Any recommendations for a cologne in the $25-50 range?

No joke- Ariana Grande- Cloud- smells GREAT on anyone, as does REM... Both are extremely good for the price point- REM is more masculine-

I would go for old school Spicebomb on ebay for that price range if you want something masculine. Its a classic

Slap a little Bon Ami under your arms.

Oh shit! Hold on- This one is fantastic!

Acqua Colonia Blood Orange & Basil Eau De Cologne Spray

Carrington for Men.

Krystle had it created just for Blake, you know, because she thought it was just as sexy as he was.

R3's suggestion is indeed good.

And particular time of day you want to wear this cologne?

Setting for the wearing it?

Do you want a 4 season cologne or something more winter or more summer?

Do you want a surviving classic, OP, or something very new like the young men wear?

Today's popular colognes don't smell anything like the classics. They are conceived differently and are based on different molecules than back in the day. Cloud is an Ambroxan bomb, and some people can't smell Ambroxan for very long. You could go noseblind to your own cologne a half hour or so after spraying it on, but people around you will still smell it. If I want a molecule forward cologne I prefer Iso E Super.

If you want a classic old school cologne for peanuts - get Giorgio for Men Giorgio Beverly Hills - golden juice in a nice bottle. The reformulation is very successful and it can be found online for less than 20 bucks.

There is a quite cute typical New Jersey guy who loves classic colognes including inexpensive ones - watch his videos to get some ideas. He's not pretentious and he has a good nose. (And a hairy chest)

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Intense

Kinda young, kinda now....

I really like Lucky You, I think it’s a great scent on the light and fresh side

Ungaro pour L'Homme III. It's a designer classic that sells for $25 a bottle or less.

Acqua di Pino-Solo.

Here’s a superb actual “cologne” that is going for basically nothing over at FragranceNet. Colognes don’t last very long, but it’s better than being a grown man wearing Cloud.

OP - look online for people selling partially used bottles of the good stuff. I’ve gotten stuff like Tom Ford for less than half the new price.

Skip the cologne until you can afford a decent one. Just use a woodsy body wash with a matching deodorant and call it a day. Smelling cheap is never a good idea.

Do people still use cologne in 2024?

Colors by Benetton

Cremo cologne is amazing and 22 bucks. I'm partial to Bourbon and Oak

“ Smelling cheap is never a good idea.”

R14, this is Datalounge.

[quote] Do people still use cologne in 2024?

Yes.

Fragrance is incredibly popular with male Zoomers--there has been piece after piece about it in the media in the last year.

look for a bottle of Bay Rum. It's classis, unpretentious, masculine Your grandfather and his father probably wore it. I love the barber shop smell of it. A lot of options out there. I like Ogallala Bay Rum Cologne from Duluth Trading Co. about $20.00

Bay Rum is nice.

You could also find a vintage bottle of Old Spice on eBay.

It's a myth that the price of the cologne must indicate the quality. There are lots of 20 dollar fragrances that are quite good! There are lots of 200 dollar fragrances that are not worth 200 and don't small 100x better than 20 dollar fragrances.

I collect fragrance at every price point.

Zara brings out dozens upon dozens of fragrances a year and a few of them are good and cost 20 something bucks.

"Department store" designer fragrances are regularly discounted far below their suggested retail price.

UAE are now coming in with some quite credible dupes.

Oh I'm bad at maths. 10x better than 20 dollar fragrances. 🤡

Recommend some cheapies, then. Only the collectors have an idea of what’s decent.

A bottle of Habit Rouge L'Instinct can be picked up on Frangrancenet for about $50. Purists might not like it, but it's Guerlain quality that a young person could probably wear.

Yeah Guerlain Vetiver in the EDT can be found on discount web sites for 50-60, too.

I'll recommend cheapies when you answer the questions at R5.

