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Yves Saint Laurent is a French fashion company which produces among other things, fantastic scents. YSL is honestly one of my favorite fragrance designers, as I know I’ll always get both unique and masculine scents to wear.
YSL has produced fantastic colognes since the 1970s and many of them are not even included on this list as they are either no longer produced or just really hard to find (scents such as: YSL Pour Homme, Live Jazz, M7, and Kouros Tattoo). All worthy of a spot, just too far in the past.
For this list, I have chosen what I consider to be the twelve best smelling Yves Saint Laurent colognes for men currently available (at least online). Each of them represents a different style and situation to which to wear them in.
Note: I have updated this page from the original, to expand further, and make necessary edits. Mainly, add new one’s to the list and move discontinued fragrances towards the bottom. Also See: Best YSL Perfumes for Ladies
What Are the Top Smelling Men’s Fragrances from Saint Laurent?
Classy Event
Tuxedo by YSL– I was late to the party with this one, but man, is this a great juice. Tuxedo is one of their more expensive offerings, but is an absolute gem.
It opens up with its spicy kick of cardamom and black pepper. It’s not super massive with that spice, as it is subdued by the sweeter notes and the fact that they are swimming in a sea of warm amber.
The other layer up top is greenish, a little earthy, watery, and smoky. Mostly, patchouli and violet leaf. After that, we will transition away from the spice to a sweeter floral with notes of vanilla and rose.
It all comes together with a great balance and stylish feeling that begs to be worn while dressed up. It may not be for everyone or one specifically for daily wear, but Tuxedo is one to try and one of YSL’s best. Tuxedo Review
Vestiaire Des Parfums Pick
6 Place Saint Sulpice by YSL– So, like the other major designers, YSL has its own higher end unisex blends available under the Vestiaire des Parfums banner. 6 Place Saint Sulpice is one such offering and it is really darn good.
This one is deep and rich, more niche than the best sellers on this list. Leather, saffron, lavender, labdanum, and tonka bean.
At times it’s creamy. Then, it’ll be smoky and very woody while sitting on top of the ever-present leather note. I’ve only come across this scent once, the leather almost felt more of a suede to me. But, I’d need to spend more time with Sulpice.
This isn’t going to one for most folks. It’s warm, spice, nutty, woody, smoky. and has a lot of depth. But, for the right person, this is gold.
Now, this is going to run you in the $250 per bottle range. Also, while there are still bottles available as of posting, I’m not sure how long that is going to be the case. I believe it is now discontinued.
Best New Cologne Release and Daily Wear Pick
Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce
Y EDP opens up with a crisp freshness provided by a blend of: bergamot, apple, and ginger. It is blended perfectly and grabs one’s attention, from the start. After that, comes the warmth and creaminess of tonka bean and amberwood, which is further freshened by juniper.
This one has outstanding longevity of over 10 hours, on my skin, and a solid but not overly loud sillage. It is clean, with moments of sweetness, herbal aromas, and underlying woodiness. I had to update this list, to include Y EDP. It seems like it’s catching on now and getting its just due.
Y EDP is their best current release, in my opinion (vintage bottles of other entries notwithstanding). Y EDP Review
Flanker L’Homme
L’Homme EDP– There’s been a long list of flankers stemming from the original L’homme release by YSL. Some, were really good and sadly long gone. Others, not so much.
Eau de Parfum was released from the brand in 2022 and is one of the better colognes to be under the L’Homme banner.
Bergamot and bitter orange open things up. It’s sweet, juicy, feels ambery, and you get the oak and cognac combination also coming through. It’ll dry down into something that is more woody, earthy, with notes of geranium and lavender also making an appearance.
The performance is just okay. I wish it was beefed up more and I got more time with the opening act. Still, this is a release from the line worth trying. L’Homme EDP Review
Most Popular Cologne
Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3-Ounce
A soft, casual, long-lasting, and fantastic smelling cologne from Yves Saint Laurent. This is another one that turns the heads of the ladies and it is masculine without being in your face about it. Cardamom provides a warm spice, which is then met with a calming lavender note.
The composition is also quite woody with a dry freshness from the combo of cedar and vetiver. This has been a best seller for a decade, at this point.
Simple, straight to the point. I will say, that recent bottles, have seemed weaker than in the past. Yet, La Nuit is still among YSL’s best men’s perfumes.
Update: I’ve got a full bottle of this and L’Homme from 2021 and the longevity has gotten really bad for both. Like, 2-3 hours. They can be had for a lower price usually, but just be prepared to reapply, if you decide to go this route. Still smells great, just weak.
Notes include: Vetiver, Cedar, Coumarin, Floral notes, Bergamot, Lavender, Cardamom. Review
Best La Nuit Flanker
La Nuit de L’Homme Bleu Électrique– This is a newer release for 2021, that I only tried once, but it’s a worthwhile addition to the list. I still do need to spend more time with Bleu and give it a full and proper review.
It is pretty close to the one above, but with a noticeably fresher opening act with the ginger note and a greater use of the lavender note versus the very cardamom focused original La Nuit. The citrus up top also seemed stronger to me, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a bottle of the old stuff.
