The best gifts are often the ones you wouldn’t necessarily buy for yourself. When it comes to men and cologne, that’s typically the case. And that’s exactly why cologne gifts are excellent presents. It’s always nice for your fragrance wardrobe to get an update and you might get something you wouldn’t have picked otherwise but love anyway. Plus, fragrance is just personal enough to show you care. That sentiment can put some pressure on the present picker, which is why we’ve rounded up the best cologne gifts to give this holiday season.
From old school favorites to indie darlings to the latest launches, there’s a perfect cologne gift out there for every guy in your life.
Take a look at our top picks below!
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Dolce & Gabbana K Eau de Toilette Gift Set
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana With a box this beautiful, who needs gift wrap? The perfect packaging doesn’t end there. The crown topping the K by Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Toilette makes it a showstopper on his dresser. Then there’s the scent itself, which evokes the Italian countryside and Mediterranean sun, which you can almost feel beating down on you as you take a whiff of the woody scent. Top notes of citrus, sparkling blood orange and juniper berry mingle with a heart of clary sage, geranium and lavandin, and a base of cedarwood, vetiver and patchouli. The gift set includes a full-sized eau de toilette, travel spray and shower gel.
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BOSS Bottled Eau de Parfum
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of BOSS Who wouldn’t want to smell like Chris Hemsworth? The Thor star is the face of the latest fragrance from BOSS, a spicy, woodsy blend that will help your man turn heads, too. Created by master perfumer Honorine Blanc, the sophisticated scent is one he’ll reach for again and again thanks to its sexy, smoky finish. It opens with apple, bergamot and black pepper, with a spicy heart of chestnut, cardamom and cinnamon oils, and base notes of dark vetiver and musk.
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Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sephora Choosing a cologne gift can be a tough decision. Thanks to this holiday set from Sephora, you don’t have to pick just one. Consider it a collection of greatest hits when it comes to men’s scents. Nine samples of popular men’s colognes come inside this vegan leather bag that does double duty as a travel bag or dopp kit.
The set includes Burberry Mr. Burberry Eau de Toilette, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme Eau de Toilette, Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Giò Profondo Eau de Parfum, Givenchy Gentleman Eau de Toilette, John Varvatos Signature John Varvatos Eau de Toilette, Paco Rabanne 1 Million Parfum Eau de Parfum, Prada Luna Rossa Carbon Eau de Toilette, Versace Dylan Blue Pour Homme Eau de Toilette and Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum.
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Calvin Klein ETERNITY Cologne for Men Eau de Toilette
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Calvin Klein The fragrance world can be fleeting, but it seems like Calvin Klein’s ETERNITY has been around for, well, an eternity. That kind of staying power is impressive, qualifying the cologne as a classic. The scent was inspired by the great outdoors, so it’s a great cologne gift for the outdoorsmen in your life. Spicy and earthy, it blends an ocean breeze with Mediterranean greenery, courtesy of top notes of ginger essential oil, noreenal and juniper berries, a heart of evergreen shrub lentisk, bourbon geranium and cardamom pure, with moss, orcanox and lorenox at the base.
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Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum Cologne Set
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sephora Yves Saint Laurent’s Y Cologne is basically rock star swagger in a bottle, which explains why Lenny Kravitz is the new face of the scent. Inside this cool, edgy baby cat printed holiday box is the fragrance with the same vibes, in both full size and travel size, so he can bring it with him wherever he goes. The earthy, citrusy, woody scent spotlights apple, sage, vetiver and tonka bean for a deeply masculine blend.
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Armani Beauty Acqua Di Gio Holiday Cologne Set
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sephora The quintessential modern-day classic, Armani’s Acqua Di Gio Cologne is like a fresh ocean breeze. The trio of the aquatic, marine fragrances in travel sizes includes Acqua Di Gio Pour Homme, with a touch of patchouli; Acqua Di Gio Absolu with a warm, woody twist; and the Acqua Di Gio Pour Homme Profondo with cypress and lavender.
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Bulgari Man Glacial Essence Eau de Parfum
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bulgari Talk about a mountain high! Cervinia, one of the highest mountain peaks in the world, located in the Italian and Swiss Alps, is the muse behind this crisp cologne, which explains its icy blue bottle. Inhale the cool, woody fougere, close your eyes and you can practically see snow-covered peaks around you. Top notes of juniper berry, juniper berry, ginger extract and geranium essence; a heart of Australian sandalwood, orris and Artemisia essence; and a base of Alaskan cedarwood essence, clearwood accord and musks will transport him every time he spritzes it on.
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Chanel BLEU DE CHANEL Eau de Toilette Refillable Twist and Spray
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sephora You won’t find a better cologne gift for the guy on the go. This gift set comes with three travel sizes of Bleu de Chanel, a warm, earthy and woody cologne with a grounding sensibility. It comes with a sleek, chic refillable atomizer so he can carry the fragrance in the case everywhere in style. Bleu de Chanel is all about grapefruit, woody dry cedar and sandalwood to give its warmth.
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Kilian Vodka on the Rocks Mini Spray Set
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sephora If he’s got a killer booze collection, this set is the best cologne gift for him, in case the name didn’t already give that away. Kilian’s Vodka on the Rocks captures that moment when frozen steam rises from ice cubes in a clear crystal glass, with notes of cool spices like cardamom and coriander, rhubarb accord, rose, lily of the valley, sandalwood and oakmoss. The set comes with a striking travel spray and four travel size bottles.
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Ermenegildo Zegna Essenze Roman Wood
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bloomingdale’s Every Ermenegildo Zegna scent in the Essenze Eau de Parfum collection focuses on a single ingredient and enhances its natural essence. In this case, Roman Wood gets that treatments with bergamot cypress, rosemary, sage, Roman pine, cedarwood, moss, amber and vanilla. Consider it forest bathing in a bottle.