When was the last time you saw an article in the gossip pages asking which celebrity wore a scent best? Or who showed up on the red carpet with the most interesting cologne, or the least pleasing one? Ever seen a street photographer make a living taking snapshots of the perfume a-la The Sartorialist? Gossip columnists and more respectable fashion writers don’t end up covering things like cologne because they simply don’t lend themselves to being written about in the same way that the way someone’s dress does. Don’t let the dearth of coverage fool you.
The world of men’s scents are as varied and interesting as the broader world of men’s fashion. In much the same way that a guy can find a way to curate his own wardrobe and style with all that is available, he can do the same when it comes to finding a signature scent. We wanted to take a moment to highlight a very specific type of fragrance; men’s solid cologne. Obviously, what sets these apart is that they are solid as opposed to liquid – but that is far from the only difference. Their solid state make them both more long lasting once you apply them, and easier to travel since users don’t have to comply with TSA security liquid limits. If you are in the market for a new scent, or even your first, we’d highly suggest you take a look at what we think are the 8 Best Solid Colognes For Men.
Lush Dirty
For how popular Lush is, it is surprising to see that they’ve only really been around for since the mid 1990s. Founded in Poole, England, the skin care company was founded by a couple of veterans of the hair and facial products industry who looked to try and add in fresh and exciting ingredients in order to make unique lotions and potions. This scent, made from ingredients like cold pressed organic jojoba oil, sandalwood oil, thyme absolute, and tarragon oil, features a fresh multi-layered scent. The primary notes that you’ll get on opening this 12 gram container will be of spearmint, thyme, tarragon, oak moss and sandalwood.
Alfred Lane Vanguard
Alfred Lane is a company as much as it is an idea. Just 8 years old, they endeavor to source all of their ingredients from within the U.S. to produce scents that have a heritage feel with a modern edge. This cologne coming out of their shop located in Chicago, Illinois both lives up to its name and accomplishes the broader goal of the company. It has a what the small team describes as a “woodsy, oriental scent” that carries along with it notes of nutmeg, tobacco, leather, and spice. You can pick up this ‘date night’ scent as one reviewer described it in 5 ounce tins.
Detroit Grooming Co Corktown
Made from a blended beeswax and coconut oil base, this cologne from Detroit Grooming Co. has a scent any guy would be happy with; vanilla, tobacco, and cedarwood. The fragracne, like all produced by the small midwestern company, is made for the ‘guy of any time’. Whether you are trying to forge your own style or stick to the classics – this sustainably made cologne will provide the right finishing touch.
Solid State Wayfarer Cologne
A wayfarer, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a ‘traveler on foot’. It seems fitting, then, that this cologne from Solid State features so many natural and outdoorsy fragrances. This 10 gram tin of solid cologne from the American brand boasts a confident fusion of tobacco, tonic bean, cacao, vanilla, oak, and and spice. Whether you yourself are trying to recapture some scent you caught while out in the woods as a kid, or to feel a little less like an office rat – it is a hell of a choice from an exciting and young company.
Otter Wax Spruce Cologne
Made in Portland, Oregon, this cologne from Otter Wax features an appropriately piney scent fitting of the Pacific Northwest. And with ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, vetiver, Virginian cedar wood essential oils, douglas fir needle essential oil, lime and sandalwood it is easy to see why. Taking the 1 ounce tin off is all you need to get a waft of the combined citrus and pine scents. To apply, simply dip your finger into the center of the waxy oil, rub a small amount on the wrists and neck. As the day moves on and the wax responds to your changing body temperature, the different notes will express themselves in different ways.
Juniper Ridge Siskiyou
There are few places as beautiful as California’s Siskiyou County. Located in the northernmost part of the state, it is home to the Klamath National Forest, Mount Shasta, and valleys and planes on which cattle is raised by the few people who live there. It is after this place that Juniper Ridge named their resin cologne. Made with a base of beeswax, organic jojoba oil, plant sap, tree pitch, and steam distilled oils, it has the make up and scent of one of our country’s most beautiful areas. The scent you’ll pick up from this is one with notes of spice, ginger, bark, and conifers. Not bad for a little .5 ounce tin.
Fulton & Roark Clearwater
Solid cologne has been around for a long time. Like, really long (think Egyptians). But if we would give credit to any one brand for revitalizing or popularizing once again this type of cologne, we’d probably give it to Fulton and Roark. And out of all the scents that they offer for guys? We go for their Clearwater. This solid cologne from the small team in Salem, North Carolina is made from ingredients like mineral oil, ceresin wax, coconut oil, and perfumers alcohol. As they tell it, the scent was inspired by the Madagascan geranium, a specific flower grown on the African country’s coast. The flower has a fresh clear scent that sits at the center of the cologne, and is surrounded by notes of oak moss and fresh water.
diptqye ‘Rose de Mai’
Far from the pocketable tins that dominate the market, this cologne from diptyque presents itself as a more luxurious and refined scent. Hailing from France, this cologne features a fragrance captured via distillation of rose petals. That central floral note is then couched in a kind of honey, waxy, and spicy set of notes that give it a curious complexity.
