Colognes are often seasonal. A perfume that fits for summer, doesn’t necessarily perform as good during colder weather. In this article, you’ll find this years’ best winter colognes for men. To be more specific, 14 perfumes that are great for colder weather.
A lot of men does the mistake of wearing the same fragrance all year round. Some perfumes can be used in both cold and warmer seasons – but far from all.
Generally, you should be looking for warmer scents with notes of wood, spices, musk or vanilla.
Best Winter Colognes for Men
Colognes can be quite expensive, thus, it’s important that you’ll buy one that is actually proved to be good.
We have gone through the most popular fragrances, filtered out the bad ones, and collected the best colognes for cold weather.
Here are our favorite 14 perfumes for this winter.
1. Dolce & Gabbana The One
Time: Night
Season: Fall and winter
Signatures: Warm spicy, balsamic, tobacco, aromatic
Keywords: Masculine, sexy, intimate, youthful
Winter fragrances bank more on scents with spices, tobacco, or oud, to give them the warmth that makes them so suitable for the season. Dolce & Gabbana’s The One manages to pack a load of spices and tobacco into its composition, making it great for the colder months.
Most prominent in this scent is the sweet vibe of amber and the smoky hug of tobacco. Ginger and cardamom give a refined spiciness, and cedar balances out the scent profile with its base woodiness.
This is quite a modest performer in terms of longevity and projection. This lasts at least 6 hours on the skin, and projects moderately enough for people within an arm’s reach of you to perceive it.
The One is a sexy, masculine fragrance. It is perfect for intimate nights, such as on a date, or formal outings like dinners. It is a fragrance of youth, but not of youthful activities like clubbing.
2. Paco Rabanne 1 Million
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Warm spicy, cinnamon, citrus, balsamic
Keywords: Vibrant, youthful, lavish, energetic
Paco Rabanne 1 Million has a bottle that matches the lavishness of its name. The bottle is roughly rectangular, with a gold finish. The details inscribed on the front make it clear that this bottle is meant to appear like a gold bar. You won’t mistake it for one, but the intention is clear, which is good enough.
The top notes are sharp and aromatic, with the citrus notes of blood orange and grapefruit, and the aroma of mint. The opening is made rather fruity by this, but also supplies a comfortable warmth.
Cinnamon, leather, and amber, begin to show as the fragrance dries down. The amber and leather in particular are able to calm down the sharpness of the prominent citrus notes in the opening.
This scent is a masculine one, and seems like it would work best for men in their late teens or twenties. It’s an energetic, youthful fragrance. Performance is great, making this a banger for the club. It’ll stick on for up to 9 hours, and projection is ample.
3. Tom Ford Beauty Tobacco Vanille
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Sweet, tobacco, vanilla, balsamic
Keywords: Confident, dominating, relentless, driven
This Tom Ford scent carries a sophisticated quietness in the aesthetic of its bottle. Every time we look at it, we know how true it stays to that image it presents. The fragrance within is honestly masterful.
The top is made of spicy notes and the titular tobacco. The middle is comprised of tonka, vanilla, tobacco blossom, and cacao. Reading through the heart notes already makes this fragrance sound relentlessly delicious. As the name suggests, tobacco and vanilla own this fragrance. Woody notes and those of dried fruit constitute the base of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille.
This is a unisex scent, and it screams an unforgiving sophistication. Winter or fall fashion paired with Tobacco Vanille is an absolute winner. The blend from the dry, smokiness of tobacco paired with the creamy, sweetness of vanilla makes this one of our favourite winter colognes.
It performs incredibly, lasting easily over 12 hours at a time. It projects without mercy, dominating whatever room you are in. This is for the woman or man who knows that they are different, the confident boss.
4. La Yuqawam Tobacco Blaze for Men
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Leather, powdery, warm spicy, woody
Keywords: Mature, exotic, tropical, opulent
One thing that we found rather odd about this cologne is how despite its name, there is no note of tobacco listed in its composition. Despite this, there’s a clear tobacco influence in the fragrance. We wondered a little about this, but we suppose the actual scent is more important.
Tobacco Blaze is elegant and it knows it. The box for the black bottle is constructed of wood, and it’s hard to think of it as anything other than opulent.
The opening has a deliciously sweet note, most likely the apricot. This is then made to settle by the rough tones of leather and the smokiness of tobacco. It’s not in the notes, but we’re sure we smell it.
As it dries down, cedar and tobacco are rather prominent. Saffron adds a gorgeous floral element to the entire fragrance, setting it apart from the competition.
In addition to its amazing scent, Tobacco Blaze performs great. It lasts at least 8 hours on the skin, and projects confidently. This is a very exotic scent, and is perfect for a mature gentleman.
5. Michael Kors Eau de Toilette Spray for Men
Time: Night and day
Season: Fall and winter
Signatures: Aromatic, balsamic, woody, soft spicy
Keywords: Sophisticated, classy, ambitious, wealthy
The house says that this fragrance is intended to fuse concepts of the sophistication of the modern man in the city, and that of the rugged, nearly-nomadic man.
