My Top 25 Fragrances of All-Time

These are my Top 25 Fragrances of All-Time as of July 1, 2020. Every July, I will update this list and include their position from the previous year.

25) Sung homme (1989)

Don't fear the purple beast. I picked up a bottle of Sung homme because of the comparisons made to Irish Spring soap and it did not disappoint. Obviously Irish Spring is a bar of discount soap, so you aren't going to pick up discernible notes like you can with Sung homme, but when you sniff a bar of Irish Spring and Sung homme side by side they evoke the same vibe. Sung homme has an abundance of aldehydes which prevent the pine, fir and oakmoss from feeling too dense or woody and what you're left with is an aromatic, green, soapy scent.

I picked up a bottle of Sung homme for $16 and it has been one of the biggest steals in my collection. A great year-round choice for work or anytime you want to smell like a bar of clean, green soap. Go easy on the trigger though, this guy is a powerhouse through and through.

24) Quorum (1981)

Quorum is a rugged, uber masculine scent that will put some hair on your chest. A powerful blend of tobacco, leather, pine and oakmoss is an unequivocally masculine scent that evokes imagery of an 80s alpha male; think Tom Selleck as Magnum PI, Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon or Sylvester Stallone as Rocky. Quorum is a casual scent that is perfect for going to a pub with the guys, having some cigars or going over to your buddy's house to watch the game. The modern formulation I own is a little bit softer than it was in its heyday, but for me that makes it more versatile as the current bottles can be worn to work as long as you go easy on the trigger.

23) Platinum Egoiste (1993)

I picked up a bottle of Platinum Egoiste because I was looking for a summer barbershop scent that wasn't an Italian citrus-style barbershop. I'm not quite sure I'd call Platinum Egoiste a barbershop scent, however, I'd be hard-pressed to find a barbershop fan who doesn't like it. Platinum Egoiste is lacking any spiciness, something that I typically associate with American-style barbershop fragrances. Regardless of its barbershop designation or not, Platinum Egoiste is a great fragrance. Platinum Egoiste is dominated by a clean lavender mixed with strong floral musk backbone. There's a metallic edge to the scent as well which bring to mind some shaving vibes. Now almost 30 years old, Platinum Egoiste does not feel its age. This scent is timeless; its a relatively popular fragrance among the early 20s crowd (especially the young fragrance YouTubers), all the way up to men who are approaching retirement. Its a scent that I could recommend to a high schooler, but also to a middle age Dad. One of the most versatile scents in my collection, Platinum Egoiste can be worn in any season, with any clothing and by a person of any age.

22) Safari (1992)

The first of 3 similar smelling aromatic aquatic fougeres in my top 25, Safari is part of the final leg of the aromatic fougere era. Safari is sort of a halfway point between the powerhouse fougeres of the early 80s and the aquatic era that would soon take over of the fragrance world with the release of Acqua di Gio. Either a post-fougere or a proto-aquatic depending on how you look at it, Safari is fresher and lighter than an early 80s powerhouse fougere, while still maintaining the classic fougere backbone. Lavender, aldehydes and cinnamon dominate the fragrance and combine to create a light and spicy fougere that is perfect for any season and just about any occasion.

21) Aramis (1966)

My Dad's most worn fragrance, Aramis is a scent I've been familiar with for as long as I can remember. Until I smelled the stellar, but overpriced, Ombre Leather by Tom Ford, Aramis was the most true to life leather scent I'd ever smelled. A strong, animalic leather is the centerpiece of Aramis. Aramis' powerful leather scent is backed by oakmoss, patchouli and aldehydes giving the fragrance an woody and leather vibe. There is not a touch of sweetness or youthfulness found within Aramis, however, there's a certain sex appeal behind its unabashedly masculine, rugged, animalic muskiness. Aramis is a hairy-chested, macho man's kind of scent; I picture a young Burt Reynolds or Tom Selleck proudly rocking Aramis. If you're a young man just getting into retro fragrances, I highly recommend picking up a bottle of Aramis; although Aramis is over 50 year years old, its aged quite well. Sure, it does smell like its from yesteryear, a little mature and extremely masculine when compared to the fragrances of today, but its unique, its rugged and smells damn good. You will stick out among the Invictus, Eros and Sauvage crowd and for what its worth, I've worn it around family members under 20 and their friends and had lots of positive feedback.

