Fragrances

Lemon is a note that gets used often in fragrances, but it really isn’t the main focus, in many of those scents. It can be a great note, provided it is actually utilized properly. Other times, it just comes across as too tart. In this post, I want to highlight five cologne options for men that strongly feature lemon, not necessarily just a pure lemon squeeze.

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What are the best smelling Lemon Colognes for Men?

Lemon and Vanilla

Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche– Allure Edition Blanche is absolutely one of my favorite lemon scented fragrance. Honestly, I think that the discontinued EDT Eau Concentree is the better version of this, but the EDP is still great.

Lemon, tonka bean, and vanilla. With a great pure citrus opening, that finishes with a delicious creamy finish. It smells like a lemon cake of some sort, but it’s not heavy and actually is one to wear during the summer months.

The sillage isn’t huge and the overall performance isn’t amazing, but passable. Nonetheless, this scent smells fantastic.

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Spicy Lemon and Cocoa

Guerlain L’instant Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 3.3 Ounce – L’Instant Guerlain is an interesting use of a lemon note. It kicks off with that and a spicy star anise, as the opening act. Then, it is herbal and dry, and finally sweet with the introduction of the cocoa note.

It’s got a somewhat floral heart of mostly jasmine with some hibiscus. However, most of the main thrust of this cologne is about lemon, cocoa, and sandalwood. It’s something different from most other scents out there and a great use of our target ingredient. L’Instant Guerlain EDT Review

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Chanel Blend of Citrus

Bleu De Chaneⅼ Eau De Parfum Pour Homme Spray 1.7 Fl. OZ. / 50ML.– I tend to go back and forth between Bleu EDP and the Parfum version. But, if you’re looking for lemon, this is the best of the line.

Now, it’s not pure lemon and is blended with grapefruit and bergamot. The thing is, the citrus notes smell terrific with one another and the lemon plays a major part of that. Underneath that, are the fresh notes of mint, ginger, and pink pepper.

Finally, the dry down of citrus, amber, and incense. It’s clean, attractive, and Bleu de Chanel EDP has nice performance with 8+ hours of wear. Bleu EDP Review

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Best Seller for Winter

Versace Eros for Men 6.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray– Eros has always had a strong lemon note. In newer bottles, this seems to be even truer than it once was. It is paired with the mint note up top, plenty of tonka bean and vanilla to boot.

Eros is and has been a best seller for many years now. To me, the newer bottles don’t seem to have the same power, but this is still a plenty strong cologne. More for the autumn and winter months, as it will melt in the heat.

If you want a bold lemon gourmand sort of scent, Versace Eros can still fit the bill. Versace Eros Review

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Guilty Lemon

Gucci Guilty Intense Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3 Ounce– Guilty Intense is my second favorite from the Guilty line (behind Black), but the best one with a solid lemon note. Now, the original Guilty has the strongest use of lemon, it’s just as good of a fragrance.

Underneath the citrus, is a great floral heart with lavender, orange blossom, and neroli. All of this sits on top of a lot of amber. It isn’t a super complex scent, but Guilty Intense is a beautiful and versatile fragrance to wear.

It’s got pretty good sillage and it lasts for 7-8 hours, on my skin. Gucci Guilty Intense Review

One of the most popular cologne segments is the aquatics. These men’s fragrances often include citrus notes to go along with sea or other marine ingredients, though, they can sometimes also be woodsy based instead of citrus. These are generally best used in spring and summer and can withstand the heat and humidity that accompanies that part of the year.

There are plenty of decent options within the frame of aquatics for men but I wanted to create a list of some of the best scents in my opinion. In the end, I chose 9 guys’ colognes that I consider to be the best smelling and top performing aquatics.

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What are the Best Aquatic/Marine Colognes for Him?

In addition to this list, I have related ones for colognes that smell like the beach or ocean, if you want something a bit more specific. Also, the top tropical fragrances.

Dark, Herbal, Aquatic Cologne

Giorgio Armani Aqua di Gio Profumo, 4.2 Fluid Ounce– A flanker from the original and best-selling Acqua di Gio, AdG Profumo, exceeds the original in my opinion. It is a dark aquatic fragrance with an attractive spice and smoky undertones provided by the incense note.

Update: You also might go with the newer Profondo, which is awesome for summer.

Profumo starts out with bergamot and deep sea aquatic notes. The composition screams out summertime spent on the coast and is more refined and masculine than its predecessor. Great salty marine elements with sage and rosemary, giving it all extra heft. Awesome. Acqua di Gio Profumo Review

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Top Cheap Fragrance with Aquatic Elements

Nautica Voyage By Nautica For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 oz – This is a really great fragrance and is affordable for just about any budget. Nautica Voyage has an aquatic aroma with musky undertones. However, the main attraction is the fruit which is listed as apple, and has a cold crispness to it. Very fresh with additional floral notes.

This one has a cold aroma, with the crisp cucumber-like juiciness. It’s aquatic but not oceanic or marine, meaning, it doesn’t have that heavy sea salt note as others do. Floral and green undertones provided by oak moss, mimosa, and lotus. Voyage is one for daytime use and will usually go for about 7 hours on my skin, when wearing it.

