"Natural" Smelling Colognes

[BillC]

I thought I didn't like colognes. Started wet-shaving recently and tried Burt's Bee's Bay Rum after shave balm and on a lark tried the cologne and really liked it. I bought some AOS sandalwood products and tried their cologne and liked it too. Both of these are based on essential oils and claim to have few synthetic components. So I saw a post on basenotes about L'Occitane which described it as natural smelling. Stopped into a L'Occitane store and tried the Eau de Baux and Eau de l'Occitan and really liked both.

Previously I'd mostly tried colognes that were gifts from girlfriends and family members - Polo, Drakkar Noir, Lagerfeld, etc. I don't have a good scent vocabulary. Are there fragrances that are more "natural"? What descriptive terms should I look for? Any recomendations for fragrances I should try?

 

[weshofmann]

I'm just starting to dive into the world of colognes myself. I'd be very interested to see what you guys recommend!

So yeah, I'm lurking on this thread.

 

[Scentronic]

Right off, let me say that the Burt's Bees Bay Rum is fantastic, and an excellent value as well. L'Occitane is also notorious for having very natural-smelling fragrances (among other things) as well. So your experience with these fragrances should indeed have been very nice.

Most fragrances (even the most expensive ones) use synthetic ingredients to some degree, and some of them do so more tactfully and tastefully than others. Sometimes, synthetic ingredients can even smell better and last longer than the things they have been created to replicate.

So yes, definitely - some fragrances are more natural-smelling than others. Check out basenotes.net (if you want to see how deep this entire concept can go)... P.S. - How much do you want to spend on a fragrance?

 

[quickie-cookie]

Speick is natural smelling. It´s typical to speick-lavender.

 

[BillC]

I was planning to try the Speick shaving soap sometime - does the cologne smell similarly? I don't know anywhere locally that I could try the fragrance before I bought a bottle.

I don't really have a price in mind. Just looking for some recommendations for scents I should sample when I'm out in the mall to broaden my experiences. But when I just walked into a Perfumania the other day most of the colognes they offered up I found off-putting.

 

[quickie-cookie]

The other Speick-products smell a little different. The cologne smells "sweeter" than the shaving soap.

 

[A-Man]

Aubrey Organics North Woods (listed as AS splash, but can be used everyday.)

You can also get the deodorant and AS balm to go along with it. I wouldn't recommend the shave cream as it's a non lather. That may be something you don't mind, but most here do. Maybe get a Mama Bears pine or spruce scented soap.

BTW, I'm with you on the natural scents. I never minded before but lately the heavy artificial synthetic scented colognes turn my stomach.

 

[Dave_D]

One of the most 'natural' smelling scents Ive ever tried was Tam Dao, heard that they have changed it unfortunately.

 

[andrew98]

I also prefer "natural" smelling fragrances. Gucci Pour Homme (brownish liquid in a clear bottle... Pour Homme II is light blue liquid) may be worth checking out. It has a nice cedar note, and most department stores should have it. Aramis JHL is wonderful and definitely on my "to buy" list.

I really like most of the L'Occitane fragrances, too. Stop by Body Shop and check out some of their fragrances. They seem pretty natural smelling to me, and they're very reasonably priced.

-Andy

 

[WhosYerBob]

Pino Silvestre has a wonderful pine scent to it.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

I'm just starting to dive into the world of colognes myself. I'd be very interested to see what you guys recommend!

So yeah, I'm lurking on this thread.

ARKO Citrus?

 

[tsmba]

"Natural" is one of the nebulous terms that is so subjective it really means nothing. Try the search function on The Perfumed Court: it allows you to search on scent notes.

 

[Evbo]

"Natural" is one of the nebulous terms that is so subjective it really means nothing. Try the search function on The Perfumed Court: it allows you to search on scent notes.

I think what he means is that the more well-known, mass produced brands sold in most dept. stores just don't float his boat. For the record, I'm with him -- they don't float mine, either. They all start smelling the same to me.

I do agree that the Perfumed Court is a good option. You can get samples of a bunch of different things without spending an arm and a leg and yes, you can search on scent notes. Not sure whether his biz is still up & running but member Rorschuck is a true fragrance hound who also sells decants, and at much better prices than the Perfumed Court (though his inventory is nowhere near as deep as theirs is).

To the OP: I'd also suggest checking out some of Penhaligon's frags. They're very high-quality and definitely stand out from the rest.

 

[RagingRazor]

I have a bunch of name brand colognes that I havn't worn in years, since I discovered bay rum a few months back, I think it smells better than any synthetic cologne I have ever tried. I agree that the "unnatural" colognes do smell synthetic, as well have a "after-smell" that doesnt smell very pleasant and last very long time.

 

[BillC]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I'm a scientist and get that "natural" is a subjective qualifier. I asked the same question on Basenotes and perhaps explained it better there. I was wondering if fragrances crafted exclusively with EOs were always going to smell more "natural" than others. Consensus seems to be that it isn't that simple.

But I've had a very low "hit rate" for scents I like with the mass marketed products. Wish there was an easier way to sample the niche products.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[thunderball]

I find Truefitt & Hill's Trafalgar to smell natural...like different woods and forest floor - really reminds me of where I grew up. Neroli fragrances also smell natural to me, especially the Czech & Speake version. Czech & Speake's Oxford & Cambridge is a nice take on lavender too.

 

[GoldenBacon]

You could also try C.O. Bigelows elixir green, it smells faintly like grass.

 

[Evbo]

I find Truefitt & Hill's Trafalgar to smell natural...like different woods and forest floor - really reminds me of where I grew up. Neroli fragrances also smell natural to me, especially the Czech & Speake version. Czech & Speake's Oxford & Cambridge is a nice take on lavender too.

Amen. C&S's Neroli is one of my faves. Amazing stuff!

 

[ironduke]

I second Czech & Speake Neroli. It smells like green grasses just pounded in a stone mortar.
Gucci pour homme I is a natural but powerful scent of pencil cedar, I concur. Well, in my opinion, it is too natural. So my impression on this scent is 'this should be smelt on furnitures, not a man'.

 

[ladder44]

While on vacation in Michigan a few years ago, I bought some green tea spray cologne, and it was fantastic. I can't remember the brand, but there are several out there to try.