20) Santos Concentre (1982)

Santos Concentre is a dark and refined gentlemanly scent that smells smooth and luxurious. It starts off with a spicy punch, almost like a strong spicy pepper, and quickly settles down to something that is very unique; dense, dark and masculine yet very sophisticated and elegant. Santos Concentre is a blend of vanilla, sandalwood, pepper, nutmeg and some amber. I also get hints of basil. Although Santos Concentre has notes typically associated with sweet scents, like vanilla and amber, this fragrance has no sweetness in it whatsoever; none. The comparison I can make is with vanilla extract; vanilla extract smells exactly like vanilla, if you take a close whiff it is unmistakeably vanilla even though it lacks the sweetness that we often associate vanilla with because of desserts like ice cream, cake or cookies.

Santos Concrentre falls somewhere in the same ballpark as Anteaus and Van Cleef & Arpels pour homme in the sense that all 3 are equally dark and brooding. Much like Anteaus and VCA, Santos is probably best worn at night in the colder weather when you want to give off the impression that you are mature and sophisticated gentleman. Santos is probably the most serious of the 3, never trying to traverse into a fun or playful territory, but make no mistake it is a treasure that is an excellent choice for any man who does not like sweet fragrances.

19) Opium pour homme (1995)

Opium pour homme is my favourite oriental fragrance that I've tried to date. Star anise and blackcurrant are the heart of Opium pour homme, backed by vanilla and hints of cinnamon and clove, they blend together to create a sweet, spicy, warm oriental scent that projects quite loudly. The homme label is a bit misleading; this may be a scent marketed to men, but it leans rather feminine in my opinion, or at the very least could easily be worn by any gender. It's probably the most feminine leaning fragrance I own, but I treasure it because it is an opulent, rich, spicy oriental fragrance that smells far more expensive than its price tag and makes me feel like a sophisticated and well traveled gentleman.

18) PS Fine Cologne (1979)

Paul Sebastian Fine Cologne is a spicy, aromatic, musky, oriental fragrance that performs like Old Spice on steroids. Pay no attention to the cologne moniker here, 4 sprays will fill a room and will last 14 hours easily. PS Fine Cologne isn't a dead ringer for Old Spice, it's a fair bit muskier, but it's close enough that it has relegated Old Spice to use only as an aftershave. PS Fine Cologne is also fairly close to Pierre Cardin pour monsieur, but in my opinion is the better fragrance. Comparing recent formulations only, PS smells a little bit more masculine, less dated and better blended than Pierre Cardin.

PS Fine Cologne also makes for a hell of a room spray. I spray 3 or 4 sprays around my condo an hour or so before I have guests over and it leaves my place smelling wonderful and classic.

17) Pasha de Cartier (1992)

Pasha de Cartier is the second of 3 similar smelling aromatic aquatic fougeres. Pasha smells quite similar to Safari and some might argue that having two scents that smell so closely to one another is redundant, but I like them both for different reasons. Pasha has significantly more oakmoss than Safari; because of that it smells a little bit more dated, a little bit less fresh and is more gentlemanly and mature. While I could wear Safari dressed up, Pasha fits that bill a little bit better. Pasha is equally as versatile as Safari but is slightly more sophisticated and less playful. Much like their watches, Pasha de Cartier is timeless, elegant and pure class.

16) Van Cleef & Arpels pour homme (1978)

The first of the discontinued gems on my top 25 list. Van Cleef & Arpels pour homme is a treasure; a strong rose/leather combo that creates a powerful and dark shaving cream-esque scent; not shaving cream in a can but more an old puck of shaving soap meant to be lathered on with a brush. Think of the darkness of Antaeus without the spiciness from the labdanum or the sweet touch from the myrrh. Many users on Fragrantica have described this scent as evoking Christopher Lee as Dracula, and I can absolutely picture that; dark, gothic, mysterious, serious and distinctively from the 1970s. VC&A pour homme is probably the hardest scent on my list thus far for young people to pull off; there's nothing sweet or playful about it, it is dark, brooding and noticeably old fashioned. That said if you like rose or like the idea of a dark and gothic shaving cream, then give this a try.

15) Azzaro pour homme (1978)

Azzaro pour homme is one of the very first fragrances I had in my collection. My mom bought me a sample pack of colognes in the sixth grade and Azzaro stood out to me as the best of the bunch. Since then I've probably owned a dozen or so bottles of it over the years and I still can't get enough of it. Azzaro opens with a wallop of anise and lavender and is followed with a strong backing of oakmoss, leather and a hint of citrus. Azzaro pour homme is a classic Italian gentleman's scent that is more wearable today than the majority of its contemporaries. If you're a fan of Azzaro pour homme I'd also recommend checking out Tuscany per Uomo, which I prefer to wear in the summer over Azzaro; similarly, its an anise/lavender bomb, however, the oakmoss and leather are dialed down significantly in favour of a powerful and omnipresent lemon note.

