As the seasons shift, your tastes shift: The heavy stout beers of winter give way to lighter pilsners, the classic winter flannel downshifts in favor of lightweight chambray, and your sunglasses come out of retirement. Scents follow much the same direction: Spring, after all, has a freshness that brings the wearer back to life.
The best fragrances for men tend to veer in two directions these days: There’s the bold and the hyper-masculine (like “beast-mode colognes” from the realm of TikTok), and then there are others with a bit more balance, nuance and refinement. Hopefully, you see that the latter should be the goal in your daily style and grooming journey.
Scent is highly personal, and the wearer should never stray too far from that path, says Steve Soderholm, the founder and perfumer at Nashville fragrance house Ranger Station.
“First and foremost, guys should look for what makes them feel good,” Soderholm tells Cool Material. “Fragrance is incredibly subjective, so one thing that I think everyone should do is try to disregard everything they think they are supposed to like about fragrance, and just try to find something that speaks directly to them.”
What does that mean for your own fragrance journey? Soderholm says finding a signature scent is ultimately “about how you see yourself…so find something that fits your mood.”
A lighter and more hopeful feeling during springtime (Sunny days! Patio beers! Park strolls! The return of shorts and canvas sneakers!) can often translate well to the world of scent, and Soderholm notes he’s reaching for herbal and greener fragrances these days. Whether light and airy or darker and more moody, these are a few fragrances we’re looking forward to rocking in the sunny, breezy spring days ahead.
Photo via Fulton & Roark
Fulton & Roark Thousand Palms
There aren’t a lot of hard and fast rules in the world of spring fragrance, as our fragrance expert notes, but vivid and fresh is a good rule of thumb for spring. Here, intriguing green bell pepper gives way to coriander leaf and mango, across what Fulton & Roark calls “sun-drenched wood.” This option is available in a traditional spray as well as a rich solid cologne that diffuses throughout the day.
Photo via Bespoke Post
Abbott Sequoia Cologne
In the same way that fall and winter bring to mind visions of crisp leaves underfoot and a touch of wood smoke in the air, spring brings to mind the cool calm of the great outdoors—a forest of sequoia trees, perhaps? This fragrance offers a touch of everything, from sandalwood to cedar, and acts as a way to bridge the gap between deep winter and a refreshing spring.
Photo via Baselight
Baselight Cypress and Juniper Solid Cologne
If you’ve never tried solid cologne, a new season might be a prime opportunity to test those waters. Solid cologne delivers a lingering scent in a compact package for re-application throughout the day as needed. Functionality aside, this solid cologne is fresh, piney and green (it’s right there on the label, after all). This cologne is also made in small batches in the U.S.A, yet retails for a reasonable $20.
Photo via Korres
Korres Bergamot and Leather Cologne
Although scent is seasonal and highly personal, some fragrance notes are timeless and useful in every season, like bergamot and leather. This blend of citrus and leather is especially appealing as one moves from late winter into the brisk days of early spring. Korress says this fragrance offers the “citrusy accord of freshly laundered white towels” with a “comfortable leathery note,” a combination that’ll be music to your… nostrils?
Photo via Ranger Station
Ranger Station Hoss Fragrance Feat. Waylon Jennings
How to possibly distill the rough-and-tumble life of Waylon Jennings into a fragrance? Nashville-based Ranger Station, led by the fragrance expert Soderholm, takes up that mantle with a classic-meets-modern twist on fougere, or fern-like fragrances, with a dash of “outlaw country” in the mix. Tobacco, musk and leather mix in tasteful fashion for a new spin on the traditionally lighter aromas of spring—this one might just add a serious shot of confidence to your next #OOTD.
