6 Best Smelling Kenneth Cole Colognes

Kenneth Cole has released plenty of popular men’s fragrances over the years and has quite a lineup to choose from, up to this day. Yet, this brand still flies under the radar sometimes, and doesn’t particularly get its due. Are most of its colognes groundbreaking? No, but there is plenty of great options, that are usually available at value prices. So, in this post I want to cover what I feel are the six best smelling scents from Kenneth Cole for men.

What are the Top Kenneth Cole Fragrances for Men?

Best Summer Cole Scent

Kenneth Cole Reaction, 3.4 Fl oz– Reaction is still a very popular men’s fragrance after all of these years, and will seemingly be for a long time. It is fairly simple overall, but very fresh and crisp. You get a blend of citrus fruits, apple, and melon.

Reaction has a youthful vibe and fits in nicely for many occasions. During the dry down, it is mostly the melon, some apple, and the smooth sandalwood note.

With the melon notes and apple, you do get a crispness, and that sort of watery juiciness that comes with those fruits. So, Reaction does put off a somewhat aquatic feel. Really, Kenneth Cole Reaction is going to be best served, by being worn by a younger man. It does give of a very youthful vibe.

Best Daily Wear Fragrance

Kenneth Cole Signature, 3.4 Fl Oz– Kenneth Cole Signature is another great option from this brand. It starts off with citrus and slightly spicy and warm notes, including cardamom, at the top. Then, it transitions more into a woody fragrance with a unique papyrus ingredient. 

It starts off with that sweet citrus and spicy blend, but the spices take over more further along, and blends with the earthiness of the woods. Not a huge sillage, but certainly not weak. Just a solid performer all around, with a fairly creative, and masculine scent.

When the citrus is at its most powerful, this does come across as a more mature version of Reaction. The woody period is very fresh, while still being understated.

Light Fruity Scent

Kenneth Cole Reaction Connected Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce– Reaction Connected is another fruity based scent at the top, with a melon quality, and a slight salty/aquatic feeling that can seem oceanic. That’s really what it’s like, at the start.

However, as it dries down, you still get the fruits but also plenty of violet leaf and wood. The middle is more herbal and the end is more earthy/woody. Connected has a really nice sweet and juicy fruit profile, but with more depth than other similar fragrances, on the market.

Reaction Connected is a lot like Nautica Voyage, but with less of the green-ish smell, and the floral notes. Melon with a ‘blue’ impression and some earthier qualities in the dry down. Pretty simple and a nice alternative to the original Reaction.

Best Seller

Kenneth Cole Black, 3.4 Fl Oz– Kenneth Cole Black is probably the most popular men’s fragrance from this line and it actually is one of the best. The opening blast of mandarin orange is wonderful and juicy.

This is paired with notes like mint and basil, which gives it an intoxication herbal spice which pairs well with the citrus. Black is very fresh and not heavy and dark.

In fact, it dries down with a lovely lotus flower note, to go along with the aforementioned ingredients. This is a good option for guys who want a daily wear, with decent performance, and isn’t ‘too loud’.

Simple and Clean

Kenneth Cole Mankind, 3.4 Fl oz– The original is the best, from the Mankind lineup, and is a much better version than Mankind Ultimate. Mankind is a pretty simple one, with pineapple giving it a fruitiness, and dry woods permeating throughout.

Also, you get some spice from ginger/tarragon and others, but not too much. It ultimately dries down into a clean wood scent, with some pineapple and tonka bean creaminess.

The opening fresh spiciness is great, I really dig the ginger note in this one. Performance is okay, but still serviceable. Smells very similar to many different fragrances out there, but has enough differences to stand on its own. Needs a bit more power, but a good scent to wear.

Great Black Flanker

Copper Black– This one is a nice pickup, with some similarities to Legend Night by Montblanc (though, that one is better in my opinion). Night has a bit more power and freshness to it.

Anyway, Copper Black gives you a nice apple opening with undertones of bourbon coming through. The warm spice is provided by the liquor and the cardamom note, which overlaps with Legend Night.

It’s going to shift more towards the vanilla and tonka bean notes, as the booze burns off pretty much entirely. However, you get a nice journey and development from this one. I would expect this to be a heavier scent, based on the notes, but it really isn’t.

Performance is okay, definitely pretty average as a whole, but the scent itself is without a doubt one of the best from Kenneth Cole.

Best Men's Colognes

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.