Cologne can be expensive, but the best long lasting colognes for men don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
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We’ve reviewed dozens of the best long lasting colognes for men under $500 to bring you the top 10 scent brands for men.
Our Top 10 Long Lasting Cologne
Our list of best perfume for men that last long includes fragrances for every season, situation, and budget.
Best for a Day at the Office
Aventus Cologne by Creed is a fruity men’s cologne with blackcurrant, apple, and pineapple notes. Its bright, sunny scent profile is great for daytime wear in spring and summer.
Earlier releases of this fragrance had a subtle smokiness, but the current version lacks that depth. Still, it’s potent without being overpowering, which is excellent for a day at the office or a family brunch.
PROS: Bright fragrance, not overwhelming
CONS: Expensive, not as smoky as it used to be
- Sillage: Subtle but noticeable
- Longevity: Excellent
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Daytime, office
- Price: $$$$
Best for Summer Days
Bleu de Chanel is a citrusy cologne with top grapefruit, lemon, and mint notes and spicy, earthy middle and base notes. It’s a perfect cologne for summer dates, daytime or nighttime.
This budget-friendly blue cologne smells more expensive than it is, and the earthy base notes linger long after the spicy citrus top notes have worn off. This is a cologne that will get you noticed without overwhelming anyone.
PROS: Spicy fragrance, a classic
CONS: Smells just a bit like Axe body spray
- Sillage: Good
- Longevity: Very Good
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Daytime, evening, lunch dates
- Price: $$
Best for the Holidays
Versace Eros Eau de Parfum is a long-lasting, aromatic cologne perfect for chilly fall and winter evenings. It has fragrant top notes of mint, apple, and lemon, with base notes of vanilla and cedar.
Versace Eros was first released in 2012 and has grown steadily in popularity since. After a few hours, the top notes fade to a skin scent, but the middle and base notes last all day, night, and even into the following day.
PROS: Universally pleasant scent, almost unisex
CONS: A little pricey
- Sillage: Subtle but noticeable
- Longevity: Excellent
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Holiday parties, fall dinner dates
- Price: $$$
Best for Autumn
Dunhill Icon Absolute is a woody cologne with a moderate sillage that’s memorable but not overpowering. Its notes of black pepper, bergamot, and oud are warm and mellow, perfect for dinner dates on chilly fall evenings.
PROS: Budget-friendly, smells more expensive than it is
CONS: Oud fragrance overwhelms other notes slightly
- Sillage: Moderate
- Longevity: Good
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Late fall, day to night
- Price: $
Best for Black Tie Events
Black Musk by Montale of Paris is a spicy amber unisex fragrance perfect for a formal evening out. Its musk, leather, pepper, and patchouli notes have an enormous sillage that will undoubtedly get you noticed.
PROS: Unisex, smells like luxury
CONS: Chemical smell at first but fades quickly
- Sillage: Excellent
- Longevity: Excellent
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: A wedding or other formal event
- Price: $$
Best on a Budget
The One by Dolce & Gabbana is a budget-friendly aromatic cologne that smells like a much more expensive fragrance. Its bergamot, ginger, and tobacco notes are sultry without being heavy, with subtle projection and sillage.
PROS: Inexpensive, classic fragrance
CONS: Sillage fades quickly
- Sillage: Good at first, but fades
- Longevity: Pretty good
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Winter date nights
- Price: $
Best for Making a Big Impression
Sauvage is a spicy, masculine fragrance with surprising notes of brightness and a strong presence. This 2015 remake of the original 1996 Sauvage cologne features black and pink pepper, Calabrian bergamot, and cedar notes.
This powerful fragrance can be polarizing, and some people hate it as much as others love it. But if you can pull it off, you’ll leave an unforgettable impression.
PROS: Powerfully masculine
CONS: Polarizing
- Sillage: Excellent
- Longevity: Excellent
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: An evening at the bar
- Price: $$$
Best for Sunday Brunch
Sundazed by Byredo is a long-lasting unisex fragrance with citrusy notes of mandarin orange and base notes of white musk and cotton candy.
It’s a luxury fragrance that will certainly make you stand out from the crowd at a sunny summer brunch with family and friends.
