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The 10 Best Long-Lasting Colognes
Featuring spicy, woody, and absolutely alluring scents
No matter your preferred fragrance notes, scent family, or bottle aesthetic, when a scent is sprayed, you want it to last. Much like perfume, many of the best long-lasting colognes typically have concentrated juices with more intense notes that linger long beyond the dry down. Some of these fragrances settle discreetly—almost like a second skin—and can linger softly on your clothes until they're washed.
Shop the Best Long-Lasting Colognes for Men
There’s a bit of science that goes into creating a cologne that lasts. “It depends on the structure of the fragrance. The notes used in the base have a lot to do with substantivity and long-lastingness,” vice president of perfumery at Givaudan, Adriana Medina, tells Bazaar. “Sweet, resin, ambery, woody notes work well in performance, but also a strong animalic floral note can help as well.”
With these key notes in mind, plus more expert recommendations from Medina, we've listed the best long-lasting colognes worth shopping for yourself and others, below. These coveted scents from top brands like Tom Ford and Creed linger well beyond their initial few spritzes.
Parfums de Marly Layton Eau de Parfum
If woody colognes typically aren't for you, experts recommend trying the fresh and floral scent profile of Parfums de Marly's Layton eau de parfum. It blends apple and bergamot with notes of jasmine and violet that make for an intoxicating, well-balanced fragrance.
Customer Review: "Expensive but worth it. Arguably the best from Parfums de Marly. This cologne is a very complex scent that is decadent from first spray to the dry down. Massive compliment getter (the ladies love it). The longevity is 10 hours+ on my skin. Projection is several feet. This stuff will get you noticed." —Jake
Boy Smells Italian Kush Eau de Parfum
This earthy fragrance from Boy Smells quickly transports its wearer to an Italian garden. Its top notes of limoncello and black peppercorn meet rhubarb and cannabis scents in the middle before being grounded by patchouli and sandalwood at its base.
Customer Review: "Tried this on a whim cause I needed a new scent and let me say…smartest decision ever made. I’m obsessed with this scent like it’s perfect. So fresh and spicy at the same time I feel decadent wearing it. Lasts forever too, so I’m always smelling good." —Payton M
Seaweed, oud, and ambergris accord combine to create an entrancing blend of cool spiciness in Tom Ford's unisex Oud Minerale eau de parfum. The adventurous scent is like the perfect mashup of the forest and the deepest depths of the ocean.
Customer Review: "The dry down on this cologne is awesome. It's aquatic and fresh without being bright. On first spray, the cologne is very oud forward, smokey and heavy but give it 5 minutes and I can smell fresh forest and ocean vibes." —cricky87
Creed Aventus Fragrance
Creed's best-selling Aventus fragrance combines fruit-forward notes of apple with spicier blackcurrant and pink pepper, which are rounded out by woody oakmoss, cedarwood, and birch. Plus, its signature blend is topped off by ambroxan.
Customer Review: "I sprayed it on me and right away I knew this was the unique smell I was looking for. The birch, pineapple, musk, and black currant are present and words can't describe how amazing this stuff smells." —MrFranco
Cola notes (yes, like actual soda) pair with cinnamon and cedarwood to give Kilian Paris's Born to be Unforgettable its olfactory edge. While you may not be able to put your finger on its individual notes at first, its warm, spicy scent will seem comfortably familiar.
Customer Review: "If you're like me and love a slightly sweet, woody scent, you'll love this. It throws like crazy and lasts so long. Depending on the sniff, it's either lime or sweet spice." —Angeekingg
If America had a signature scent, it would likely be Krigler's American One 31 perfume. Created in 1931, its blend of mandarin, vetiver, neroli, cedar, cumin, and black pepper is said to have been worn by public figures like Ernest Hemingway and John F. Kennedy.
Imagine the look on their face after unwrapping this elegant black and gold bottle adorned with Bond No. 9's logo. Inside is an earthy combination of sea kale, cucumber, and marine aroma, with notes of lavender musk-vetiver and ambergris at its base. And with a name like Wall Street, we're betting your giftee will feel that much more powerful after wearing it all day.
Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Green Stravaganza Eau de Toilette
The zesty bergamot, Haitian vetiver, and coffee accord notes in Valentino's Born In Roma Uomo Green Stravaganza are equal parts woody, earthy, and uplifting. Plus, the iconic Rockstud bottle it's housed in is a must for any cologne wardrobe.
Customer Review: "It’s different and similar it's something that has to settle before it gets really good but it’s not too sweet or too strong it’s right in the middle it’s perfect." —Rasen21
Fragrances labeled with "intense" are often among the longest-lasting. To help this woody Rabanne scent linger, perfumers combine notes of apple, Turkish Damascena rose, osmanthus flower, and tonka beans for a robust scent profile once it dries down.
Customer Review: "A sophisticated blend of sweet and spicy. Imagine juicy apples dipped in creamy vanilla, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a twist of dark, woody patchouli. It's intoxicating and undeniably attractive, radiating warmth and confidence." —josephr37
Dolce & Gabbana's The One's eau de toilette is ideal for the person who loves spicy scents as much as woody ones. Earthy grapefruit and basil notes masterfully blend with cardamom and ginger with a finish of tobacco, amber, and cedarwood to complete this masculine scent masterpiece.
Customer Review: "Perfect daily fragrance easy to wear very pleasing to the nose not very aggressive/strong." —Kimonono
Meet the experts
- Adriana Medina is the vice president of perfumery for Givaudan.
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