The 13 Best Luxury Colognes for Summer

It’s nearly impossible to pick just one luxury scent of the summer, but if we had to name one, it would be Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino. This is the one my boyfriend has been spritzing on every day since I got it for him last month. It’s delightfully refreshing with a bright burst of neroli and bergamot up top and a soft, floral dry down of orange flower and lavender.

If you did any other online research before reading this article, you probably saw some enthusiastic fragranceheads hyping up Creed’s Virgin Island Water, and they would be right. This aquatic cologne has that delicious citrus opening we love in a summer fragrance—with an unexpected hint of lime—and a floral heart featuring hibiscus, jasmine, and ylang-ylang, which happens to be one of my favorite floral notes. But if you’re thinking that’s too much floral for you, don’t worry—the dry down is musky and woody, grounding it in a more masculine feel.

For a classic choice that always wins compliments, you can’t go wrong with Guerlain’s Vetiver EDT. It’s light and fresh with a spicy hint of nutmeg and pepper at the heart and a deeper base of earthy vetiver and smoky tobacco. It’s a little woody, a little citrusy, and a little earthy, but not too much of any one thing, which makes it a great choice for any time, any day.

Go all in with the citrus this summer, we support it. When it comes to luxury citrus scents, Louis Vuitton’s Pacific Chill is a wonderful option. Perfect for summer days by the ocean, this fragrance is an invigorating, unique blend of some pretty interesting notes. At the top, you have blackcurrant and citron with a hint of fresh peppermint; a heart defined by apricot, basil, and carrot seeds; and a smooth, creamy dry down of fig, dates, and ambrette.

Giardini di Toscana’s Blu Mare EDP is an aquatic scent inspired by a journey to the sea. It starts with a fresh burst of citrus and pink pepper, then moves toward marine and woody notes, and finally finishing with a base of gray amber and earthy oakmoss. The juxtaposition of aquatic and earthy notes represents the meeting of land and sea, and we absolutely love it.

Woody fragrances can absolutely work for summertime, especially when they’re light and fresh (as opposed to deep and smoky, which are better for winter). Here, classic notes of bergamot, lemon, and pink pepper blend with elemi and frankincense, which provide some earthy, spicy, and balsamic undertones. The base here is, of course, warm woods.

We’re definitely defenders of floral fragrances for guys, but if you’re not all in on smelling too rosy, there are floral colognes out there that are less on the nose. For example, Maison Louis Marie’s Nouvelle Vague EDP puts fresh, floral, sweet notes of muguet (lily of the valley) up top, then introduces creamy fig, tonka, and amber, as well as earthy vetiver and woody santal. It’s a glorious mix for summer and goes great on anyone.

If you want something more musky, woody, or traditionally masculine, Ex Nihilo’s Blue Talisman is one of our favorites for summer. A citrusy opening is punctuated by crisp, warm ginger and pear, and the dry down is undeniably musky and woody. This is a great one to wear on a date or out to dinner.

Another citrusy, woody luxury fragrance we love for summertime is Bvlgari’s Le Gemme Tygar EDP. It’s bold and confident with grapefruit and ginger up top, then turns to rich ambroxan and musk with an earthy base of vetiver and patchouli.

We’ve been loving Dolce & Gabbana’s new Light Blue Pour Homme EDP, a luxuriously fresh, salty blend of mandarin, seawater cypress, and cedarwood. It’s a richer, woodier twist on the iconic Light Blue Pour Homme EDT, which we also love for summer. You can’t go wrong either way.

If you want a fruit-forward fragrance that smells more naturally tropical than sugary sweet, try Arquiste’s Tropical EDP. It beautifully balances fruity, floral, and woody scents with delicious top notes of smooth guava, bittersweet lima, and ginger, along with a handful of other interesting notes you might not expect.

We’re obsessed with Diptyque here at Esquire, and this Philosykos EDT is one of the brand’s very best fragrances. It tells the story of the whole fig tree, from leaves to sap to wood, and perfectly blends light, fresh notes with rich, creamy ones for a scent that is distinctly Greek.

For something that will really announce your presence before you even walk into a room, go with Terre d’Hermès Eau Givrée. It contrasts icy, breezy notes with warm, woody notes for a scent you want to lean into, harnessing the intensity of citron, juniper berries, and timut pepper.