Now that spring has sprung, give your seasonal wardrobe a seasonal refresh with these nine exceptional scents that will help you savor the springtime. Today, we’re covering both mainstream and niche scents, and we’ll give alternatives for every suggestion so you find the perfect fragrance to put a spring in your step.
- 1. Limes by Floris ($150)
- 2. Giardino di Boboli by Roberto Ugolini ($325)
- 3. Ormonde Man by Ormonde Jayne ($290)
- 4. La Fenice by The Merchant of Venice ($193)
- 5. Bleu de Chanel ($150)
- 6. Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon’s ($180)
- 7. Green Irish Tweed by Creed ($470)
- 8. Eau de Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford ($225)
- 9. High Heel White by Roberto Ugolini ($285)
- Outfit Rundown
1. Limes by Floris ($150)
Our first suggestion for a versatile and attainable springtime scent is Limes by Floris, a perfumer from London, which has been around for over 300 years. This scent is Jack’s, our London teammate’s, personal favorite.
This scent takes things back to basics with a simple but powerful combination of primarily citrine smells, with lemon and petitgrain top notes, lily of the valley, lime blossom, and neroli heart notes, and with a base of musk. Limes has an eau de toilette concentration. And to learn exactly what that means, check out our fragrance guide.
The Ultimate Cologne Guide
Currently, it costs $150 for a 100ml flacon. Limes captures the rejuvenating essence of spring with its bright fruit notes, but is prevented from being too summery thanks to its floral and musk components.
As such, it is ideal throughout spring but can transition into hotter weather. Limes is a general use, warm weather fragrance, suited to most daytime occasions. Its reduced concentration makes Limes very light and inoffensive, but it still manages to have surprising staying power.
If you’re looking for a fun, all-purpose scent for springtime, Limes is definitely not a lemon. If citrus notes aren’t your style, consider the woody and green Elite, also by Floris.
2. Giardino di Boboli by Roberto Ugolini ($325)
Roberto Ugolini is a niche fragrance atelier headed by Herbert Stricker and named for celebrated Italian cobbler, Roberto Ugolini. Many of its fragrances are inspired by the City of Florence, and Giardino di Boboli is no exception, deriving its name from the famous Boboli Gardens.
Many of the elements of this floral and green fragrance seem to be plucked straight from a garden. With top notes of geranium, apple, and mint; heart notes of iris, jasmine, rose, cedarwood, and ozone; and base notes of musk, amber, and woody and powdery notes.
Giardino di Boboli is available from our Fort Belvedere store for $325 for 100ml flacon. A casual and carefree fragrance, Giardino di Boboli excels as a daytime scent throughout the spring. It’s refreshing and clean, green floral notes exude a sense of calm and tranquility.
Calm & Tranquil
Best for Social Occasions
This fragrance is perfect for social occasions like outings with friends, daytime dates, or luncheons. It could be worn in more casual work environments to give you and everyone who smells you a respite from the humdrum aspects of everyday life.
With an extrait de parfum concentration, Giardino di Boboli has impressive longevity and sillage, but a stable wearing experience that is not overwhelming. We’ll think you find that wearing Giardino di Boboli is like having your own secret garden, but if you prefer your floral fragrances to have a citrine edge to them, consider instead Camelia by Acqua di Parma.
3. Ormonde Man by Ormonde Jayne ($290)
Let’s consider a fragrance from Ormonde Jayne, a London-based perfumer that originally made scented candles. This woody and spicy fragrance incorporates traditional masculine scents with some exotic additions for an unforgettable and elevated experience.
Top notes of cardamom, pink pepper, juniper berries, bergamot, and coriander provide a bright seasonal element. All the heart notes offer up a profound, woody depth centered around black hemlock, and especially oud, rounded out by base notes of cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, and musk.
Ormonde Man cost $290 for an 88ml flacon. With its tart, fruity notes and warm, woody aroma, Ormonde Man transitions well from cool to warm weather and compliments early spring. While primarily a day scent, it can transition to night and has a stately, refined aura, making it ideal for formal office environments, important business lunches, or elegant social events.
As an eau du parfum concentration, it smells intense upon initial application but fades with time. If you’re concerned about the oud element being too overwhelming, consider the more balanced 17 Rosso by Roberto Ugolini.