Voyage is a constant best-seller because it delivers that bright and sunny aroma with nice performance. It has that usual Nautica marine/aquatic profile with a cedarwood base holding it all together. It’s light and built for the summertime. Casual or everyday wear.  My Full Review of Voyage Cologne

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Underrated Aquatic Men’s Fragrance

Fendi Fan Di Acqua Pour Homme EDT Spray for Men, 1.7 Ounce– Fan di Fendi Acqua is another designer scent, that has been heavily discounted. I think this will be cheap, until the current overstock gets scarce, and then might go back up.

In the mean time, guys have a chance to pick a bottle of this summertime aquatic, for super cheap. I bought a full bottle for $20, back in the start of 2019, and wore it plenty during the summer months.

Acqua opens up with bergamot, cedar and aquatic notes which are surrounded by a warm spiciness of peppercorn and pink pepper. While it starts off fairly spicy, it settles down into a uniquely smooth aquatic, with a great leather note.

Is this the most amazing fragrance? No, but it is quite underrated. When compared with the usual scents at this price, the quality and overall experience is much better. Fan di Fendi Acqua Review

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Simple Marine Scent

Bvlgari Aqua By Bvlgari For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces
Aqva is obviously an aquatic scent. From the start we get a strong blend of two types of orange, salty seaweed, and cedar driftwood. It has that really oceanic and water laden citrus fruit vibe, that strikes hard at first.

However, it doesn’t stay citrus laden throughout like most aquatics and ends up with quite a moderate sillage. As it wears on, it feels both darker and deeper, as a fragrance. Lavender comes in to lend a clean aroma to the salty driftwood.

Really good casual scent for the summer months and feels like being at the shore. Bvlgari Aqva has been a best seller, in this space for years now, and is an aquatic that folks seem to love. Full Bvlgari Aqva Review

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Tropical Island Scent

Creed Virgin Island Water Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.3 Fl Ounce– Virgin Island Water is some folks favorite summertime island life-smelling fragrance. Is it a pure aquatic? Probably not, but it fits the same sort of vibe.

I really like that opening blast, as it feels like sitting on a beach, with a tropical drink in hand. When the coconut comes in heavier, this one starts to take on more of a suntan lotion aroma.

Plenty of people enjoy that, I think that it is just okay. Consider this one to be a boozy/beachy aquatic and not an oceanic sort of scent. Virgin Island Water is built for the summertime, though, and for that it is an over nice choice for men or women. Virgin Island Water Review

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Fresh Intense Aquatic for Summer

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 1.6 Ounce– I actually prefer the Intense version of Light Blue over the original. Like Light Blue, Eau Intense, starts out with a citrus opening; this time minus the bergamot note that is so prevalent in the original. Grapefruit and mandarin this time around, but the grapefruit is ‘frozen’ and produces a wonderful chilled feeling.

This has an amberwood note in it, that some people don’t really like. I generally enjoy wearing this one, but it did sometimes get annoying. As such, the original Light Blue should also be highly considered, as an alternative.

Also, this one doesn’t have the same spice or aquatic note. The pepper is replaced with a great juniper and the aquatic aroma, is much closer to fresh water, than a sea note.

I think that this one is much more refreshing and fun to wear, the whole chilled vibe is great on a warm day. The sillage is strong and I get around 9 hours of use, on my skin. Light Blue Eau Intense Review

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Boozy Beach Aquatic

Tommy Bahama St Barts Cologne Eau de Cologne Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce –This Tommy Bahama scent is sort of like a poor man’s version of Virgin Island Water. It’s got a strong lime kick, which turns into a smooth and creamy finish with salty undertones as if you were sitting on the beach.

I like wearing this one from time to time. The performance isn’t amazing, so, I’d suggest trying to find a cheap bottle. Definitely avoid paying full price. It starts off strong with the lime, but later, the sillage is pretty light. Still, I enjoy this one as an island type of aquatic. Set Sail St. Barts Review

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Salt Water Oceanic Perfume for Him

Bvlgari Aqva Marine Pour Homme by Bvlgari 3.4oz 100ml EDT Spray– The flanker fragrance to Bvlgari Aqva and while it’s very similar this one feels lighter and has an added salt water note. This is built for summertime. Between the two Bvlgari options on this list, Aqva Marine is the one for those who want a purer oceanic experience.

This one has the same orange note, with additional grapefruit, and neroli to keep things light and fresh. Seaweed is a major player here, so, consider that before getting a bottle of this cologne.

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Crisp, Easy to Wear Fragrance

Calvin Klein ETERNITY for Men AQUA Eau de Toilette, 3.4 Fl Oz– I am replacing Polo Blue EDT on the list, with an entry from Calvin Klein. Eternity Aqua is the closest thing you will get to a clone of Polo Blue EDT. Actually, it comes quite close to replicating it exactly, but there are a few differences.

Mainly, the opening act, is what is so similar to Blue. Eternity shares the cucumber note and that aquatic type of scent, but also features a plum note and citrus, to separate it from the Polo. It turns into a citrus spiciness with Sichuan pepper, with elements from the original Eternity for Men.

Is it better than Polo Blue? In terms of smell, they are really close, but I’m actually partial to Aqua. The longevity of Polo Blue is better, but I get 5-7 hours from this Calvin Klein. It would ultimately come down to price.

Right now, you can find full bottles of Eternity Aqua at some places for under $30, which is a saving versus Blue. If you can get one of the cheap bottles, go with this on over Ralph Lauren. Eternity Aqua Review

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There you have it, 9 excellent options for guys who want to delve into the marine/aquatic space. Each of these scents provides something different while maintaining that underlying similarity which makes these types of colognes so interesting to wear.