for Men Aqua
Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Ozonic, aquatic, green, citrus
Keywords: Moderate, casual, summery, masculine
Eternity for Men Aqua uses the same bottle as the original Eternity, with the only difference being the blue tint that this one has. That, of course, is meant to symbolize the aquatic nature of the scent.
The top notes of this scent give it a lot of its character, as they are traditionally known for their association with water in some form. There is cucumber, green notes, lotus, and citrus.
The middle gives it more character, with plum and Sichuan pepper – two notes that we don’t see too often. Then there is also lavender and Virginia cedar. The base is sandalwood, patchouli, musk, and guaiac wood.
This is just above average when it comes to performance, but a lot of the time that is just enough. Considering the fact it is relatively affordable, we’ll let it slide. You should get six or seven hours from this.
This is an aquatic scent that should suit a man who wants an easy-going and casual scent for the summer. It is fresh, soapy, and unimposing.
6. Calvin Klein Obsession for Men
Time: Night
Season: Winter, fall
Signatures: Warm spicy, woody, amber, aromatic
Keywords: Classic, masculine, daring, provocative
Obsession is another of those very well-known Calvin Klein fragrances, and perhaps one of the most iconic. It released only five years into the house’s journey into fragrances, back in 1986, so it is one of the veterans of their line-up and is still popular today.
Obsession comes in a relatively understated light brown bottle. It’s hard to hate this look for anything other than it being plain. When it comes to the formulation, it is far from plain.
There are 21 notes, so we won’t go in too deep. It seems to be the Calvin Klein way.
The top leverages cinnamon as the primary note, pairing it with citrus fruits such as mandarin, lime, bergamot, and grapefruit. Lavender also plays a large part in the opening.
The middle utilizes less common elements such as myrrh, nutmeg, carnation, and pine tree. The base is more familiar, thanks to amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli.
This isn’t a beastly cologne. It is warm and spicy, coming in like a hug when you wear it in the colder months of the year. It lasts about seven hours on a single spray, so performance is just where we like to see it.
This is a classic and casual fragrance for men. It speaks of a level of daring without pushing into dominating.
7. Calvin Klein Man
Time: Day, night
Season: Fall, spring
Signatures: Fresh spicy, woody, aromatic, ozonic
Keywords: Masculine, gentlemanly, casual, handsome
That’s right. This one is just called ‘Man’.
It comes in a very modern and squared-off black and crystal bottle. When bottles get this good-looking, we have no objections whatsoever to having them on our shelves, even when they’re empty. The hope is that it smells good enough to get empty in the first place.
Putting the looks aside, this is a very masculine perfume. We wouldn’t expect anything else considering the name. It is led by the interesting combination of mandarin, bergamot, violet leaf and rosemary.
The middle is also atypical, considering these are not the most commonly used notes. It is made up of bay leaf, incense, nutmeg, and mint. The trend there is based on spiciness.
The base uses common notes for this tier, such as sandalwood, musk, and amber, but also adds guaiac wood and cypress.
The intention of the house when making this was to go for something that is manly and sexy. It hits that, though in a more gentlemanly way than a rough, bad boy. It works fantastic as an office choice. The performance is rather mild once it dries down.
8. Calvin Klein Intense Euphoria
Time: Night
Season: Fall, winter
Signatures: Amber, warm spicy, fresh spicy, woody
Keywords: Youthful, sensual, versatile
If you love the original Euphoria, then this is a way to get a more intense form with a few changes to it. ‘Intense’ flankers don’t always maintain the exact same formula, so it is important to keep in mind that you might not love this one as much.
It comes in the same shaped bottle, which we are huge fans of. It is one of the simplest yet sexiest.
Similar to the original Euphoria, this has ginger and pepper as the prominent notes in the top. The middle uses much of the same, with black basil, cedar, and sage, adding vetiver.
Things change in the base. Amber takes a much bigger role in this cologne and patchouli is still present. The others are replaced with labdanum, agarwood, and myrrh.
The opening of Euphoria Intense is amazing with its spice and warmth. The spices in the opening and middle are the most prominent elements here, though as it dries down, the sweet amber makes a worthy opponent.
It seems to be a trend that Calvin Klein scents don’t perform well. This does nothing to offset that. It could really do better. You may get a little more than four hours on the skin with this.
9. Calvin Klein Eternity Air
Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Aromatic, marine, ozonic, aquatic
Keywords: Safe, airy, calming, pleasant
It’s no surprise to have another Eternity flanker here. It is still one of the most popular CK fragrances, so its no surprise that this was concocted in 2018, nearly three decades after the first.
There are a lot of very unique notes in the composition of Eternity Air. That includes sea notes, ozonic notes, juniper berries, and mandarin in the opening.
In the middle, lavender, green apple, and violet leaf help give a sweeter tilt to the fragrance. The base uses seaweed, a note we’ve seen used few times, paired with ambergris and patchouli.
The notes make it clear that this isn’t a flanker that is trying to stick true to the original Eternity in its entirety. As its name goes, this is a very airy fragrance, perfect for the summer and spring time when you want to avoid heavier scents.
It is a very pleasant scent, thanks to that aquatic nature and the slight sweetness of the citrus and apple. It is fresh and airy, but it suffers from its poor performance. However, this makes it a safe choice for almost anyone.
10. Calvin Klein CK Everyone
Time: Day
Season: Summer, spring
Signatures: Aquatic, citrus, fresh, musky
Keywords: Unisex, calm, pleasant, clean
This fragrance comes in an absolutely stunning clear bottle, in a similar shape to CK One. It has a white cap, and a Calvin Klein band around the middle of the bottle.
This is a very new scent, having just launched in 2020. As the name states, this is a unisex fragrance that is meant for everyone. One very cool thing is how the bottle can be reused once you remove the pump and how the band can be reused for hair or other things.
The formulation is relatively straightforward. The top uses orange oil, which is quite prominent, along with ginger. The middle dominates with watery notes and tea. The base uses the typical cedar, musk, amber, and patchouli.
Regarding the actual fragrance, this is an amazing fresh and clean scent. This makes it amazing for the summer and spring. It doesn’t perform amazing, but it surely is a versatile fragrance that you won’t mind reapplying.
Whether you’re a man or a woman, CK Everyone is for, well, everyone.