4. La Fenice by The Merchant of Venice ($193)
Next up is one from a Venetian fragrance house, The Merchant of Venice, that specializes in scents inspired by Italy’s cultural heritage. This fragrance is named for La Fenice, or “The Phoenix,” Opera House in Venice, Italy.
La Fenice opens with top notes of violet leaf, mandarin orange, apple blossom, and olibanum, followed by intense heart notes of black pepper, iris, basil, and cloves, and softer amber, cedar, and leather base notes. It retails for $193 for a 100ml bottle.
It’s a Great scent for
Evening Events in Early Spring
As you might gather from its name, La Fenice is a very formal and refined fragrance, clearly intended for upscale evening occasions, and it’s peppery and spicy elements beget ideally suited to early spring. You can learn about fragrance formality and seasonality in our guide of how to pair outfits with fragrances.
La Fenice has an eau de parfum concentration that gives it strong longevity and medium sillage, with its aroma being especially potent within close proximity to the wearer.
If you’re concerned that the pepper notes might be too strong, consider Sauvage by Dior instead.
Learn more about pairing outfits with fragrances!
5. Bleu de Chanel ($150)
After your fancy evening out, it’s time to switch to a more everyday option, and few woody and aromatic scents are more iconic than Bleu from the House of Chanel. This classic and fun fragrance artfully combines many essential masculine scents—opening with bright and clean top notes of grapefruit, lemon, mint, and pink pepper; and piercing heart notes of ginger, nutmeg, and jasmine, intensified with the inclusion of Iso E Super; before the bass notes of incense, vetiver, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, labdanum, and white musk, around the more dynamic ingredients.
Bleu de Chanel cost $150 for 3.4 fluid ounces. Adaptable and almost universally appealing, Bleu de Chanel is a consummate daytime scent that can easily transition into night and can frankly be worn in cool and hot weather, making it a great investment for those who prefer a three-season fragrance.
Its eau de parfum concentration also offers impressive sillage and intensity with medium longevity. Learn how to improve longevity with our list of cologne hacks.
Make Fragrances Last Longer
If you prefer a lighter airy offering consider Polo Blue by Polo Ralph Lauren; and for something more complicated and elevated, Blue Suede Shoes by Roberto Ugolini.
6. Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon’s ($180)
For our next fragrance, let’s combine citrine and aromatic scents for a dynamic and dry daytime scent from the famed fragrance house of Penhaligon’s, a British maker that can trace its roots back to the 1860s.
Citrus-y and aromatic
Daytime Scent
This fragrance opens with citrine top notes, especially lemon and lime, with floral, primarily lavender, heart notes before a traditional finish of woodsy base notes centered around pine and a little pepper. The result is a conservative and somewhat conventional fragrance that oozes traditional masculinity and will serve you well if you prefer a clean and simple fragrance, especially because, as an eau de toilette, it smells very light and fresh but still has impressive longevity of 4 to 5 hours.
Blenheim Bouquet cost about $180 for a 100ml falcon. Crisp and elegant, Blenheim Bouquet is a daytime scent that will thrive on social occasions and is formal enough for most office environments when seasonally appropriate, especially later in spring.
If you prefer a more intense experience, consider Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford and, for something more casual and unique, Azzurro by Roberto Ugolini or Oxford by the same brand if you prefer a more traditional scent.
RECOMMENDED
Roberto Ugolini – Azzurro
The Sunny Blue Sky of Italy in a Bottle
Scent Families: Fruity and Sweet
Top Notes: Grapefruit, Strawberry, Coconut, Pink Pepper
Heart Notes: Damask Rose, Davana, Black Currant, Champagne, Magnolia
Base Notes: Amberwood, Musk
Sillage: Low
Longevity: Low
Gender: Unisex
7. Green Irish Tweed by Creed ($470)
Our next suggestion requires no introduction and is considered one of the best spring colognes–Green Irish Tweed by Creed, which has also been a favorite here at the Gentleman’s Gazette for years.
An aromatic fougère, this fragrance manages to be complex and unique with just a few key ingredients, opening with top notes of lemon, verbena, and iris; with violet leaf at its heart; and amber and sandalwood at the base. Raphael says, though, that for him, some of the most prominent scents include freshly mown grass, green leaves, and oak moss.