Performance was much better, but again I need to test it out more. One noticeable difference is the tonka bean in the base, similar to that found in Eau Electrique (listed below).
Top Herbal/Woods Fragrance Pick
Jazz By Yves Saint Laurent For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Ounces
A harder to find classic from the late 1980s. Jazz is a spicy floral based cologne that has a knack for attracting women. Jazz is a throwback fragrance, to a time before you had a bunch of aquatics, and the same ambroxan-laden colognes that you have today.
It is green, herbal, spicy, fresh, and captivating. Masculine and mature, not overpowering, but subtle in its confidence. Jazz has a slightly soapy aroma, but with more woods and spice. There are still bottles floating around of Jazz.
Live Jazz was also another awesome scent, but I haven’t seen that one in quite a while, and they never re-released it. Notes include: sandalwood, rose, spices, and amber. Jazz EDT Full Review
Top Classic Masculine Laurent Scent
Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent for Men – 3.3 Ounce EDT Spray
Another very attractive scent from YSL. Like Jazz, it has a blend of floral notes and spicy one too but Kouros adds undertones of woods to give it that extra depth. This one is intense. This dates back to the early 1980s, and as such, has been reformulated and changed with time.
I can’t say what it originally was like, but from all accounts, it was an absolute bomb. I know it from mid-2000s onward. Kouros is not one for everybody, some will love it, while others will detest it. At times it is clean and bright, at others, dirty and rough.
Today, it really doesn’t strike me as being all that dirty. Early stages of spice, aldehydes giving it a fresh brightness, and an ever-present musk. Later, it’s sweeter, has leather, and a classic floral finish.
This is going to come across as completely different from other parfums pour homme, that are usually released nowadays. The 80s, was a time of lots of super bold and masculine scents. and Kouros was absolutely one of them. Kouros Full Review
Honorable Mentions
Best YSL Winter Perfume Pour Homme
Yves Saint Laurent Body Kouros for Men, Eau De Toilette, 3.3 Fluid Ounce
Great casual cologne which is a favorite of mine in the winter months. It blends eucalyptus, incense, and woods for a candy sweet fragrance with a bit of spice. Kouros Body, is a very unique fragrance, that was released by YSL back in 2000.
Really, there’s nothing else that smells quite like it, due to the ingredients it used. It’s actually one of my favorites from YSL, but it’s not really produced anymore, so it’ll go in this section.
The main note is bezoin that is paired with a smokey incense note and a somewhat medicinal eucalyptus. It is very smooth, with an enveloping warmth, and a light spice within the sweetness powered by sage. It is very simple and super fresh.
The sillage was always pretty moderate, but it has a solid wear time. However, when women got close to me while I was wearing this, it usually got me complements. Not too many guys wear this and I was glad to stand out. I reviewed Kouros Body here
Most Unique YSL
Opium By Yves Saint Laurent For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Ounces
This gets moved to the honorable mentions now, since it’s been discontinued for a long time and those last bottles that YSL did produce, kind of lost a step with the quality/performance.
A rather warm and soft cologne that is great for fall and winter. Opium is an exotic and spicy scent with notes of vanilla which help to mellow it out. It opens up with that warm spice and a black currant note, that can be quite tart/sharp, however it is subdued in this one.
Balsam is highly present within the composition and creates a warm cloud, and to me, gives Opium its exotic and dream-like quality.
As the black currant settles, the spice from the anise and pepper take center stage, and boost the freshness of this cologne. Next, it turns sweeter, due to the familiar scent of vanilla which is sitting on top of a cedar base.
My bottle of Opium EDT, always gave me awesome performance, with a bold sillage and over 10 hours of wear. It is another cold weather fragrance and one that has always gone underappreciated. Notes include: vanilla, ginger, pepper, cedar, balsam. I reviewed Opium here
Most Underrated YSL Fragrance for Men
Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De L’Homme Eau Electrique Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml/3.3 Fl Oz
Electrique is creamy and smooth, with a powdery finish. Lots of tonka bean, geranium, crisp apple, vanilla and a fresh woody base featuring cedar. The performance is good, not overpowering, but quite a great wear in the autumn and winter months.
Not a ground breaking cologne, but this is really a pleasant fragrance to wear, and one which gets noticed. I’ve been hoping that this one would get cheap, so I could scoop up a really inexpensive bottle, but that hasn’t come to pass as of yet. Nevertheless, I think it’s a very worth perfume for men. Eau Electrique Review.
Fresh, Crisp, and Cold
Yves Saint Laurent L’homme Ultime Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce– 
Ultime is super fresh and has a cold feeling aroma. It kicks off with a bright grapefruit, ginger, and Damascus rose. As it moves forward, it becomes drier, spicier, and woodier with notes such as cedar and sage.
I actually really enjoy the rose in here, it only really sticks around for the start, but it fits perfectly with the rest of the composition. The performance is good, but not elite, with 6-7 hours of wear coming from Ultime. Plus, you get something that stands out quite a bit from the usual popular men’s fragrances. L’Homme Ultime 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.