14) Paco Rabanne pour homme (1973)

One of the first classic fragrances I purchased when getting into the hobby, Paco Rabanne pour homme is a clean, herbal, green, fizzy aftershave-like scent. Paco Rabanne pour homme came out in 1973 but it plays much more like an 80s fougere. An oakmoss bomb with lots of lavender and rosemary, a hint of powder and some sweetness, Paco Rabanne pour homme smells like classic green aftershaves and a bar of clean green soap. It has aged better than most of it's contemporaries, smelling far less dated than other 70s masculines and less dated that the 80s powerhouses that came out a decade after it.

I only own the most recent formulation of Paco Rabanne pour homme, a reformulation which gets lambasted online for being a shell of it's former self. I'd love to pick up a vintage bottle one day to give it a whirl, but the newest formulation is still a fantastic clean green scent that'll have you smelling like green aftershave and soap all day long.

13) At the Barber's (2014)

I have to give Maison Margiela credit, they replicated the aroma found "At the Barber's" perfectly. This smells as if you just got a fresh cut and a shave at your barbershop. At the Barber's doesn't feel as dated as many other barbershops, instead going more into the "vintage inspired" territory. At the Barber's smells somewhere between Rive Gauche pour homme and Platinum Egoiste, but much closer to the latter. It opens up with a spicy punch of basil and rosemary backed by lavender and during the opening it veers into the Rive Gauche territory. As it dries down the spices settle and you're left with a lavender and floral musk scent that is nearly a dead ringer for Platinum Egoiste.

Earlier I said that I don't quite consider Platinum Egoiste a barbershop scent, so how can I call At the Barber's a perfect replica of the smell at the barbershop when I consider its drydown to be a dead ringer for Platinum Egoiste? It's the opening - the spiciness mixed with the clean lavender and floral musk of Platinum Egoiste make for a scent that smells exactly like a barbershop.

12) Habit Rouge (1965)

French for Red Coat, Habit Rouge is the living embodiment of its name. When I smell Habit Rouge, I picture a wealthy English gentleman wearing a red hunting coat while shooting skeet at a fancy country. I also visualize the quintessential British dandy of the 1960s; think of someone dapper, sophisticated and fashionable like Michael Caine in The Italian Job or Alfie. Habit Rouge is an interesting scent in that the journey from the opening to the drydown creates nearly two different scent entirely. Habit Rouge opens up with a strong lemon and rose combo and that carries the fragrance through its first hour or so. Slowly the lemon dies out and vanilla and leather begin to emerge and what you're left with is a rosey, vanillic, soft leather. Habit Rouge is a year round fragrance that is perfect for any occasion where you want to display a sense of maturity, elegance and impeccable style.

11) Drakkar Noir (1982)/Al-Rehab Dakar

              

Truth be told, I almost never wear Drakkar Noir these days. Reformulations have left Drakkar Noir a shallow husk of its former self. Normally I don't give two shits about reformulations, however, I stumbled onto Dakar by Al-Rehab and since then I just can't justify buying a bottle of Drakkar Noir. For $6 Canadian I can buy a roll-on of Dakar which smells incredibly close to vintage Drakkar Noir and has the performance of a nuclear bomb. A swipe down each arm and to the back of my neck and I smell like vintage Drakkar Noir for 20+ hours. Even after 2 showers I could still smell this beast on my skin. I absolutely love Drakkar Noir, a sporty and soapy lavender/oakmoss bomb, and it will always have a special place in my heart; but Dakar is the way to go now.

10) Fougere Royale (2010)

It all started right here with Fougere Royale... well sort of anyways. The 2010 Fougere Royale seen above is a re-release of Houbigant's own classic created in 1882 by Paul Parquet, the first ever scent marketed to men and the first to feature a synthetic compound, coumarin. Fougere Royale was Parquet's imagining of what a fougere, French for fern, would smell like if it actually had a scent. Supposedly the original Fougere Royale was a lavender heavy scent backed with coumarin, oakmoss and a number of the other florals. I've never tried the original fragrance which was discontinued in the 1950s so I can only speak to the 2010 release, but it is absolute class.