It retails for $470 for 100 ml. It is a remarkably flexible daytime scent that can be worn throughout the spring on casual and formal occasions. Thanks to its eau de parfum concentration, you can expect medium sillage and longevity of around 8 hours, whether at the office, a formal luncheon, or a wedding.
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You’re sure to garner retention with this iconic scent, but if you prefer a niche alternative, consider the equally complex and unique Loafer by Roberto Ugolini.
8. Eau de Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford ($225)
Rich and decadent, our next suggestion is a daytime scent by Tom Ford in the amber-floral scent families that combines a wide array of ingredients into a complicated and unexpected fragrance with multiple layers.
A SPRING SCENT WITH That Has a
Tropical Effect
Top notes open with somewhat conventional citrines, including bitter orange, neroli, and bergamot with petitgrain, cardamom, pink pepper, caraway, and even pistachio. The heart notes are very floral with tuberose, Tunisian orange blossom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and galbanum before a succulent finish with base notes of coconut, vanilla, tonka bean, and amber.
Eau de Soleil Blanc retails for $225 for a 100ml flacon. As an eau de toilette, this fragrance is light despite some of its richer base notes with medium sillage and longevity. Some might find the prominent coconut scent incongruent with a spring fragrance. We feel it blends with the florals and creamy base notes for a subtle tropical effect that is bright and refreshing.
This is definitely a social fragrance, ideal for outings with friends, al fresco lunches, and lounging by the pool or sea in late spring; and while suited for warm and hot weather, we wouldn’t recommend this fragrance in the fall or winter unless you want to think about the beach while opening Christmas presents.
For an alternative with similar creamy and bright notes that can be worn year-round, consider Kitten Heel by Roberto Ugolini.
9. High Heel White by Roberto Ugolini ($285)
For a formal springtime scent that works equally well for day or nighttime, let’s return to Roberto Ugolini and consider High Heel White, a unisex floral and green fragrance that opens with top notes of lemon, galbanum, mandarin orange, and coriander before emphasizing floral heart notes of iris, cardamom, roses, lily of the valley, and geranium, all grounded by base notes of vanilla, amber wood, tonka bean, patchouli, frankincense, and precious woods.
High Heel White is available from our Fort Belvedere store for $255 for a 100ml flacon. High Heel White artfully blends traditional masculine and feminine scents into a woody and intoxicating bouquet that is intense but not excessive.
Suited to the spring, it can be worn with equal ease in the autumn or the summer, and thrives in any environment that is formal and elegant, whether day or night. We prefer High Heel White for social events including garden parties, society fetes, receptions, and especially weddings.
As an eau du parfum, High Heel White boasts medium sillage and surprisingly long longevity. Don’t let this fragrance’s name put you off. Its woody base provides a strong masculine impact and the powdery floral elements only help to give this fragrance an only help to give this fragrance an unexpected twist that will make you unforgettable.
For similarly entrancing effect but with a smoky element, you could try 4 Rosso, also by Roberto Ugolini.
Let us know in the comments what you think of our list of the best spring fragrances! Did we miss any of your favorite colognes?
Outfit Rundown
Today I’m wearing a gray suit with a tan turtleneck and brown dress shoes, Fort Belvedere socks, and a Fort Belvedere pocket square. The pocket square actually has some navy and tan motifs on the outside of it. It looks really, really cool against the tan turtleneck and the gray suit. And then, for the fragrance, today I’m wearing Roberto Ugolini High Heel White.
To find other great fragrances and other amazing accessories from Fort Belvedere, go to the Fort Belvedere shop.
FAQ
What makes a fragrance suitable for spring?
Spring fragrances are typically characterized by light, fresh, and floral notes. Citrus, green notes, and aquatic scents often dominate, reflecting the rejuvenation and vitality of the season. Look for fragrances that embody the essence of spring’s renewal and growth.
Can I still wear woody or spicy fragrances in spring?
While lighter scents are favored, you can still enjoy woody or spicy fragrances if they are balanced with fresher notes. It’s about finding a blend where heavier elements are complemented by the brightness typical of spring aromas.
What are some top fragrance notes to look for this spring?
Citrus: Lemon, bergamot, and orange blossom bring a zestful energy to spring fragrances.
