8 Best Colognes On Amazon – Beginner and Budget Friendly 2023

Maybe you’re a fly-by-night cologne guy. Maybe you’ve got a fragrance collection that would make a master perfumer blush. Maybe you’ve heard the word “cologne” before but always thought it was an exotic bird native to the Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chili. Regardless of your knowledge or level of enthusiasm for smelling like rosewood and sage and whatnot, the best colognes on Amazon are as versatile as they are plenty.

Today, we’re going to talk about the classics, the sleepers, the budget-friendly, and other categories that are sure to surprise and delight. Or, at the very least, make you smell nice. Away we go to 8 of the best men’s colognes on Amazon.

Key Takeaways

As you might expect from the ubiquitous retailer, Amazon has every type of cologne for every type of man. Taking the top spot in my list of the best colognes on Amazon is the classic Nautica Voyage for its subtle yet impressive notes, general versatility, and surprisingly low price. Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel is another top contender for many of the same reasons.

Our Top Picks

pressing the spray of a creed aventus cologne — creedfragrances / Instagram

Nautica Voyage is the top-selling men’s fragrance on Amazon, with over 71,000 five-star reviews. But here’s the kicker: It also happens to smell nice. Key characteristic, that one.

Voyage is a bit of a classic and an excellent overall go-to when you want the cologne equivalent of background noise (in the best way possible). Light apple and floral notes make their presence known first, then give way to subtly masculine scents like amber and musk. It’s also a surprisingly inexpensive fragrance, further sealing its glorious fate as the best men’s cologne on this list.

Sometimes all you need is a splash of something subtle and elegant to keep you feeling and smelling fresh from morning to night. Hmm. Now, where might we find such a… oh, here comes one now on the heels of this super-forced segue.

It goes by the name of Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel, and it’s an inexpensive, versatile cologne with notes ranging anywhere from lemon and orange to oakmoss and cedarwood. It’s not going to last all day, so this is one of those bottles you’ll reach for when you’re only planning on being out for a few hours and want to make an impression without smacking everyone in the face with cologne.

Few conversations about luxury colognes are without mention of Creed, a centuries-old perfume house that produces some of the finest fragrances using ingredients sourced from around the world.

Aventus is not only its longest-lasting fragrance, but it’s also the company’s most popular. Why? Because it smells amazing. Why else? Because once the bergamot, birch, oak moss, and vanilla notes make contact with your body, they’re going to be with you from your morning coffee right through your nightcap. But with great luxury comes a great price tag. No, it’s not cheap. Yes, the “Best Luxury Cologne On Amazon” part up there may have given that away.

At the risk of causing upheaval among the Polo cologne color guard, I’m placing all my smells-damn-good chips on Ralph Lauren Polo Green. Blue is nice. So is red. And black, for that matter. But green? Green ticks all those old-school boxes in just the right way.

The first thing you’ll notice is that this fragrance doesn’t like to hide in the shadows. The pine, juniper, coriander, oakmoss, and leather notes are quite prominent but not in a way that’s offensive or obnoxious. It also has a lot of lasting power. A spritz or two should have no problem getting you through the day and even into the foothills of the night. Green means go—directly to Amazon to pick up a bottl… nevermind. My bad.

Alright, let’s get something out of the way up front. There’s no way you’ve gone through life thus far without your grandfather proudly placing either a stick of Pepperidge Farm summer sausage or a bottle of Davidoff Cool Water cologne in your stocking. It’s a fact. But it’s also okay.

Because, as fate would have it, Cool Water is quite a lovely scent. Lavender, mint, and rosemary take center stage, giving way to neroli, sandalwood, and musk. Overall, it’s a light, airy fragrance that won’t wear out its welcome, making it ideal for those times when all you’re looking for is a few hours of subtle projection. Thanks to the aforementioned and its budget-friendly price, Cool Water also makes for a nice entry-level fragrance for young men. The old man knew what he was doing after all.

If you’re doing it right, winter is already filled with mood-setting scents. Crackling logs in a stone fireplace. The unmistakable bouquet of a Douglass fir. An apple crumble fresh out of the oven. But at the risk of piling on, I’d like to posit an addition to the lineup: Cremo’s Spice & Black Vanilla cologne.

The spicy, woody, tobacco-y notes of this mainstay fragrance are perfect complements to your winter shenanigans. Even if “shenanigans” means nothing more than poking the occasional log or popping on a Fair Isle sweater and heading out for a casual après-ski date.

Forget you ever saw those commercials with the tanned, unacceptably attractive models diving into the Probably-Aegean-Sea wearing white bathing suits.

And we’re forgetting…

Great. Now that we’ve put totally effective marketing aside, we’re able to appreciate Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue for what it really is: a sexy, light, crisp, summer cologne that would love nothing more than to ride along with you and your devil-may-care linen button-down. On a beach. Under the moonlight. With a blooming wine buzz. I could keep painting this picture all day, but I’ll let you take it from here.

If you treat cologne as a one-size-fits-all proposition, you’re likely to make the wrong impression on one occasion or another. Some are light and short-lasting. Others feature prominent, statement-making notes and are formulated to last as long as you do.

Hugo Boss Bottled falls unapologetically in the latter camp. Apple, cinnamon, wood, and other earthly delights join forces to create this classic fragrance that you’ll spritz on in the morning before promptly forgetting about its existence. Until about 10 hours later, that is, when it once again pops its delightful little head up and boops you in the nose with a friendly reminder that it never left your side this whole time. And that’s the story of how Boss Bottled met your pulse points. Aww.

holding out a hugo boss bottled cologne — martin_carev / Instagram

What To Look For In The Best Colognes On Amazon

Scent

To intentionally overstate the obvious, a cologne’s scent should be the top consideration when comparing options. Some feature complex musk notes, others are citrusy or blended with the intention of putting woody fragrances at the forefront. If you’re deciding between the best colognes on Amazon and can’t smell them in person, always check out the top, middle, and base notes before making a decision.

Is it long lasting

Some days you’re away from the house from morning to night. Other days you’re only out for a few hours. By that logic, you’ll want to choose your colognes based on their lasting power and what you’re getting into on any given day. If you’re in it for the long haul, choose a long-lasting cologne that’ll stick with you. Conversely, shorter days call for shorter shelf lives.

Seasonality

The best colognes on Amazon each feature a different makeup of top, middle, and base notes that you should try your best to match to specific seasons. Floral and citrus notes, for example, tend to play nicely with spring and summer weather. And during those chilly winter months, nothing compliments a fire pit and a finger of bourbon quite like woody, earthy notes like sandalwood, amber, and spice.

a bottle of nautica voyage on a rock — budak_wangi / Instagram

Final Verdict

Though your options are almost endless, the best colognes on Amazon are subtle without being overwhelming, have shelf life options between short- and long-lasting, and come in at approachable price points in most cases. For those reasons and plenty of others, the ever-versatile, ever-classic Nautica Voyage is the one to beat.

FAQ

- While Amazon makes efforts to ensure no fake third-party colognes find their way onto the platform, where there’s a will, there’s a way—and counterfeiters have will in spades. The game changes constantly, but a few red flags to look out for include misspellings, improbable prices, bad reviews that mention potential fakes, and general imperfections in the packaging and presentation.