PROS: Unique fragrance profile
CONS: Very expensive
- Sillage: Very good
- Longevity: Excellent
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Summer parties, daytime
- Price: $$$
Best for Warm Days at Work
Elysium Pour Homme is a citrusy, masculine fragrance from Roja Dove. Its grapefruit, bergamot, thyme, and leather notes create a stunning fragrance profile that became an instant classic when it was released in 2017.
Elysium Pour Homme is subtle but universally pleasant, which is probably why it gets more popular every year.
PROS: Subtle enough for work, unique enough for a date
CONS: Fades quicker than other long-lasting colognes
- Sillage: Subtle
- Longevity: Good
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Summer, daytime
- Price: $$$$
Best for Universal Appeal
Encre Noire by Lalique is the least expensive cologne on this list and still one of the most universally liked. It boasts a simple fragrance profile with notes of cypress, vetiver, cashmere wood, and musk that makes an impression and lasts all day.
PROS: Budget-friendly, unobjectionable fragrance
CONS: Not as strong as its earlier releases
- Sillage: Very good
- Longevity: Very good
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Fall and winter, day to night
- Price: $
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Best For Office
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Best For Summer
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Best For Holidays
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How to Make Cologne Last Longer
Some scents naturally last longer than others, but you can do a few things to make any fragrance last longer.
First of all, applying your cologne can actually make a big difference on how long it lasts and what it smells like on you.
With a few helpful hints on the art of layering your fragrance, you’ll smell fantastic all day long and will rarely have to reapply your scent.
Body Chemistry
Your body temperature and your skin’s natural oils have a substantial effect on the longevity of your cologne.
You might know that scents interact with your own body chemistry to give you that unique fragrance. Many people miss out on this unique blend because they tend to spray their cologne on their clothing and instead of where perfume should go, which is on the skin.
Spraying cologne onto clothing will get you scented clothes, but that’s about it, and this could almost be considered a waste of valuable perfume.
Since perfume is made partly of oils, as it warms with contact to the skin, it gives you the essential “fragrance halo”. So, lesson one in proper perfume application begins with ensuring that contact with the skin.
You should also know that your perfume won’t last very long if you apply it to dry skin. Make sure your skin is properly moisturized before application and if you need additional moisture, you might want to rub some high moisturizing lotion on your skin for an added fragrance boost after you’ve spritzed the cologne.
Weather Factors
Wearing the right fragrance during the right time of year can help it last all day. Warm, humid weather makes bright, citrusy scents last longer, while woody, spicy fragrances are strong enough to endure cooler, drier weather.
Age
The volatile essential oils in perfumes can fade over time. If you’ve had the same bottle for a couple of years and you notice its fragrance has faded, it may be time to buy a newer, unexpired bottle.
How to Apply Cologne
When applying your perfume, think about what type of outfit you’re wearing for the day and you can apply your fragrance with that in mind. For example, if you’re wearing shorts – go ahead and give the back of each knee some scent so you can have the fragrance trailing behind you. Plus, this is great for daytime use, since it’s further from the nose.
If you spray on your wrists don’t rub them together since this can cause the fragrance to be “crushed”.
You can also spritz the hollow of the base of your neck if it’s a light fragrance, or apply a small amount behind the ears.
Apply Your Fragrance So It’s Not Over Powering
If you aren’t sure how much cologne to apply, remember the golden rule: less is more. You’d be surprised at how far a little fragrance really goes.
I’m sure we’ve all had a time, in our younger days, where we applied way too much cologne. Instead of smelling great, we wound up smelling like we’d taken a perfume bath.
The first thing that you need to know is that many good quality scents can easily become overpowering. Wear too much and you’ll definitely notice the way people look at you. The goal of fragrance is to extend a gentle haze of scent that trails behind you. The idea is to turn those heads.
A couple more tips on how to avoid an over-scented day is to remember that the warmer months will make any scent stronger, so keep it light or opt for an eau de toilette.
This is because most perfumes are made up almost entirely of the perfume oils, but eau de toilette is often quite watered down which makes it lighter and more wearable. Another bonus is that eau de toilette is substantially less expensive than its more potent perfume counterpart.
Final Thoughts
Smelling like a million bucks doesn’t have to cost you a million bucks. Try out some of the best long lasting cologne above.
Whether you’re getting ready for a summer Sunday brunch or a day at the office, we hope you’ve found the best colognes that last long – specifically for your good self.
Born and raised in Austin, David is a dedicated writer and avid fragrance lover. When he's not trying out perfumes, he enjoys traveling and exploring new restaurants.