Floral: Jasmine, rose, and lavender add a touch of romance to any scent profile.
Green: Basil, green tea, and vetiver echo the crispness of new leaves.
Aquatic: Marine and sea salt notes capture the freshness of a spring breeze.
How many sprays are appropriate for a spring scent?
Since spring scents are usually lighter, you can afford to apply a little more than you would with a heavier winter fragrance. Three to four sprays should be sufficient for lasting throughout the day without overwhelming others.
Should my daytime and nighttime fragrances differ in spring?
It’s always nice to have options. For daytime, consider something bright and energetic. As evening approaches, a scent with a subtle wood or musk base can add depth without being too heavy.
How long does a spring fragrance last on the skin?
This depends on the concentration of the fragrance—in general, more concentrated fragrances last longer and also have a more noticeable impact upon first application.
Hello,
You seem to have a penchant talking about perfume lastly. I find these videos really interesting, notably the way we can choose a perfume in function of the social event, time of the day and formality.
I know that the target audience is men, but I wondered if you could indicate if the same rules apply to women in the choice of perfume ? Or if you could advise me some ressources (videos, book, website) talking about this topic apply to women ?
Best regards
Hi Julien, we certainly love a great smelling scent at GG headquarters! It’s one of the primary reasons we wanted to offer the Roberto Ugolini collection to the USA, as the fragrances in the line-up aren’t actually classed as “for men” or “for women”, which is wonderfully refreshing when compared to many well-known fragrances out there. There may be one or two scents that lean more masculine or feminine depending on your preferences, but for the most part, the collection (and indeed the principles of this article) is unisex.
save money.4711. good enough for Napoleon good enough for the rest of us.
Great Article! however I will state my opinion again as I did the last time you posted on “men’s fragrances”
Find one or two that you really like that can be worn for winter and another when it’s between spring to fall. This way you will be recognized and someone who knows what he likes and what smells good on him.
Instead of jumping around trying to figure out which fragrance I should wear for “this occasion” and “this season”
Yes, you can wear different outfits when you want to, but at least people will know that you are a “confident man” if you wear a “personal” scent that they recognize “as you”.
Thanks for sharing your opinion again, Richard. As a man in my early 30s, I personally enjoy being able to experiment with different scents in much the same way that I might try out this pair of shoes with that outfit combination that I hadn’t done so yet. I suppose I’d also rather be known for smelling good and having a discussion about what scent I’m wearing and why with other people, but I certainly appreciate that others may enjoy the simplicity of one or two signature scents that they are known by.
Nice to see Penhaligon’s getting a mention, all too often overlooked. Personally I prefer Quercus for the warmer months, I find the Blenheim a bit too floral.
Best Regards
Quercus was a very close second for this list, Terry – I view them as siblings! Do you have any other scents from the Penhaligon’s range?
I ordered the GG sampler set of Ugolini frangrances. I’ve been trying each one and taking notes of which I like, and what occasion they would seem to be appropriate for. It’s an way to try them out before shelling out a lot of money if you don’t already know how the scent wears on you.
Exactly how we intended the sampler set to be used, thank you for sharing, Randall! Which scents are most appealing to you so far?
Thank you for asking! I’m still deciding which are my favorites, but 17 Rosso works very nicely for me. It’s elegant, and more for the evening. I find them all to last a long time, and I’ve noticed that some of them change a bit after a few hours. It could be the result of a change in the atmosphere, or my skin chemistry changes, or maybe it’s just my imagination. If I could afford it, I would have at least three or four on hand!
I”m very glad that you are pushing cologne, because hardly anyone uses it anymore. We’ve been conditioned that people are too allergic, or it’s offensive to some and so on, but I’ve noticed hair and body washes that have strong scents on people and no one seems to mind that.
Excellent choice, Randall! Of the two “Rosso” scents, I think 17 has the potential to be a person’s one-scent collection, as you could easily wear it with dressier day wear and into evening attire, too. For this reason, it’s often an invaluable travel companion for me. You may have seen it mentioned on the GG site before, but I’m a particular fan of Kitten Heel for the very reason you mentioned, too – it develops very nicely. It’s quite a lively, sweet, floral fragrance to begin with, but grows into quite a refined, deeper scent that I’ve received many compliments on.