To attempt to achieve such an ambitious idea in a fragrance involves blending various notes, which is what Michael Kors does here. There are 13 different notes in this, with the top notes making 6 of these. The top notes are distinctively spicy, with star anise, black pepper, coriander, and thyme. The citrus flavour of bergamot adds to this spice-filled composition. The remaining note is elemi.
When we took our first smell of Michael Kors For Men, we had to bring to mind the lofty claim that we started with. Honestly, it does well in that regard. This scent is rich, classy, and authoritative. This is what we imagine on a relatively young man who has made good for himself monetarily.
Longevity isn’t spectacular, lasting about 6 to 8 hours at a go. The projection is barely average, reaching out about an arm’s length around you. This is the fragrance of the well-dressed businessman, with an edge about him.
6. Original Penguin For Men
Time: Day and night
Season: Fall, winter, and spring
Signatures: Fresh spicy, aromatic, vanilla, musky
Keywords: Delicious, casual, easy-going
For a fashion brand that had been in the market for quite a long time prior, it took Original Penguin quite a while before they dropped a pioneer fragrance.
Original Penguin For Men puts a fruity essence to their top notes with neroli and apple. The middle is aromatic, with lavender, black pepper, and pine. Musk, patchouli, and vanilla bring up the base.
Neroli is clear in the opening, and dominates for the first few minutes after application. As it cools off, apple and vanilla come in together, smelling convincingly like apple pie. That alone makes this a winner for us. It is absolutely appetizing.
This is an easy bottle to cop as it is rather inexpensive, yet the scent betrays its pricing. It smells like a cologne maybe double or triple its price. It isn’t too intense, so we can put this on as an everyday fragrance for those casual occasions.
For its price, longevity can be excused. 3 hours is about all you’ll get from this, but take an atomizer along and you should get through the day nicely.
7. Versace Pour Homme Oud Noir
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Oud, warm spicy, fresh spicy
Keywords: Comfortable, luxurious, memorable, exotic
The bottle for Oud Noir is a fashion item in itself. The dark black bottle grades to translucency as it works its way from the bottom to the top. The neck is gold, with the brand’s name engraved into it, and the cap is a jet black. Medusa sits familiar on a gold crest in the centre. It’s a gorgeous flacon.
The general profile of Oud Noir is a spicy, masculine fragrance. Black pepper, cardamom, saffron, and patchouli give aroma to the fragrance. Oud is the prominent element here, giving this Versace cologne that exoticness that oud always lends.
Fragrances with oud tend to be potent and long-lasting. This is somewhat similar. You’ll get about 9 hours out of this, but with relatively weak projection. It doesn’t brag of that insane performance that Middle Eastern oud-containing colognes have.
It is a warm, cozy fragrance however. We can imagine this as a perfect scent to wear on a holiday sweater while cuddled up with your lover beside a fireplace. Oud Noir is the type of scent you make memories with.
8. Carolina Herrera Prive
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Aromatic, leather, whiskey, warm spicy
Keywords: Rebellious, daring, dynamic, masculine
Carolina Herrera Prive comes in an elegant looking bottle. This scent was formulated to be elegant and seductive at the same time. This fragrance nails that, and it brings to mind the sexiness of a leather jacket. Seductive, yet luxurious and exotic.
This is a cologne for rebels – those labelled as bad boys. This is one of those scents that just radiates masculinity. The leather and whiskey in the notes give it a rough, expensive tone. It smells like a classy lounge, but a bit more daring.
This will last on your skin for about 5 hours, so it may not last you the whole day. The glorious fragrance is entirely worth carrying a little travel vial with you, because it’s nothing short of a shame if the people around you don’t get to smell this.
Despite the bad boy vibes we get from this, this could be pulled off as a gentleman’s fragrance too. It’s rather unique in that regard, and will definitely serve up compliments. A club, bar, lounge, or formal event; that’s where we can see this owning.
9. Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Fresh spicy, vanilla, tobacco, sweet
Keywords: Intense, alluring, sexy, dominant
Spicebomb Extreme is one of the most acclaimed men’s colognes, and for good reason. It’s not extremely complex with regards to composition, with black pepper, lavender, tobacco, vanilla, and caraway being the main notes.
The notes lean towards a warm fragrance, with some slight sweetness atop. So not only does it smell spectacular, but it is a great choice for a winter scent. Vanilla and tobacco are rather dominant in this formulation, and black pepper gives it some great spiciness.
It’ll last 8 hours easily on the skin, giving you more time to let your significant other bask in it. Whether you’re on a date, at home, or at a dinner, this cologne will captivate everyone around you. Spicebomb Extreme is a very delicious fragrance, and it is an absolute compliment magnet.
You won’t find many scents so universally adored as Spicebomb Extreme is, but just realize that such acclaim definitely has to mean something. This is the scent for the masculine, appetizing, alluring man.
