The Best New Men's Fragrances of 2025 (So Far)

The first whiff of this cologne might instantly send you surfing a wave of nostalgia—and that’s by design. Inspired by the iconic green chypre scents of the 1980’s (like Chanel Antaeus, Hermes Bel Ami and Polo Ralph Lauren), this cologne is heavy on the greenery with a healthy dash of woods and earthiness from the moss and patchouli. But it’s also been updated for our modern times, with a lighter weight that won’t give you that sense of being clouded in cologne and adds in a fresh pop of zingy lime and a smooth note of leather. It’s the perfect balance between tradition and innovation that makes wearing it an absolute pleasure.

Not only does this new fragrance from Issey Miyake carry the distinction of being the house’s first men’s fragrance in 30 years (since the launch of the iconic L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme), but it’s also the last one that Issey Miyake himself worked on before his death. True to form, the inspiration behind this scent is conceptual: salt, which inherently has no scent. However, the route taken, leaning into the marine qualities of sea salt, gives it a smooth backbone that leans on soft wood, earthy seaweed and the tingle of ginger. The result is unmistakable aquatic, but not in the way we usually think of aquatic scents. It’s fluid, silky, and rings crystal clear in your senses like a bell. Wearing it feels like dousing yourself in cool water but way more modern and interesting than Cool Water, if you catch our drift.

It’s always a slippery slope to compare new versions of existing fragrances—there are always diehard fans that want to stick with what they like—but this new version of Dior Homme Parfum (not to be confused with original 2014 iteration) doesn’t seek to completely change the DNA of such a well-known scent. Instead, perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has taken the backbone note of iris and twisted it into something incredibly modern and wearable for 2025. It can’t be denied that florals are trending in a major way and this floral scent doesn’t shy away from the iris. Instead it’s right there in the top note, but blended elegantly with amber and grounded in patchouli and vetiver, giving it a masculine and sophisticated feeling that’s ideal for day or night wear.

Fans of Henry Rose might already know Windows Down, which is a light, crisp citrusy perfume designed to mimic driving with your windows down, hence the name. This new version, PCH, has a similar free flowing, wind blowing quality but is deeper and headier like driving through a redwood forest instead beside the beach. There’s still a crispness from citrus and a light sweetness from the florals, but the base of gaiac wood, cypriol and musk give this a more masculine bent that sits on your skin and gets deeper the longer you wear it. It’s the kind of transitional scent that’s fresh enough for summer but woody enough to take you into fall.

New brand Rite of Way came out with a bang with their first scent Outer Realm—or shall we say a zap. This unexpected juice is all about energizing the senses, but doing so by playing with how we experience scent. The list of notes sounds like a mishmosh—citrus, spice, florals, smoke, woods—but in practice they all work together to create something both wearable and conceptual. The top is crisp and fresh, but as it dries the middle notes of spices emerge with a mysterious tinge of incense giving it an almost spiritual quality, before drying further into a rich wood and amber base with the floral sweetness of lotus. We can’t quite put our fingers on what it reminds us of, but it smells familiar in a good way. What we can say is that it’s the type of energizing daytime scent that we have been reaching for every single morning.

We will always be suckers for incense fragrances—no other note is as good at creating sensuality and mystery in our books. But that doesn’t mean that every incense-based scent is good. Many of them are too heavy, too smokey, too cloudy. This new one, however, strikes the perfect balance between being undeniably incense-y and still light enough to wear for almost any occasion. There’s a smoothness from the creamy accord and leather giving it a kind of skin quality and earthiness at the base from cedar wood, oakwood, and vetiver. You’ll still come off like you’re doused in a healthy dose of sexy incense, but without smelling like you just stepped out of a Catholic mass.

Cardon calls this a functional fragrance, meaning that it’s designed to have a specific effect on your nervous system, not just smell good. We all know scents have power, but this one uses the concepts of aromatherapy and high quality essential oils to actually attempt to change your mood. There is a collection of three, but Circa is our favorite for its warm, woody, spicy quality. It’s a masculine, but not aggressive, scent that’s anchored in sandalwood, patchouli and leather with smoothness from vanilla that calms down your nervous system and helps you stay grounded. If fragrance can be functional, this one makes us feel cool and chilled out, but not so zonked that we wouldn’t wear it on a date or to a dinner party. It’s like they’ve bottled the type of quiet confidence we all need sometimes.

There is a slightly woo-woo story to this scent—inspired by the full moon and each bottle blessed by a sacred ritual, the fragrance is meant to help amplify energy clearing, intention setting, and your ability to let go of what no longer serves you. But you don’t have to believe in the more mystical side of this fragrance to appreciate it for what it is: a damn good smell. It’s somehow both soft and bold, the kind of cologne that doesn’t project itself far but invites people to get closer to you. The mix of palo santo, oud, tobacco, and sandalwood at the base gives is a deep, sophisticated quality that skews slightly masculine but really just creates an air of intrigue around your body that’s smoothed and comforted by the blend of rose and hinoki (one of our favorite wood notes). Not for nothing, it’s one of our most complimented fragrances in recent memory.

We’ll be the first to admit that we were prepared to not like this one—fruity fragrances aren’t usually our thing. But this tropical-inspired fragrance is nothing like you’d expect and smells nothing like a pina colada. Yes, it’s floral and yes, it’s sweet, but it’s not overly cloying or sticky on your senses. Instead there is the sense of jungle, like a vacation home’s garden that’s expertly curated to look just overgrown enough. It’s a tightly edited mix of fruits like guava and lime, florals like frangipani and champaca, all anchored in rich, elegant mahogany. The restraint is evident in this scent, nothing feels out of place, and wearing it makes you feel like you just got back from the fanciest vacation of your life.

That soapy, powdery smell from old school female-focused heavy hitters like Chanel No. 5 comes from a family of ingredients called aldehydes. Jil Sander’s new collection of unisex fragrances is heavy on those aldehydes, but not in any way you’ve ever smelled them before. This one, Smoke, is our favorite for the subtle combination of crisp cedarwood, resinous elemi and smoky cade oil that hits your nose with the effect of laundry dried by a fire. The single word name is meant to make you think of one thing, while smelling the juice turns your expectations on its head. This is not the cough-inducing campfire smoke you might be thinking of. Instead its cozier and airier—and way more wearable.

You may already know and love the classic Terre d’Hermes and its fresh, citrusy zing, and dash of woods. This newest version keeps a bit of that citrus vibe, just to remind you what it is, but then almost immediately delves deeper. Like, way deeper. The dash of coffee and licorice give it a smooth and spicy kick, with just a dash of bitterness, and then as it dries the woody notes turn way up. The real kicker here is the “lava stone” accord which smells mineraly and earthy and somehow actually warm. Where the original Terre d’Hermes is bright, this is like its bad boy opposite. It’s one of the most unique fragrances we’ve smelled all year.

White florals aren’t something you usually find in a men’s fragrance, and while this one is technically unisex, there is still a slight masculine bent to it that makes it probably the only white floral scent we have ever actually liked enough to wear. It’s undeniably fresh, with a cool kick of cucumber, a zest of lemon, a slip of sandalwood and a hint of skin-sweet musk. No wonder it was inspired by “poolside greenery”—it just may be the perfect summer fragrance. Wearing it makes you feel instantly cooler (even in a heat wave, trust us) like you’re walking around with a glass of ice cold flavored water. Keep this on hand when the mercury rises and top yourself off when the heat is too much to bear.