You buy cologne just about anywhere these days. But are you wondering where are the best places to buy cologne online? This article has you covered to help you find your signature scent.
You won’t hear us dispute that you should physically go into a store to peruse cologne. Especially if you’re looking for a new scent or establishing your signature scent. Truly, it’s the only way to do it. However, you have many more options once you know what smells best. As with most shopping these days, one of the best places to buy cologne is online.
Sure, online shopping makes our lives so much easier. However, buying cologne online presents its own unique challenges. We’ve got you covered with seven great online retailers to ensure scent success. We’ll also cover what fragrances are made from the difference in concentrations. Your guide to online scent shopping starts now.
Everything You Need To Know About Cologne
Before we solve your online cologne shopping woes, let us provide you with a primer on all things fragrance-related. You might be an expert on cologne, or this might be your first foray into perfumes. Regardless of your knowledge base, we’ll ensure you know everything you need to know to make online shopping a breeze. Let’s start with fragrance profiles.
Fragrance Profiles
Most, if not all, fragrances are made by varying intensities of the pure perfume oil of particular scents. Many fragrances are layered into three categories: top notes, heart notes, and base notes.
- Top notes are what you smell at first. They’re rather ephemeral, lasting only about 15 minutes, but can be bright and zippy.
- Heart notes are (you guessed it) the meat of the fragrance. They last for most of the lifecycle of the scent and make up most of the ingredient concentration.
- Base notes are the foundation. They are generally richer, darker, and more brooding. They’ll also last a while.
A little water or alcohol is added to dilute the pure potency and to help the fragrance stick to your skin. A final formula is created through intensive trial and error with the perfumer (or ‘nose’), as well as several focus groups and sample feedback.
Fragrance and the Seasons
You very well may wear the same cologne year-round. However, some scents work best, depending on the season. For spring and summer, consider lighter, fruit-forward scents. Lemon. Orange zest. Floral, herbal notes of verbena and less on the spice and wood. You can also consider employing lighter Eau de Cologne or Eau de Toilette, as heat and sweat can intensify the fragrance-scented oils.
Save the fruit for your apple cider or a Manhattan garnish in the fall. Bring in woodsmoke, tobacco, Tonka, leather, and spice. Don’t overdo it, of course, but stronger concentrations are perfectly acceptable.
Fragrance Names and Concentration
Speaking of concentration, for those following along at home, Fragrance 101 says there are a few differences in oil concentration by volume. These concentration variations are the difference in Toilettes, Colognes, and Parfums. Here are the standard oil concentrations:
- Eau de Cologne: 2-4%
- Eau de Toilette: 4-8%
- Eau de Parfum: 8-15%
- Parfum: 15-20%
This difference usually (but not always) affects not only the projection (how strong the fragrance is) but also the performance. The pros also call it sillage, or how long it lasts on the skin. As you might expect, higher concentrations will project more and have more sillage. Some of the strength also depends on where you apply the fragrance. Our bodies have certain pulse points where fragrance works really well.
Seven Great Men’s Cologne Websites
As we discussed, buying cologne online can seem a risky endeavor. The whole point of cologne is scent. How are you supposed to buy a fragrance without smelling it first?
The advent of the internet and quick-hit platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube make it easy to track down notes for just about anything you like. Handy website guides help you narrow down what you might like based on other stuff you’re into. It’s easier than ever to make a well-informed decision. And buying from these seven reputable dealers is an excellent place to start.
1. Jomashop
Though it’s perhaps best known as a grey market watch dealer, Jomashop also carries thousands of men’s fragrances. You’ll find top-shelf brands like Dior, Armani, and Tom Ford. But search a little more, and you’ll find niche favorites from Diptyque and the House of Creed.
Some luxury and niche options are expensive at full retail, but hold out for Jomashop’s frequent sales. The site is perfectly legitimate for buying fragrances online, but be sure to move quickly when the sales drop. And double-check on the site—sometimes navigation can be a little difficult. Sometimes, a Google search page implies something is in stock when it isn’t.
2. Nordstrom
Nordstrom is still one of the best options for buying men’s cologne online today. Being a mass-market retailer, you’ll find mostly designer brands in the middle to slightly upmarket price range. There are a few niche options to choose from, though. Pricing is fairly standard, but if you hold out for their anniversary sale and then around the end of the year, you could score a deal.