If you want a line by a barber / shaving company such as your discontinued Every Man Jack, look at the Proraso colognes from Italy. Are they stocked in the USA? What about Denim - which is also originally Italian. Also the one at R12 is good - very light and a true cologne - which means "colonial water" as opposed to EDT or EDP. Someone recommended the old Ungaro III - yes - it's a gents cologne, smells good, and is cheap as chips. Burberry has a couple low priced ones. Dunhill as well. Dunhill Icon was a huge hit a couple years ago. It's fresh and masculine and modern and 30ish bucks with a handsome bottle.

Old school Zino, and Azzaro pour Homme are still around, smelling fine. Oscar de la Renta is in OK shape.

If you like the uber popular Sauvage by Dior that young guys wear - you can buy Lattafa's Asad for 20ish bucks and it smell terrific. Not like a Dollar Tree clone, but actually like a well put together fragrance.

More about the surge of popularity of fragrance in 2024 among younger people.

And again here:

[quote]Ungaro III - yes - it's a gents cologne, smells good, and is cheap as chips

Ungaro I, II, and III were originally produced by Chanel (Jacques Polge).

I and II are only available in vintage and cost a fortune. I have heard the current version of III will age well in the bottle too.

I decided to try Cremo, easily found on Amazon.

Thanks R17!

...and thanks for all the other suggestions too, I will be trying a few others.

I still swear by Issey Miyake for Men (L’eau D’Issey Pour Homme) for the past 20 years. It’s light and clean and sexy, and it just pairs perfectly with me.

McCormick Vanilla Extract

[quote] Do people still use cologne in 2024?

Yes, I do. And I don't care whether or not Zoomers like it or not.

R34, that's what I use, too. My complaint about it: The scent seems to dissipate almost immediately. I use the eau de toilette. I have the 6.7-oz. (largest that I know of) bottle. I bought it as a treat for myself.

Gap Om. I get so many compliments on this. Wore it in the 90s, and am enjoying it again now that they’ve reissued it. I got my bottle on eBay for $30.

Jovan Musk. Seriously.

Combined aftershave/cologne, Pinaud Special Reserve. Extremely inexpensive, but a delicious scent nevertheless . . .

Matsukoruhari Omatakisuroto EDT around 35.00.

R37 Om !! This took me right back to my 20s. Madonna’s Ray of Light, morning yoga and backpacking thru Thailand. Ordering a bottle right now—just for the nostalgia!!

French site news-parfums are currently selling Caron's 1934 masterpiece 'Pour Un Homme' at an incredible price of 45 USD.

For $100 they also have the rare extrait version of Pour Un Homme on sale in a 75ml bottle. I have both and they are heavenly. The extrait is super smooth, concentrated, and perfect for Winter. I got a load of free Caron samples with my order too.

Seconding what what r14 said. Unlike cheap clothing and shoes, people will really hold it against you if you're wearing a cheap fragrance. I would recommend spending about $70-$120 on a bottle of something nice. It's a once a year expense.

playboy hollywood is crazy cheap and not half bad

R43 not if you're around low rent trash, they're smelling AXE all day

[quote] McCormick Vanilla Extract

Jennifer Love Hewitt once said she keeps this in her purse as a fragrance and that guys go wild over it.

Like they smell her or make eye contact.

Jean Nate

Armaf Club de Nuit Intense is a very close approximation of the popular (and expensive) Creed Aventus. Smells amazing, but like other lower priced colognes doesn't have the staying power or more expensive brands.

Does K-Mart still sell Paco Rebanne cologne? I'm just awakening from a 40 year coma and want to smell like Tuesday night at a singles' bar.

Look up R42's recommendation. Caron's fragrances are the top of the line.

Drakkar Noir!

OP remember - subtlety. No one wants you stinking up the entire elevator. Just a little spritz is enough.

r40, googled, and the only thing that came up was this thread.

Call me crazy, by the OG 4711 is a light, fresh, inoffensive fragrance.

Musk for Beta Men.