The 2010 release is a rather muted and quaint scent. It might have the softest projection of any fragrance on my list, but it's not meant to be a head turner; this is a scent for a sophisticated and distinguished gentleman. Fougere Royale is the kind of scent that compliments a well dressed gentleman, not one that defines him. Lavender and geranium stick out among the note breakdown; however there's a green, meadow-like vibe to the scent as well as a tea vibe coming through from the chamomile. Overall, the scent smells green, herbaceous and aromatic. Fougere Royale is a fragrance of impeccable quality; it feels like the kind of fragrance that Creed or Chanel would release, and the kind they probably should have released in 2010 instead of the fine, but overrated Bleu de Chanel or Aventus.

9) Kouros (1981)

Long live the King. King Kouros is one of the most divisive scents of all time; to some it is the juice of the gods and to others it smells like a goat peed on the carpet and you tried to cover it up with potpourri and air freshener. I can see both sides of the coin; Kouros is an extreme mix of clean and dirty notes - sweet honey, floral musks and aldehydes blended in with a big blast of civet, leather and oakmoss. It's definitely not for everyone. Kouros is a loud fragrance, really loud. I called Fougere Royale the softest scent in the top 25 and I think Kouros just might be my loudest; 3 sprays will fill a room, anymore than that and they'll smell you next door. Kouros is macho to its core, one of the most decidedly masculine scents I've smelled; I picture Tony Montana in Scarface smelling of 6-8 sprays of Kouros. It's a hard scent to pull off; one I struggle to wear proudly in public at times, but the more I wear it the more comfortable I am with it. Go easy on the trigger because people these days don't wear powerhouses like they used to but if the idea of clean barbershop style notes blended with sex and skankiness sounds appealing to you then I strongly encourage you to give this unique scent a whirl.

8) Tsar (1989)

Van Cleef & Arpels, you've slighted me once again by discontinuing this masterpiece. Tsar is my favourite of the 3 similar scented aromatic aquatic fougeres I own. Tsar smells very close to Safari and Pasha de Cartier; I've also been told it smells very close to YSL Jazz but I've yet to get my nose on Jazz to confirm. Of the three I own, Pasha leans heavier on the oakmoss, Safari leans heavier on the spices and is the freshest smelling and Tsar is the greenest. If you've tried Pasha or Safari, picture that scent with an added smell of walking through a rainforest. For my nose, Tsar is the winner of the three because it leans a little fresher than Pasha, has the best projection of them and the added green smell is intoxicatingly good.

Prior to it's discontinuation, Tsar was the cheapest of the 3 which made it slam dunk as it also happened to be my favourite. Nowadays it makes me sad that I like Tsar the best because when my bottle runs out I know I'm going to have to shell out 5-10 times the price I paid for my current bottle. Sometimes I wonder with fragrances if its better to have never loved at all then to have loved and lost.

7) Brut (1964)

What can I say about Brut that hasn't already been said; it's cheap, synthetic and everyone's Grandpa wore it, but man does it ever smell damn good. Brut and Old Spice were my Opa's signature scents and I spent my childhood sneaking splashes of them so I could smell gentlemanly and mature just like him. Lavender, powder, anise, tonka and a hint of lemon come together to create this nostalgic touch of classic masculinity. 

If you're buying Brut now, I highly recommend getting the Special Reserve glass bottle; the aftershave and EDC in the plastic bottles found at just about every drug store are not very good, they smell incredibly cheap and barely capture the magic of vintage Brut. The Special Reserve may not be as good as the vintage stuff, but it is absolutely worth a purchase.

6) Sartorial (2010)

I blind bought a bottle of Sartorial because of the comparisons made to my beloved Brut. Sartorial is a classic barbershop fragrance; I can't imagine any fan of Brut not enjoying this smell, but I wouldn't quite say niche version of Brut. Sartorial is less powdery than Brut, is a bit sweeter thanks to a pronounced honey and beewax note and has a metallic vibe that makes me visualize a safety razor. I'm not reminded of Brut when I spray Sartorial, but I can see why people who infrequently wear Brut are.

As much as I love Brut, Sartorial smells better; both in terms of quality of ingredients and blend. Although Sartorial is classically inspired, it also has a modernity to it that makes it extremely wearable today; I could picture my Opa wearing it and I could also picture a guy like Ryan Gosling pulling this off. Sartorial comes with my highest recommendations for a barbershop scent for a younger person just getting into the hobby.

5) Antaeus (1981)

Simply put, Antaeus is the masculine Chanel No 5. Everything that Chanel No 5 does for women, Anteaus does for men. Aldehydes, labdanum, castoreum and rose blend together to create a dark and spicy alluring scent with a hint of sweetness. A classy and sophisticated powerhouse, Antaeus is the perfect scent for a well dressed gentleman who wants to command authority, respect and admiration during the colder months of the year.

