The cold weather of winter has descended upon us in the Northern hemisphere, as the official start of the season, is mere days away. For some, the freezing temperatures and icy conditions, have already been around for months. While I personally dislike the coldest months of the year, the one redeeming quality about them, is the vast array of colognes there are to choose from. Yes, there are some men’s fragrances, which only get to shine for part of the year and they’re some of the best. In this post, I am going to cover my favorites, and what I consider to be the top winter scents.

What are the Best Smelling Winter Fragrances for Men in 2019-2020?

Tom Ford Private Blend Noir De Noir Eau De Parfum Spray Edp 3.4 Fl / 100 Ml– Noir de Noir from Tom Ford, kicks its life off with, a very nice and sweet rose note. This teams up with moss, patchouli, and oud. It has a darkness, spicy elements, a sweeter side, with a later delicious vanilla and truffle combination. The result is a wholly unique experience, that hangs beautifully, when its cold out. 

This is a fragrance that can hit you in many different ways and completely be a joy to wear. The truffle note, is great, and holds the entire thing together during the dry down along with vanilla. The oud sits at the heart, but doesn’t overwhelm the composition, and is so balanced it heightens the whole experience of wear.

This is generally a well-liked scent, with the sweet and dark dry down. It’s not too powerful, with its moderate sillage, but I get about 9 hours of wear from this one. The opening can be beasty, but it settles into something highly palatable.  Noir de Noir Review

Bvlgari Man in Black Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– Man in Black is a fragrance, that I’m personally excited, that I get to break out once again. Due to its spicy and boozy nature, this isn’t a cologne, that I always get the opportunity to wear. But during the winter? It’s a nighttime go to, in my rotation.

If you’re familiar with Spicebomb, this has quite a bit of similarity, with that fragrance. This is a rum soaked fragrance, with cinnamon, smooth leather, and a nice tonka bean touch. Add to that, tobacco plus oud, and you have yourself a highly masculine scent that gets noticed. Man in Black Full Review

Giorgio Armani Code Absolu Eau de Parfum Spray For Men (3.7 Ounce)- Code Absolu opens up with nutmeg, rum, suede, and tonka bean. There is also a hint of citrus and crisp apple, in the background. It sounds somewhat similar to Man in Black, above, but the two scents end up much differently. This one is much less boozy and spicy. 

The spice of the nutmeg is dominant for a few minutes, before the suede and tonka bean really take over. The fresh spice here is great, nutmeg and rum, are surprisingly great together. The fruit notes, are also just strong enough, to prevent it being a completely dark fragrance.

This one is fresh, warm, with a nice sweetness from vanilla and tonka bean. The projection is strong, but not absurdly so, and the longevity consistently hits 10+ hours, on my skin. Code Absolu Full Review

Parfums de Marly Herod Men’s Edp Spray, 4.2 Ounce– A warm, mature, and sexy cologne. Herod struck me as a fragrance with elements of some of my other favorite scents on the market. This scent opens up with a fantastic tobacco note, with cinnamon spice, pepper, and earthy patchouli. 

It later has a sweet and spicy aroma, that plays off of one another. First, vanilla. Then, it’s cinnamon and pepper pairing go to work. . Long lasting fragrance, who’s pepper spice is blunted by an incense smokiness lingering just underneath. This one is built for the cold weather and really is one of the top Parfums de Marly fragrances to boot.  Read my full Herod Review

Prada Luna Rossa Black for Men Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce– I initially tested this one out while in Las Vegas, during the summer. It’s definitely not built for that climate, but it actually held up better than expected. However, Luna Rossa Black is at its best, in the cold.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of its opening act, nor is this my favorite Luna Rossa cologne from Prada. Nonetheless, when it dries down to its tonka bean and amber heart, I find it to be very captivating.

Beyond that, the performance is top notch. It lasts a long time, has a solid, but not overwhelming sillage. It has a darkness to it, with some underlying musk and patchouli. The tonka and amber, are the main stars here, though. Luna Rossa Black Review

Angel Men Pure Malt by Thierry Mugler Eau De Toilette Spray (Limited Edition) for Men, 3.40 Ounce
Fruity, malt, and woodsy notes make for an interesting fragrance. It doesn’t come across nearly as strong as the original Angel but that is a good thing for some people. The whiskey note gives it a warmth that is absolutely beautiful in the winter.

Pure Malt opens up with its whiskey, patchouli, fruits, and vanilla. At the start, the fruit medley is the dominant part of the composition. It’s fruity, warm, slightly gourmand/boozy. As it dries down, it becomes a smoother scent with its vanilla, tonka bean, and hints of coffee. It’s masculine and unique, with a fantastic vibe for the winter. Pure Malt Full Review

Paco Rabanne 1 Million Prive Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– For me there is no question, that 1 Million Prive, is currently the best release by Paco Rabanne. I still really enjoy the original 1 Million, but it’s been surpassed, by this flanker.. Prive is darker, more mature, and just smells better.

The fragrance is super warm and features an opening of apple and cinnamon. Yes, it has that 1 Million signature of sweet and spicy, but it also includes myrrh and tobacco to keep it from being overly sweet. There’s a smokiness and an oriental quality to the smell.  It doesn’t have the same insane sillage of 1 Million, but it is still strong, and lasts 9-10 hours on my skin. 1 Million Prive is just a great wear and has a broad mass appeal. Read my Review

Ralph Lauren Polo Red Extreme Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 4.2 Ounce– Not only is this the best Polo Red fragrance, for the wintertime, it is also the best one period. It smells the nicest and has greater performance than any other of the Polo Red flankers.. This version is darker and doesn’t have the same level of fruitiness created by the cranberry note.Though, it is still present.

This is joined by a certain level of smokiness and a familiar smelling coffee note to go along with blood orange. Sweet, rich, and masculine. Ebony wood rounds out the trio of ingredients, that really make this fragrance go. Not too complicated, but does give you a different experience from the other Ralph Lauren scents, and other colognes in general. 

You get the opening citrus note of blood orange mixed with coffee. Later, coffee becomes dominate and there is an almost chocolate-like aroma hanging in the air, when blended with the wood notes. Pretty straightforward scent, but great. Polo Red Extreme Review

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides. You can also follow me on: YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok!