The best woody colognes are a motley crew. Comparing them is not as straightforward as, say, aquatic or leather fragrances. Woody fragrances are much more broad, similar to floral ones, in that so many scents employ woody notes in their formulas. That’s because notes like cedar, vetiver, and sandalwood give scents a terrific fullness and longevity. They’re classic base notes, and prominent in many men’s and unisex scents. For this reason, their presence may not necessarily indicate that a scent is classifiably woody, so don’t assume it at first glance. Instead, give that scent a huff: If what you want is woody, then make sure it smells like a forest, alright?
When you do round up the best woody fragrances—as we’ve done below—you get a list of colognes that are among the most universally beloved for both wearers and those who encounter the wearer. Woody notes tend to wear well year round (though some colognes will dial up or down certain aspects to lean into one season or the other), and they tend to be terrific picks for one’s signature scent. But whether you’re in the market for a new daily spritz, or something to round out your parfum profile for different seasons, occasions, and moods, we’ve got something you’re going to love.
The Coziest Woody Cologne
Not all woody scents need to be a forest bath. This one evokes a crackling fireplace—it’s seasoned with other cozy-seasonal notes, like vanilla, musk, and resin. But it is woody foremost, burning into the night.
The Best Vetiver Cologne
Techincally vetiver isn’t wood—it’s more of a grass—but in fragrance it is one of the most common woody essences, and it is perhaps the most prominent base note used in men’s perfumery today. Frederic Malle’s exquisite vetiver scent casts a spellbinding, day-long radius; it is sophisticated enough for office wear, but playful enough for evening application, too. And alongside that vetiver heft, you get cedar, sandalwood, myrrh, moss, musk, and pink pepper.
The Best Light-Wear Woody Cologne
This vetiver scent is lighter and brighter—if you want a delicious, crowd-pleasing scent that doesn’t define you, then spritz on St Johns’ delicious but unassuming cologne.
The Best Unisex Woody Cologne
Bois d’Argent is above all woody—that’s the bois in its name—but it is beloved for its smoky and powdery expressions that give the scent its sultry, mysterious character.
The Best Woody Cologne for Date Night
Hero’s remix is a trio of cedar notes, along with a piercing pine needle expression. It is perfect for colder months, and for date night—in both cases, it invites others into your radius while also warming and calming the wearer. That might be thanks to its resinous base, but the cedar and pine are Hero’s forwardmost notes.
The Best Year-Round Woody Cologne
As soon as you get past the giggling induced by the name “Bvlgari Man Wood Essence”, you can get on with appreciating this scent’s excellent cypress-cedar-vetiver aura. It’s a lighter expression of woody notes, too (and of resin, which typically anchors a scent to the colder half of the calendar); that makes this one perfect for perennial wear, unlike most wood-forward scents.
The Best Woody Cologne for Spring and Summer
1828 is an ode to sci-fi writer and world traveler Jules Verne, whose stories were inspired by the smells, sights, and sounds of far-off places (he wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.) It opens with bright, citrusy top notes like grapefruit and tangerine, with eucalyptus stowing away for a sendoff to the spicy heart notes. Indonesian nutmeg and Madagascar black pepper turn up the heat as it finishes with an ever woody blend of cedar, vetiver, and pine—and a touch of incense, too. Despite these mostly broody notes, 1828 wears brilliantly in the warmer half of the year, which is fitting for a scent as open-minded and limitless as the man it honors.
The Best Oud Cologne
Oud is often considered one of the most top-shelf notes in perfumery. It is a resin that occurs in agarwood, which you might associate with incense. Categorically, that makes oud less “woody” than your nose might otherwise perceive, but in the right hands—like Tom Ford’s, say—oud can be paired with sandalwood and other highly expressive notes like amber and pepper, for a rapturous, sensual finish. This is a heavy-duty scent and should be deployed carefully!
The Best Piney Cologne
Vetiver and pine needles give this highly concentrated number its profound punch. Good Fir radiates from its wearer like the evergreen-blanketed mountains of Colorado. It punctuates those woody notes with musk, tobacco, moss, and pink pepper, elevating this scent far above the competition. You’ll feel like you’re waking up in the Rockies, looking out over the evergreen expanse.
The Most Iconic Woody Cologne
Look, Santal 33 doesn’t need any editorial boost in terms of sales; it is perhaps the definitive scent for the millennial crowd. So, as obvious as it might be to include it here—and as much as we’ve celebrated Le Labo’s many other outstanding scents in the interim—we can’t ignore the popular pick any longer. Santal 33 is as popular as it is because it’s truly excellent.
Adam Hurly
Source link