Anteaus is a undoubtedly a powerhouse, 2 sprays of my 2014 bottle will fill a room and last 12 hours, but when people talk about 80s powerhouses, I'm cautious to throw Antaeus in that ring. Antaeus may be from 1981, but it doesn't play like a scent from the 80s. When I think about 80s powerhouses, I picture brazen scents like Kouros, Quorum, Polo Green, Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui. Antaeus has their power, but not their vibe. Anteaus smells more like classical European perfumery with its heavy dose of labdanum and castoreum.

That said, there's something that I can't quite put my finger on that separates Anteaus from feeling as retro or old-fashioned as classical European perfumery. Like most Chanel fragrances, Anteaus feels timeless. It feels like the kind of scent that an elegant niche house like Frederic Malle or MDCI could release today to overwhelming adoration.

4) Cool Water (1988)

To niche-heads and Creed-heads alike, this may be blasphemous, but I love Cool Water more than Green Irish Tweed. Yes, Cool Water is more synthetic, especially the most recent reformulation, but the fresh cut grass accord in Green Irish Tweed just never did it for me. The more I've worn GIT, the more I realize I'd rather be wearing Cool Water. If GIT didn't have the grass accord I'm sure I'd like it better than Cool Water; quality wise it is noticeably better, but as it stands I find myself reaching for my bottle of Cool Water almost every time. Sure, Cool Water smells like 90s shaving gel in a can, but who cares, it smells amazing.

3) Egoiste (1990)

Egoiste by Chanel is a fragrance that I just can't get enough of. A few years back I picked up a bottle of this because I heard about its reputation as an office-safe cold weather fragrances and it was love at first sniff. Egoiste is absolutely an office-safe fragrance, but it is so much more than that. Egoiste represents everything I love about Chanel as a house; top quality ingredients blended to immaculate perfection that create an exquisite, and understated elegance. Egoiste is centered on sandalwood, rosewood and cinnamon and the three together create a creamy, woody, warm fragrance with a perfect balance of spiciness. Egoiste exudes a demure, discreet sophistication - class in a bottle.

2) Beau de Jour (2019)

Beau de Jour only came out within the last year, how could this possibly already be my second favourite scent of all time?! Simple, it is amazing. Beau de Jour was love at first sniff; as soon as I got my nose on it I knew I needed to buy it. It took a lot of restraint not to buy it at full retail price when I tested it in the store. When I went home all I could think about was Beau de Jour. I was so obsessed with this scent that my wife decided to surprise me with a 100mL bottle of it and I squealed like a giddy child on Christmas morning. Beau de Jour is an 80s aromatic fougere at its heart; if you didn't know it came out in 2019 you'd have probably bet good money that it came out 35 years earlier. That's not to say it smells dated, it doesn't; but it does feel like a love letter to the 80s. The opening is a lavender and patchouli bomb, smelling pretty close to Zino Davidoff. By the time it dries down, the patchouli takes a back seat and the rosemary, geranium and amber push out a little more; the drydown is when Beau de Jour shines the most for me, getting extremely close to Rive Gauche pour homme with a splash of Drakkar Noir. Rive Gauche has been discontinued and prices have started to get into the stupidly high territory but I've made my peace with that because Beau de Jour exists. As long as I can get Beau de Jour readily I don't have to go out and hoard every bottle of Rive Gauche I can find for under $200.

1) Rive Gauche pour homme (2003)

Rive Gauche pour homme is my all-time favourite scent and its not even close. If I could only wear one scent for the rest of my life, this would be it. Lavender & star anise are the main players, along with a healthy dose of rosemary, patchouli & geranium. The notes are blend together immaculately, creating a spicy and elegant scent that smells like classic shaving cream in a can. Think Barbasol, Proraso and classic Gillette. Although it does evoke the feeling of inexpensive shaving cream, Rive Gauche does not smell cheap one bit; the ingredients are top quality and the blend is perfect and smooth. Rive Gauche is designer fragrances at its absolute finest. I'm devastated that YSL discontinued this masterpiece in favour of churning out more blue fragrances and La Nuit flankers, but if you can get your hands on either tin can version or the glass La Collection bottle, I highly, highly recommend it.

Honourable mentions:

Tuscany per uomo

Guerlain Vetiver

Green Irish Tweed

Lapidus pour homme

Dior Homme Parfum

Leave a Comment