Welcome to Fragrance Friday, where each week we’ll be keeping you abreast of the newest and most iconic releases in the dynamic world of men’s fragrances. Born out of the desire to showcase one of the most overlooked, yet versatile, elements of any discerning man’s style this weekly column will help you finesse your own signature scent. This week we focus on the wide-ranging world of citrus fragrances and which ones you should be wearing this summer.
You don’t need to be cruising the Mediterranean to really maximise those ruthlessly fresh, breezy citrus-forward fragrances. And yet that’s almost always the inspiration behind zesty scents like this, with Europe’s most sightly destination centered as the reference point for just about anything with even the slightest hint of lemon or bergamot.
But I like to think of citrus scents as an embodiment of summer in general, not tied to any one place and quite easily adaptable to any scene. After all, much of the beauty of fragrances lies in their ability to conjure up specific images, building them in the olfactory to help complete whatever look you’re going for.
If that look is effortless linen shirts, shorts, sunnies and slides then none of these citrus fragrances for men will go astray.
This edition of Fragrance Friday is more of a broader sequel to our round-up of the best men’s perfumes to pack for summer in Europe.
Best Citrus Fragrances For Men This Summer
Aqua di Palma Colonia Club
If you already know even a bit about fragrances then you’d recognise this one. Aqua di Parma is invariably one of the world’s most reliable labels when it comes to one-and-done freshies, and Colonia Club, released in 2015, is one of their finest.
You’ve got a massive burst of citrus all-stars at the top, but the way this has been worked so none of that freshness fades even when the heavier, woody notes kick in on the bottom make this one of history’s more superior citrus bombs.
It’s pretty much a prototype for a good citrus scent so consider this your first essential if you want to build up a fragrance collection for summer.
Top Notes:Â Mint, bergamot, neroli, petitgrain, lemon, mandarin orange
Heart Notes:Â Lavender, geranium, galbanum
Base Notes:Â Haitian Vetiver, ambergris, musk
Costume National Homme Parfum
You already knew this would be included if you’ve been paying attention to our previous Fragrance Fridays. Costume National’s Homme Parfum is pretty much a stable for the BH boys and I know it’s still one of the few fragrance bottles in my – admittedly over-the-top – collection that is less than half full.
That’s simply because Homme Parfum nails everything you’d want from a citrus fragrance this summer, with zesty sparkling grapefruit on the top lifted by supporting cardamom extract and bergamot oil and leaving a perfect silage – not too strong, not too weak. The project is on point too, especially when the profile bridges into patchouli oil, cinnamon bark oil and vetiver extract to prime the wearer for the strong, heavy drydown that’s all sandalwood and ladanum. It’s the chef’s kiss of citrus scents.
Top Notes:Â Cardamom extract, grapefruit, bergamot oilÂ
Heart Notes:Â Patchouli oil, cinnamon bark oil, vetiver extractÂ
Base Notes:Â Musk, sandalwood, labdanum
Creed Neroli Sauvage
Viking Cologne may have been the more obvious choice but Creed Neroli Sauvage deserves more praise than it usually gets. Having been around since 1994, the fragrance may be left out of discussions on the best perfumes from the famed French label, but if Citrus Aromatic is what you’re after, there are few that hit the mark as exactingly as this.
Oliver Creed made this one himself, with opening notes of bergamot and grapefruit leading onto verbena and neroli before finally ending with a heavy ambergri. Like the best Creed’s, it’s minimal and focuses on just working a few ingredients and working them well.
The lonvgevity is also another big reason to grab this citrus fragrance for summer, as it’s the only way this bottle can justify such a high price tag.
Top Notes:Â Bergamot, grapfruit
Heart Notes:Â Verbena, neroli
Base Notes:Â Ambergri
Matiere Premiere Cologne Cedrat
Released in 2019, Cologne Cedrat remains the best example of Matiere Premiere’s sense of minimalism. It’s not exactly a single-note fragrance, but what you’d get from this Citrus Aromatic profile is very narrow, focused and nuanced.
Aurelien Guichard, the nose behind Cologne Cedrat, wanted to showcase the different nuances of bergamot – one of the most frequented notes when it comes to European-inspired freshies – and he does so perfectly by stretching it in different directions, complemented by pink pepper and black pepper in the middle and mate on the base.
Top Notes:Â Bergamot
Heart Notes:Â Pink pepper, black pepper
Base Notes:Â Mate
Penhaligon’s Racquets
If you like your lemon then this is a non-negotiable. When we talk about citrus scents that have really made an impact over the past few years, Penhaligon’s absolutely should be front of mind with the charming, slightly sour but incredibly addictive Racquets.
Inspired by long tennis games in the summer sun, everything about this high-concept fragrance speaks to a single-minded love of zest. And while it may start of quite strong, the profile wisely restrains all that lemon in the opening with leatherwood, guaic wood and some ambroxan.
Top Notes:Â Lemon
Heart Notes:Â Guaiac wood, ambroxan
Base Notes:Â Leatherwood
