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fragrance bottle with a green glass body and golden cap featuring a polo player design

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Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò – Eau de Parfum

Acqua di Giò – Eau de Parfum

I usually prefer to get an eau de parfum, just for the sake of sillage and longevity. But in this case, I really do prefer the eau de parfum to the eau de toillette. The muskiness gets cut down for something that feels really fresh and sea-inspired.

Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò – Eau de Toilette

Acqua di Giò - Eau de Toilette

But the eau de toilette is the classic. It’s the perfect seaside citrus and musk. It might remind you of the ’90s, but this style of fragrance is as popular as it’s ever been. (As seen by releases like Ranger Station’s Rich ’90s Dad.)

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Ralph Lauren Polo

Polo

The perfect first cologne, the perfect everyday cologne—Ralph Lauren Polo is as good as it gets for a lot of guys. It’s one that might get overlooked as old fashioned these days, but no one is going to say woodsy tobacco smells bad. Keep this one stocked.

Stetson Original

Original

Talking about old fashioned, I shouted out the current Stetson Original in our cologne awards, and it’s one I’ll always stand by. It’s a classic musk. Starts herbal, then moves to amber, and dries down with a sweet amber-y musk. This is what my grandpa smelt like going to church, and these days that’s one of the coolest things I can think of.

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Calvin Klein CK One

 CK One

For me, CK One and Acqua di Giò fight for the top spot in that ’90s fresh category. I prefer Armani just because it leans more salty and marine. But CK One is a really solid pick if you prefer something greener. Instead of going citrus into sea salt air, CK One is citrusy to start and finishes with a little bit of amber but mostly green leaves.

Also, the lack of musk compared to Armani makes this a more unisex option, in my opinion.

David Beckham Refined Woods, Eau de Parfum

Refined Woods, Eau de Parfum

I’m a Beckham lover. I spent untold hours trying to replicate that freekick against Greece when I was a kid. But I rolled my eyes when he came out with his fragrance collection. Jokes on me, because it’s really good, one of my favorite value fragrance lines.

None of it reinvents the wheel, but I have a real love for Refined Woods. It’s simple: decent longevity vetiver and cedar wood with some spices mixed in at the front. (The brand calls out cardamom and clary sage, but I really get anise.) It’s simple, straightforward, and affordable. Can’t beat it.

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David Beckham Infinite Aqua, Eau de Parfum

Infinite Aqua, Eau de Parfum

This is Becks at the beach. Chances are I will never enjoy a yacht off Capri like he has, but I can at least smell like it.

Again, I love that this doesn’t try to do too much. It’s a more modern take on the ’90s beach scents I’ve been talking about here.

Ralph Lauren Polo Black

Polo Black

This is a slight bummer for me because I love Ralph’s Club, the higher end black tie Ralph Lauren fragrance. That’s not on sale. Polo Black is. It has the black tie go to’s of sandalwood, tonka bean, and sage, but it opens with a more fun mango sweetness. (I’ve never gotten much of the mango on myself, to be fair.) It’s a great option for a nice event that doesn’t overpower the air space around you.

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Ralph Lauren Polo Blue – Eau de Toilette

Polo Blue - Eau de Toilette

This is Ralph’s beach scent, and like the others on this list, it has the handful of hits. The opening is more green than citrus—think cucumber, not bergamot—but the dry down is a classic aquatic musk.

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