This national department store staple offers free shipping and returns so you can shop confidently. More importantly, you can walk into a physical shop. If you’re interested in something but unsure if you want to commit, you can ask for a sample vial. Then, you can let it sit for a few hours or longer and decide whether or not you like it before making a purchase.
3. Scentbird
Have you ever bought an entire bottle of a fragrance you didn’t wear after a month? Scentbird’s subscription model seeks to solve that problem. For about 17 bucks a month, they’ll send a vial of a fragrance for you to try out. It’s larger than travel size but still smaller than the smallest bottles you’ll get from the original brand.
You’ll take a quiz on the scent types you like and the style you’re looking for, and they’ll send you something they think you’ll like. Sometimes, you’ll get a national brand (like Tumi, for instance). Other times, you’ll get something kind of random. But, if you like to try things out, it’s worthwhile and doesn’t take up much space in your drawers or on your counters.
And, if you decide you like it, Scentbird now offers the ability to purchase full bottles.
4. FragranceNet
Because FragranceNet sells colognes so cheaply, many people wonder if the site is a scam.
Thankfully, FragranceNet is completely legitimate, and there are countless positive reviews across social media. Most of the negative comments I found concerned shipping delays or order mishaps, which can happen with any site.
5. FragranceX
FragranceX is similar to FragranceNet as one of the best cologne sites, offering fragrances at highly discounted prices. It’s mostly designer stuff, but you can also find some of the higher-end colognes from Creed, Tom Ford, and a few other houses. They were early adopters of the online shipping model and have kept it up. All of the fragrances are perfectly legitimate, and you shouldn’t have an
The two are pretty direct competitors, and it is a bit of a race to the bottom, price-wise. FragranceX offers frequent discounts on top of the discounts, and you can find 15% off coupons.
6. Perfume.com
Perfume.com is another online retailer offering up to 80% off retail prices. It’s been around since 1995, making it truly one of the originals. It primarily sells designer fragrances, but you can also find a few niche ones.
It’s straightforward to search the site as well. If you’d like a brand, that’s a fine place to start. But if you’re looking for *something* with a specific scent profile, you can filter accordingly. You can also filter by size if you want to try something out.
Email signups make extra 20% off codes appear in your inbox. One more edge of Perfume.com is they offer free shipping and returns.
7. Amazon
While Amazon proudly sells almost everything, it’s probably not what you’d think of for one of the best cologne websites. But it is out there. Since the sales volume is so high, ensuring everything you buy is authentic is difficult. This is particularly true if you go through a third-party seller.
However, you can take a couple of steps to ensure you’re getting the real deal. First, go through the actual Amazon storefront. If it’s sold/fulfilled by Amazon directly, you’re good to go. Next, if you have a third-party vendor, check to see if it’s available via Prime shipping.
We’ve covered a lot of information here. In case you need the TLDW, here are a few of the most common queries regarding buying cologne online.
Can You Order Cologne Online?
Yes, absolutely. It can be a great way to find a solid deal on an otherwise pricey purchase. Each of the sites we have above are some of the best cologne websites. But, as you can’t smell it before buying, be sure to know what you like and whether or not it’ll work for you.
How Do I Find a Good Cologne Online?
Finding a good cologne online is much the same as finding them in a shop. However, if you’re looking for something new, it might even be a little easier at times. This is especially true if you’re brand agnostic and just want a particular scent. Limited editions can be had but are somewhat harder to find.
Some sites offer far better browsing ability, allowing you to filter by scent profile or specific accent notes. You can also filter by size if you want to find a tester. Or, you can also search by season. Say you want the best spring cologne. Bam!
What Are the Top Five Selling Colognes?
This is a bit of a difficult question. It varies by month, year, and even all time. Just because something’s popular doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for you. Even after the data is collected, it might be obsolete when it comes out.
However, according to trade publication WWD, the Top Five selling colognes for men in the United States in 2022 were:
- Dior Sauvage
- Bleu de Chanel
- YSL Y Homme
- Armani Acqua di Gio
- Gucci Guilty Homme
Conclusion: The Best Place To Buy Cologne Online
It’s easier and cheaper than ever to buy a wide variety of men’s cologne online. We’ve listed some of the tried and true ones above. Any of them might just be the best place to buy cologne online. But, just because you can doesn’t mean you should buy blindly.
When possible, consider going into a physical shop. Smell a few things. Try it out on the card and then on your pulse points. Try some spring, fall
What’s your favorite scent, and where do you buy it from? Let us know in the comments below!
