Welcome to Fragrance Friday, where each week weโll be keeping you abreast of the newest and most iconic releases in the dynamic world of menโs fragrances. Born out of the desire to showcase one of the most overlooked, yet versatile, elements of any discerning manโs style this weekly column will help you finesse your own signature scent.
Every time Fatherโs Day rolls around youโre most likely thinking of the latest tech gadgets, spirits, watches and fashion โ all things included in our Ultimate Fatherโs Day Gift Guide. Very rarely do blokes think of something as niche and targeted in the world of grooming and style as menโs perfume. Sure, you might think your dad needs a top-up of Acqua di Gio or Sauvage, but Iโm betting most wouldnโt really think outside of what youโd see plastered against the glass of a Chemist Warehouse. There are much better Fatherโs Day fragrances out there beyond just the most popular ones.
If youโve read this column before youโd know that we think very highly of perfume as a way to elevate oneโs style and create a significant presence that feels both unique and impactful. Thereโs a lot of power in making yourself known before anyone even spots you, and if dad is still young enough at heart to value that then there are few gifts that make more sense than Fatherโs Day fragrances.
Iโve pulled together just some of the ideal Fatherโs Day fragrances Iโve been feeling lately, both old and new, that you should take a look at if youโre scrambling for any last-minute gift ideas before dad day hits on Sunday, September 3.
Some of these are quintessentially manly, like Creedโs exceptional โViking Cologne,โ Montblancโs โLegend Redโ and Atkinsonsโ โOud Save the King.โ Others represent those more modern tastes that are increasingly favouring unisex perfumes because no matter how much of a traditionalist youโre dad might be you never really know whatโs going to win him over when it comes to scent. Itโs a purely psychological, nostalgic play at the best of times, so take a moment to look through these six Fatherโs Day fragrances and land on the one you think dad will appreciate the most.
Related:
Best Perfumes Thatโd Make Great Fatherโs Day Gifts
Montblanc โLegend Redโ
Gentle, fresh and pleasant. If dad has already been exhausted by leathery fragrances and is looking for a menโs perfume that is fresh and airy but still quite masculine, get him Montblanc โLegend Red.โ The newly launched fragrance leans heavily on those really refreshing, pleasant notes that are ideal for summer but can work just as well during those colder months, starting off fruity and slightly spicy with blood orange, grapefruit and cardamom and then taking a turn towards those cleaner notes like cedar, clary sage and juniper berries. The mahogany and tonka bean in the base anchor the fragranceโs profile in something much richer and sweeter, capping off a simple but very effective scent.
Top notes: Blood orange, grapefruit, cardamom
Middle notes: Cedar, clary sage, juniper berries
Base notes: Atlas cedar, mahogany, tonka bean
Creed โViking Cologneโ
Shaped after an image of Norwayโs complicated topography, Creed โViking Cologneโ is one of the more impressive and unique fragrances from this historic French Maison in years, and certainly something dad will love if he likes something with impact.
Itโs got that typical Creed freshness in the opening, offering something versatile and easy to wear before turning towards peppery, spicy notes like nutmeg, rosemary, sage, and geranium. The base is where it really goes for the jugular though, throwing out strong but not excessive pops of vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, olibanum and patchouli to help build a creamy finish that lingers beautifully. An impressive show or force and the ideal Fatherโs Day perfume if dad is of the go-hard-or-go-home variety.
Top notes: Mandarin orange, lemon, pink pepper, bergamot
Middle notes: Lavender, geranium, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Base notes: Vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, olibanum, patchouli
Dolce&Gabbana โLight Blue Italian Love Pour Hommeโ
Designer fragrances always play it safe and Dolce&Gabana isnโt straying far from that tendency with โLight Blue Italian Love Pour Homme.โ While there are several iterations of this very well-known perfume, thereโs something about Alberto Morallasโ sense of occasion here that just makes it shine that much brighter.
I would assume itโs the simple, pleasant opening of grapefruit and quintessentially Italian bergamot that set the tone โ this is a Mediterranean perfume in every sense, perfect if dad still has that day-club mentality and needs something to wear to the beach or at a golf club. The heady middle of green notes blended with violet leaf and an ozonic marine accord help bring out that liveliness as well before a full-bodied woody base dominated by guaiac wood sinks into something a bit more typically masculine.
Top notes: Grapefruit, mandarin orange
Middle notes: Seawater, juniper
Base notes: Musk, amber wood
Atkinsons โOud Save the Kingโ
Historic British fragrance house Atkinsons is nothing if not ideal for a perfectly postured sense of nobility. And if dad really wants to dial into that sense of classicism, take a look at Atkinsons โFashion Decree.โ Having been around for decades, Atkinsons has plenty that should work for the old man, with most of the brandโs masculine perfumes focusing on bringing out different shades of oud.
One of the better ones is โOud Save the King,โ designed after a bouquet crafted for Egyptian price Muhammed Ali Ibrahim with opening notes of earl grey and a bergamot accord to build up that essential British elegance before nose-diving into all this beautiful smoke built up by orris, leather suede, sandalwood and an oud accord.
Top notes: Earl grey, bergamot accord
Middle notes: Orris, leather suede
Base notes: Sandalwood, oud accord
Versace โEros Eau de Parfumโ
Many perfumes inspired by European destinations typically draw inspiration from Italy, France or Portugal. It seems lately not manner have been paying attention to Greece and yet thatโs exactly what Versace has done with the godly โEros Eau de Parfum.โ
The oriental-woody scent was only launched two years ago and leaves behind the typical grapefruit and bergamot notes youโd usually associate with a Mediterranean perfume and instead picks up with an opening of lightly candied applies tossed with lemon, mandarin orange and mint. The mint helps distinguish the perfume a bit and set a spicy base for the bridge towards a base of sandalwood, bitter orange and creamy patchouli.
Top notes: Candy apple, mandarin orange, mint
Middle notes: Amborxan, clary sage, geranium
Base notes: Sandalwood, bitter orange, patchouli
Casamorati โLiraโ
Casamorati โLiraโ is a bit of a wild card here for this round-up for Fatherโs Day fragrances. Itโs actually marketed as a womenโs fragrance and yet itโs something Iโd gladly wear on a special occasion as itโs not excessively feminine and could work just as well as a unisex perfume. If that sounds right up dadโs alley, he should take to Lira pretty fast.
Itโs a masterclass in elegance with an exceptional sense of balance worked up by Chris Maurice. Think powdery in a way many womenโs perfumes are. Still creamy but tied up with a sense of dessert-like sweetness thatโs slightly buttery and exceptionally pleasing. Youโve definitely got that cake-like opening from bergamot, blood orange and lavender, but then the middle of rose, jasmine, cinnamon and licorice blossom takes it in a new direction, bridging into a complex base of vanilla, musks and caramel.
Top notes: Bergamot, blood orange, lavender flowers.
Middle notes: Rose, jasmine, cinnamon, licorice blossom.
Base notes: Vanilla, musks, caramel.