10. Giorgio Armani Emporio Armani Stronger With You
Time: Night and day
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Warm spicy, vanilla, aromatic, sweet
Keywords: Passionate, intimate, modern, romantic
Armani describes Stronger With You as being intended to resemble ‘authentic modern-day love’. Honestly, we don’t know what that’s supposed to smell like, but at least it gives more insight into the name of the fragrance.
Numerous notes are present in this, with a top of spices like cardamom, pink pepper, and mint. Very prominent in this scent is vanilla, cardamom, and chestnut. These, and other elements like cinnamon and oud, really warm up the fragrance for the colder seasons of the year.
There’s a sweetness to the fragrance’s tone. Sure, it starts off spicy, but when you get vanilla and chestnut, it’s important to note how that sweetness creeps in. That sweetness is almost definitely due to pineapple or melon amongst the heart notes.
This will land a good 10 hours on your skin before it begins to fade away. Unequivocally, this is a masterpiece of a fragrance.
11. Fahrenheit by Christian Dior For Men
Time: Night
Season: Winter and Fall
Signatures: Leather, woody, aromatic, fresh spicy
Keywords: Masculine, youthful, authoritative, bold
This might be one of the most loaded perfume pyramids we’ve ever seen. Elements are mostly entirely natural. There’s a rather floral and woody trend going on through the perfume pyramid in this case, with numerous flowers and fruit.
Performance is above average, with the cologne lasting almost 12 hours on the skin without any fragrance. It projects an aura about six feet away from you in all directions, ensuring that the room can take in your presence.
Fahrenheit is masculine and bold though looking at the translucent orange bottle, that might not be your first impression, and we can’t blame you.
It’s hard to find someone who won’t like Fahrenheit, because it is honestly quite a great scent. This is for all ages, but we can imagine younger men wearing it best.
12. Tom Ford Noir Extreme Men
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Balsamic, sweet, warm spicy, vanilla
Keywords: Sexy, dignified, mature, inviting
Angular and simple, the bottle for Tom Ford Noir Extreme is classy in its minimalism. Branching off from the classic Tom Ford Noir fragrance, this is meant to be a step in a new direction for the fragrance, whilst maintaining the family resemblance.
The notes in the opening are mostly a mix of flowers and spices, with the base notes being a more heterogeneous mix of elements. Woody notes, amber, cinnamon, and vanilla comprise the base.
Performance is great, lasting half a whole day on the skin and projecting confidently for up to 6 hours. It opens up with a slight spicy sweetness, with cardamom and nutmeg noticeable. As it brings itself to the dry down, there is rich, creamy flavour that begins to come out. Kulfi, an Indian desert, and vanilla take the credit for this. It is delicious.
The scent is marketed for men, but with the subtlety of the woody notes, we feel this could work well for women if applied in moderation. This is a sexy, mature, winter fragrance. It’s warm and sophisticated, so best for date nights.
13. Eros Versace for Men
Time: Night and day
Season: Fall, winter, and spring
Signatures: Aromatic, green, vanilla, balsamic
Keywords: Youthful, vibrant, extroverted, masculine
This Versace fragrance shares a name with the Greek god of love, and the intention is clear. This cologne has been formulated to share the same divine ability to induce affection and passion in those who unwilling move within its aura.
Eros opens aromatically. Apple and lemon coalesce with mint to give a sweet, desert-like flavour. As it begins to dry down, the woodiness of cedar and vetiver creep in, and vanilla adds some creaminess to it. We could get some hints of tonka in the scent as well.
This is one of those youthful fragrances. It is energetic and vibrant, and best suited for younger men. It’s a smell of nightlife, of clubbing and parties. When worn for that, it’s exceptional. It’s definitely too erratic for the calmness of office life, but if you decide to wear it in that scenario, keep it moderate.
Performance is great, and it’ll last you straight from the night you apply it to the early morning when you’re heading back from your night’s entertainment.
14. Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’Homme
Time: Night
Season: Winter and fall
Signatures: Aromatic, warm spicy, fresh spicy, woody
Keywords: Masculine, modern, relaxing, gentle
With a relatively simple formulation, La Nuit De L’Homme puts solely cardamom as its top note, with bergamot, cedar, and lavender in the heart. Vetiver and caraway bring up the base. Just looking at this, most of the notes are of drier, warmer tones, making this perfect to warm up in the colder seasons.
It opens up with an unapologetically aromatic wind, with the spice of cardamom coming off pleasantly. Lavender adds a bit of sweetness to it. As it dries down, cedar and vetiver give a woody base to the fragrance, which adds some masculinity to it.
This is a masculine fragrance with a rich, modern scent. It doesn’t align too strongly to any scenarios, so we could probably see it pulled off in any kind of circumstance whether formal events, casual, office wear, or date night. It smells fantastic, and is unimposing. La Nuit is indeed a beautiful cologne of the night.
