Anyone who knows anything about my views on perfume also knows I don’t like to divide scents into feminine and masculine or for men and women. In fact, I don’t like to do this in general, not just with perfume. The reason this post bears the title it does is that it’s specifically written in response to requests by my male friends and readers (I do have a few and I hereby greet them all very warmly!).

Every once in a while, a guy asks me to recommend a scent to him. This happens with women as well, but men in particular tend to expect an immediate, specific answer. You know: just give me the name of a good scent! Preferably the best one there is!! Unless I’m very familiar with that person’s preferences, there is no easy reply, the taste in scent isn’t universal. As with everything, some work needs to be put in for a satisfying result.

The list below is an attempt to give people a place to start. Is it a comprehensive overview? Absolutely not. Are these the best (masculine) scents ever? Not necessarily – and how would you measure that anyway? -, but I’ve tried to cover a lot of ground in terms of brands and notes. There should be at least one fragrance here for everyone and if you try the whole list, you should have an initial understanding of your likes and dislikes. Some of the things here are marketed as masculine scents, some are presented as unisex, a couple might make more traditional men raise an eyebrow or whatever the Alpha male equivalent is.

1. Dior Eau Sauvage (citrus). The first ever Dior scent for men has hardly ever been bested: it’s the quintessential citrus perfume and I adore it. It’s bright and crisp and zingy, but more complex than most of the imitators that have come after it. If you want to be fancy about it, you could say it’s almost a chypre. You could also say it has floral and woody-mossy touches in there to support the lemon, lime and bergamot. Still, I don’t think even the most traditional citrus-lovers need to worry. Everyone who has a thing for cologne-type fragrances should first try this as a benchmark, especially as it’s easily found in any supermarket. Eau de Toilette version – with the silver label – is the best.

2. Chanel Sycomore (vetiver). Vetiver is one of the classic notes of the masculine olfactory sphere and there are many great ones: Guerlain’s iconic Vetiver, Frederic Malle’s intense Vetiver Extraodinaire, Lalique’s beautiful (and rather affordable) Encre Noire. For me, Chanel’s Sycomore takes the crown: it’s the most elegant of the lot, the woody greenness – vetiver is usually classified as a wood, as it smells like one, but it’s actually a grass – tinged with smoke. This is Chanel smoke, though, so there’re no blazing campfires in sight. The problem with Sycomore is that it belongs to the exclusive line and therefore has limited distribution. If you cannot get your hands on it, other more accessible Chanels I highly recommend trying are Pour Monsieur (an intelligent, woody and aromatic cologne, and Egoiste, an unusually rich and sensual woody and spicy fragrance.

3. Tom Ford Tuscan Leather (well, leather). Leather seems like something that would be everywhere in men’s scents, but a serious leather note is actually difficult to find in mainstream perfume. Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather is one of the best modern takes and especially great if you don’t mind a little sophisticated sweetness in your perfume. Everything Ford makes is suave, but this one still retains some rawness, appreciated by conservative guys and adventurous women alike. My own favourite from Ford’s darker side is London, a smoky, tarry, spicy, leathery concoction that is unfortunately even harder to find than Tuscan Leather. Another bestseller is Tobacco Vanille, also very much worth a sniff.

4. Byredo Pulp (fruit). Byredo is probably the most successful modern perfume brand, moving from the niche segment to pretty much the mainstream, or at least the trendier edge of it. Despite having my problems with them (too many launches, not enough originality), I like quite a few of their fragrances and my love for Pulp is unlimited. This is the most intense fruity fragrance I’ve ever sniffed, it smells like all the world’s fruits have been squeezed into one bottle. Hence, this is definitely not for everyone, but I know men who carry it off beautifully. My partner has worn it for years and I can assure you he smells delicious. Once you’re at the Byredo counter, it wouldn’t hurt to smell Gypsy Water and Bibliotheque either.

5. Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan (amber). I struggled with picking a scent from Lutens for this overview. Despite being one of my absolute favourite perfume brands, I distinctly remember sniffing the scents for the first time about a decade ago and not liking any of them. Lutens is often an acquired taste and the fragrances are usually very complex, so not necessarily the best showcases for a specific note. There are exceptions, however, and Ambre Sultan is very emphatically an amber scent. Rich and golden and rather sweet, it can almost be overwhelming to modern noses, but Lutens has cleverly used bay leaf and other herbs to cut through the richness. Lutens is also famous for turning a classic masculine ingredient (cedarwood) into a feminine perfume with his iconic Feminite du Bois. In my not-very-humble opinion, it’s one of the best scents ever created and I very much encourage all men to turn the tables once more and wear it with abandon.

6. Thierry Mugler A*Men (gourmand). When I said Ambre Sultan is rich and sweet, well, it has nothing on Mugler’s A*Men (the masculine counterpart of Angel). It is probably the least modest fragrance in the history of mankind. It has patchouli, caramel, coffee, vanilla, musk, resins and woods and pretty much everything else. It projects to the moon and lasts forever. Technically, it’s a gourmand (something that smells edible), but calling it a gourmand is a bit like calling Marilyn Monroe pretty. People tend to either love or hate A*Man. If you like it, but it’s not 100% what you want, try the many variations (flankers). Unlike most perfume houses, Mugler is excellent with flankers and my personal favourite is A*Men Pure Malt: who wouldn’t love some whisky in one’s perfume?

7. Olfactive Studio Panorama (green). This one is a bit of a wild card, but I wanted to include some smaller brands as well. It’s also not that easy to find predominately green fragrances, as there is almost always a strong citrus or floral element. Panorama is most definitely green and smells like an urban jungle to me. It’s fresh and vivid and intense, including notes of grass and leaves and – rather unusually – wasabi. It’s most likely not for everyone, but would make a great spring scent for an adventurous sniffer.

8. Arquiste Boutonniere no 7 (floral). I love men who aren’t afraid of wearing floral fragrances. I mean, if we are stuck with defined gender roles and stuff, let’s at least have some fun and subvert them in elegant ways, OK? Enter Arquiste Boutonniere, a gardenia perfume created for men. Admittedly, most people I know who wear it are women, but that’s just because I don’t know the right men. Gardenia is probably my favourite floral note, it’s sensual and just… smells great. I guess the “for men” bit here is the added vetiver, moss and woody notes which I approve of because they add complexity and depth. If white florals and subverting gender roles really aren’t your jam, Arquiste has several other beautiful fragrances that smell more traditionally masculine – Nanban and The Architects Club, for example.

9. Caron Pour Un Homme (aromatic/lavender). I admit that Caron’s best known offering for men looks rather dated by now. If I picked my perfumes based on bottles, this would never make the cut (and I’d probably only wear Chanel and Byredo). The scent itself is somewhat old-fashioned, too, but in a good way. If you like lavender or herby scents in general, this is still one of the best out there and I think especially good for summer. I used to hate this aromatic plant after a traumatic experience in Provance (all those tourist shops with no air to breathe). It took me years to recover and realise that I actually don’t mind the scent in more modest quantities and especially when paired with vanilla or something else sweet – the counterpoint is really lovely. This is exactly the structure of Pour Un Homme and even more so with Impact Pour Un Homme that is, confusingly, actually milder and more vanilla-y than the original (and my preferred option and OMG IS IT DISCONTINUED?).

10. Hermes Terre d’Hermes (wood). If all else fails, there’s always Terre d’Hermes. It’s possibly my least favourite scent on this list, but I admit it’s well made and I don’t know anyone who dislikes it. I’ve chosen it as the representative of the woody family, although it’s also big on citrus and has spices and resins. Personally, I think Hermes has better scents and if you gravitate towards classic colognes, Hermes ones are among the best – I especially like Narcisse Bleu and the new Citron Noir (a rather had-core citrus fragrance). The whole Hermessences line is lovely as well, but more expensive, harder to get and most of the scents are extremely fleeting – something I’ve discovered many men hate.

Obviously, this list is heavily influenced by my taste, but it’s my blog and I blog what I want to. That said, you are very welcome to argue or suggest alternatives in the comments and if any of the guys are brave enough to comment about their favourites or fragrance-journey, it would be wonderful.

PS And of course, I’m not saying you HAVE to try anything. You are very welcome to sniff only the rarest attars from Arabia or refuse any smell but your own exquisite manliness. This is just how Internet headlines work.