From warming woods and heady orientals to sparkling, fresh citrus scents. Contemporary or classic, whatever his scent preference, we’ve found a Christmas gift to suit.
1. Atkinsons His Majesty The Oud Eau de Parfum: £150 for 100ml, Harrods
This is an intensely masculine fragrance. It’s a bold and unusual blend of musky, sensual oud (the perfume ingredient du jour), a smoky lapsang souchong tea accord, cedar, sandalwood and warming vanilla. This scent is at the upper end of fragrance prices, but a stunning gift and worth every penny.
2. Atelier Cologne Emeraude Agar: £160 for 100ml, Harrods
This scent is pure romance in a bottle – one spritz and you almost fall in love it's so delightful. Sparkling bergamot, angelica and black pepper blend into geranium, Turkish rose absolute and eucalyptus. The dry down is sensual and woody with rich agar wood and smoky gaiac wood. A beautiful unisex scent – give to your other half and you can always sneak a spritz on, too.
3. Jo Malone Orange Bitters Cologne: £90 for 100ml, Jo Malone
This is a new unisex scent that blends sweet orange and tangy mandarin with a hint of bitter orange, that wears as well on women as men. The citrus kick dries down into a base of rich, sensual sandalwood and amber. It ideal for adding some zest into his winter fragrances.
4. Gucci Guilty Platinum Pour Homme Eau de Toilette: £62 for 90ml, Boots
The sensual orange blossom heart of Guilty breaks with traditional masculine notes, as this floral is normally associated with women’s scents. Sparkling lemon adds a zesty kick, while seductive notes of lavender and patchouli give it a rich, warming base. The limited-edition, platinum-hued metal bottle features glass windows and an interlocking “G” design.
5. Ermenegildo Zegna Essenze Gold Collection: £146 for 125ml, Harvey Nichols
This is a trio of new scents from Italian fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna. Amber Gold blends rose, lavender, sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver for a scent that's beautiful, but doesn't rock the boat too severely. Incense Gold is fresh and modern with a blend of cypress, lemon, jasmine, lotus flower, leather, saffron and sandalwood. Musk Gold, on the other hand, is more mysterious with vibrant black pepper, coriander, saffron, Moroccan cedar wood, myrrh, patchouli, and leather. This is gift-giving at its most luxurious.
6. Mr Burberry Eau de Toilette: £65 for 100ml, Burberry
Notes of zesty grapefruit, warming cardamom and fresh tarragon – not often featured in perfume – give way to a heart of nutmeg oil and cedar wood, making the first hit of this very distinctive. The earthy base is a much more classic blend of sensual vetiver, sandalwood and smoky guaiac wood – not dissimilar to other mid-price scents. But it's the welcome addition of herby tarragon that sets it apart from more generic high street scents.
7. Aramis Voyager Eau de Toilette: £62 for 110ml, Debenhams
A well-known brand that pioneered the prestige men's grooming market, Aramis’ Voyager is a new scent with vibrant notes of ginger, exotic woods, aromatic spices, nutmeg and tonka bean. It has a much more contemporary design than its big brother and the gunmetal cap and bold label here should appeal to a younger recipient.
8. Hugo Boss Bottled Intense Eau de Parfum: £64 for 100ml, Feel Unique
A more intense scent than the original Boss Bottled, this fragrance hits you with fresh apple and orange blossom, but dries down quite quickly into a spicy heart of cloves, cinnamon and geranium, eventually settling into a base of cedar, sandalwood, vetiver and warming vanilla. A beautiful, masculine scent.
9. Roberto Cavalli Uomo Eau de Toilette: £53.76 for 100ml, John Lewis
Theatrical and glamorous, Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli is known for its off-beat, exotic prints and has a rock ‘n’ roll edge that is reflected this fragrance. Uomo blends black violet with warming saffron, an intense heart of honey and lavender with a deep, woody base of cedar and patchouli.
10. David Beckham Beyond Forever Eau de Toilette: £23 for 60ml, Superdrug
While we’re often sceptical of celebrity scents, this one is really rather beautiful. Spicy nutmeg and zesty bergamot – which seems to have appeared in every new scent this year – blend into a heart of violet, with a woody base of patchouli, leather and vetiver. This one smells surprisingly expensive considering its price tag. A good choice if you're on a budget or looking for a fragrance for a teenager.
The Verdict: Men's fragrances
Gucci Guilty is bold and rule-breaking, while Jo Malone is the perfect festive winter scent. But Atkinsons His Majesty is simply stunning and should be on everyone's Christmas wish list.
IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing
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