Sowmya GibishMost men fragrances end up binned within a year of the bottle running dry. A few don’t.
Earth Day is a decent excuse to flag which men’s bottles are actually pulling their weight on sustainability. The refillable part is easy to verify. The rest of it, like sourcing and carbon claims, is harder because brands have gotten good at marketing the idea even when they aren’t really doing it. Six men’s fragrances below that at minimum get the refillable part right, and smell good enough to earn the bottle a second fill.
Everyday Wear Hermès H24 Eau de Parfum
Men
Perfumer
Christine Nagel
Fragrance Family
Aromatic Fresh
Notes
Top: sage
Middle: narcissus, rosewood
Base: sclarene
H24 was built around Sclarene, a synthetic Hermès commissioned to smell like sage and warm metal at the same time. Works better than it sounds. It lasts 7 to 8 hours and wears quiet. The bottle refills at Hermès boutiques. Not the flashiest thing in their men’s line, but it’s the cleanest one.
Bright Warm Days Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò Parfum
Men
Perfumer
Alberto Morillas
Fragrance Family
Aromatic Woody
Notes
Top: bergamot, ginger
Middle: geranium, rosemary, sage
Base: patchouli, frankincense
H24 was built around Sclarene, a synthetic Hermès commissioned to smell like sage and warm metal at the same time. Works better than it sounds. It lasts 7 to 8 hours and wears quiet. The bottle refills at Hermès boutiques. Not the flashiest thing in their men’s line, but it’s the cleanest one.
Date Nights Chanel Bleu de Chanel Parfum
Men
Perfumer
Jacques Polge
Fragrance Family
Aromatic Woody
Notes
Top: grapefruit, lemon, bergamot
Middle: ginger, jasmine
Base: incense, sandalwood, cedar
My cousin’s worn Bleu for five years and he only buys the refillable 150ml now. Grapefruit and incense on top, sandalwood and cedar in the base, 10 hours of heavy projection. Still a date-night pick after all this time.
Cold Winter Nights Paco Rabanne 1 Million Elixir
Men
Perfumer
Quentin Bisch
Fragrance Family
Oriental Spicy
Notes
Top: saffron, cinnamon
Middle: leather, orris
Base: amber, patchouli, vanilla
Smells like cinnamon toast left in a leather jacket overnight, and that’s a compliment. Saffron and cinnamon up front, leather and orris in the middle, amber and vanilla in the base. Lasts past 10 hours easy. The gold metal bottle was one of the earliest refill systems Paco Rabanne rolled out in their men’s line.
Signature Scent Mugler A*Men Eau de Toilette
Men
Perfumer
Jacques Huclier
Fragrance Family
Oriental Woody
Notes
Top: mint, mandarin, bergamot
Middle: lavender, coumarin
Base: patchouli, caramel, coffee, vanilla
A*Men came out in 1996 and it was already refillable. Mugler was doing at-the-counter refills before anyone thought to ask for them. The scent is vintage 90s gourmand. Mint up top, coffee and caramel later, projects loud for the first couple of hours. Divisive, but that’s part of the point.
Unisex Find Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Parfum
Unisex
Perfumer
Frank Voelkl
Fragrance Family
Woody Aromatic
Notes
Top: violet, cardamom
Middle: iris, papyrus, leather
Base: sandalwood, cedarwood, amber, musk
Walk into a café in Brooklyn or Shoreditch and at least three people there are wearing this. Cardamom and violet opening, then sandalwood, leather, and iris take over for a good 8 hours. Le Labo had a refill program at the boutique counter years before it became an industry-wide selling point. The refill option also makes the price slightly easier to justify.
Yazhini Manimudi
Sowmya Gibish
Akhil Kumar
