Colognes have long been a popular gift each holiday season for men. While classics like Bleu de Channel, Acqua di Gio, and Polo Green never go out of style, a new fragrance is a unique gift that allows your loved one to make a statement this coming year. Despite the chaotic and unexpected year that has been 2020, the world of fragrance has luckily not slowed down. Here are some of our favorite new-to-the-scene additions for 2020 colognes for men.
Jo Malone – Midnight Musk and Amber
Jo Malone’s Midnight Musk and Amber is a unisex fragrance that is perfect for the winter months. The top note is juniper, middle note is amber, and bottom note is midnight musk. The cologne is subtle, leaving just a trace of the warm scent on the wearer. Juniper berries are a popular holiday decoration, making Midnight Musk and Amber a perfect choice this holiday season. The berries give the cologne the freshness and aromatic qualities on the top, while the amber rounds the fragrance out with some woodiness. Finally, the midnight musk is a blend of “three musk molecules” that round out the scent as a whole. Although it is new to the Jo Malone collection, the fragrance is already gaining popularity as a daily-wear.
Image Credit: Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton – Météore
It was only in 2018 when iconic luxury house Louis Vuitton launched its first fragrance for men collection. Quickly becoming a massive success, LV has since expanded its range for men from the original five. This year they launched Météore (read as meteor in English), a scent LV describes as a “sizzle of spicy mandarin.” The name Météore implies power, light, and heat which LV captures with the fragrance notes. The top notes are three citrus fruits: Madarin oranges, Sicilian Oranges, and Calabrian bergamot, which gives Météore a more complex citrus note than if it were simply one of the three. The middle notes are spicier scents, including pink pepper, black pepper, sichuan pepper, neroli from Tunisia, and cardamom. Finally, the base layer is vetiver from Java. While this is more of a citrusy spring or summer fragrance, it still has been a success this year and a bright scent might be welcome this coming winter.
Parfums de Marly Pegasus Exclusif
Founded in 2009, Parfums de Marly gives a contemporary spin on the classic tradition of French fragrance. Pegasus Exclusif is described as “unfettered masculinity’–an update on Parfum de Marly’s 2012 fragrance, Pegasus. The addictive woody scent was used as the launch pad for this new fragrance and the perfumers kept the bitter almond and vanilla notes, while adding woody notes from sandal, oud, and guaiac to form the base. For the middle notes, florals, such as geranium, jasmine, and lavendar were added and finally elegant touches of bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom and heliotrope form the top notes. Definitely a unique scent, Pegasus Exclusif will make a special gift this winter season.
Image Credit: Francis Kurkdijian
Maison Francis Kurkdijian Paris – L’Homme À la rose
Perhaps the most niche fragrance on this list, L’Homme À la rose comes from Maison Francis Kurkdijian Paris, the house of Francis Kurkdijian the legendary perfumer who created iconic scents such as Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier and My Burberry for Burberry. L’Homme À la rose takes a traditionally more feminine scent, rose, and gives it a bright yet masculine twist. The first top notes are grapefruit and Damask rose. The scent is rounded out with a deep French sage and a dark, woody amber. A unique twist on a classic rose scent, L’Homme À la rose makes a unique gift for the man in your life who likes to stand apart from the crowd.
Dior Homme – Eau de Toilette
Classics are classics for a reason and Dior Homme Eau de Toilette is no exception. Dior Homme Eau de Toilette was first launched in 2005 and has been a world-wide favorite ever since. This year, Dior re-invented and re-launched the fragrance, reinventing the scent and the bottle. Including quintessentially masculine fragrance notes, Dior Homme Eau de Toilette’s base notes are Amber and Cedar; middle note is Tuscan Iris; and the top notes are grapefruit, bergamot, and coriander, which add a refreshingly bright top layer to the darker base layers.
Le Labo – Baie 19
Also of note this year is Baie 19 from Le Labo, a New York City perfume brand. To learn more about Baie 19, please follow the link.
