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Colognes come in many different scents, however, not all of these scents are appropriate or desirable for all occasions. There are fragrances that do smell wonderful but are best served when applied during a night out and not while working at the office. Professional men require a eau de toilette that is understated yet still fresh and compelling.
There are yet still other men who simply don’t want their fragrance to be that ‘loud’ and more on the subtle side and wish to find the perfect cologne for daily use. In this post, I want to lay out some options that you could consider for an everyday cologne as well as present a few that I think are the top colognes for daytime.
What are the Best Daytime Office Fragrances for Men?
Days in Bleu
Bleu de Chanel– It’s a best-seller, has been for a long time, and that’s because it’s great. Bleu de Chanel is a fantastic option for a basic, no non-sense fragrance, that can easily become a daily wear.
Most of the decision will be to select which version you prefer. Bleu de Chanel EDT is the original, the most understated. The woodier Parfum version is one that many people enjoy discovering. Personally, I like EDP a bit more than the other two.
Cracking the Code
Code Parfum by Armani– This is another one with multiple options. The original Armani Code is a classic for daily wear, but I like the newer Code Parfum nowadays. Others in the series go too heavy with notes like suede and other sweetish features.
Code Parfum finds the balance while respecting the original DNA. It has a fresh and clean start with a juicy bergamot note, bright aldehydes, and the floral focus of the iris note. It feels cold, with a slight powdery aroma, but the iris goes more into the buttery creamy end of things.
7-8 hours of wear, very simple, and crowd pleasing. I really like Code Parfum as an effortless daily wear for the office and beyond.
Ego Unleashed
Egoiste Platinum by Chanel– One could also go with the original Egoiste, which is sweeter, drier, and richer with notes of tobacco and sandalwood. However, as a clean daytime wear, I like Platinum better for the job.
Platinum has a classic soapy clean, but it’s a modernist interpretation of this style. Herbal, fresh spicy, green, and with a healthy dose of lavender. You’ll get phases of petitgrain, sage, and neroli during the wear.
Finally, it will dry down with some great woody notes including vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, and geranium. The scent could be stronger, though, it’s not particularly much of an issue. Platinum Egoiste review
Prada Style
Prada L’homme Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce
Mainly, I like the darker aroma of this one, and the fact that I can get 9 hours of wear on my skin. It has the powdery iris note of the original, amber, and a great leather accord, in the opening.
Later on, there is a subtle base of patchouli and sandalwood, which add to the overall enjoyment and aren’t a distraction. The dry down is mainly iris and tonka bean, with the leather and amber, playing support roles.
It’s super rich and fits beautifully in the colder weather of autumn and winter. L’Homme Intense Review
The Dior Namesake
Dior Homme– Dior Homme gets reformulated every so often and the name is simply re-used with the newer formula. In 2020, Dior changed it again. While I don’t like this one as much as the last, it’s still a very good fragrance, especially for daily wear.
It starts off bright, fresh, and woody. Bergamot citrus leads the way with cedar and vetiver flanking it during the opening act. Underneath that, is a light spiciness headed up by pink pepper.
This one is not too heavy, has solid performance, and smells great even in its toned down simplicity. Dior Homme Review
Green Clean
Green Irish Tweed– Green Irish Tweed is an higher end option by Creed that is worth checking out.
I’m not much of a fan of the mossy, violet leaf, and pine sort of aroma up top. But, I think that this one gets better as it settles after 15 or so minutes.
The lemon verbena and citrus notes come out and give this one a bright and green blend, which will become a soapy/powdery scent as it dries down further.
GIT is another fragrance with good performance and an older school vibe. It isn’t stale or boring, however, and has a dynamic energy to its composition. GIT Review
Gentleman Daily
Gentleman EDP by Givenchy– Gentleman EDP is a great option for daily wear at the office or anywhere really.
This one has an iris note along with a spicy accord, benzoin, woody notes in the dry down, and the creaminess of vanilla (with a nice heaping of tonka bean). Not super heavy, with its light citrus top note, but one that’s going to be an autumn and winter wear.
This is refined and has a mass pleasing aroma that is versatile enough to wear in the evenings too.
Classic Chanel
Pour Monsieur by Chanel– Pour Monsieur is an absolute classic from Chanel and it has the style to match. This might not be a pick for everybody, as the fragrance dates back to the 1950s, which gives it a different sensibility versus the newer entries on the list.
The lemon note leads the way, but it has a dry blend of moss and vetiver underneath providing that woodsy aroma. Plus, notes like basil and cardamom giving it a spicy lift. Earthy, dry, woodsy in the base with a citrus not dominating the top.
Lots of greenish and spicy touches throughout. Not a very ‘juicy’ citrus, but this one has a simple elegance that can work very well in an office environment. Timeless.
24
H24 EDT by Hermes– This one gets mixed reviews, while being fairly popular, and it’s one that I personally enjoy. It’s a really useful scent for our purposes in this post.
H24 features notes like sage and narcissus to produce something that is clean while being rather unique. There’s a metallic edge to the aroma, it’s also sweet, and dries down with a woody smell. The sage is strong up top, but this Hermes gradually becomes more balanced.
It’s a moderate cologne with it’s sillage and lasted on my skin for up to 7.5 hours, when I was testing H24 out. H24 Review
Guilty Goodness
Gucci Guilty– An easy to wear and very versatile floral fragrance for men. Guilty EDT isn’t my absolute favorite, but it is one that I do think is a great entry level cologne, for those who don’t want to overthink their scent.
It opens up with a lemon and pink pepper combination, with neroli and orange blossoms sitting in the background. It will shift more towards those notes, while having a woodsy base of patchouli and cedar.
Again, this is very likeable and easy going. Not an insane amount of longevity, but you can pretty liberally apply it without blowing out a room. Guilty Review
Fancy French
Tuxedo by YSL– The name and reputation suggests that this is only for pure formal wear. To me, that’s not the case. Sure, it’s classy and luxurious, but it’s also amazing for the office and daytime use.
Tuxedo gives you a slight spice in the opening from black pepper and cardamom, it’s just not overwhelming. This one is absolutely smooth and the real highlights are: amber, patchouli, and vanilla.
Fresh, sweet, and a lighter fragrance. Tuxedo Review
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.