Affordable winter and summer fragrances: what the round-ups pick, and what they cost today
Most people who wear fragrance end up with something for the cold and something for the heat. You do not need to spend a lot on either. Below are affordable bottles that published round-ups recommend for each season, with who recommends them and what each costs at the shops we compare.
These are other writers' picks, credited to them, not ours: we do not say how anything smells. The round-ups' own prices are in pounds or złoty, so we have not repeated them.
Every price on this page is read when the page loads: the lowest price we currently hold at the bottle's main size, before shipping.
Why the seasons differ
The round-ups agree on the reasoning. In winter, "amber, leather, rum, vanilla and tobacco notes come into their own", and since "cold air dulls fragrance projection", strong bases and long wear matter (Ape to Gentleman). Winter picks are "usually richer and more concentrated eaux de parfums" built on "vanilla, amber, musk, spices, and woods" (Perfume Direct). Summer picks are "built around citrus fruits, aquatic notes, aromatic herbs and light woods" (SheerLuxe).
Winter
From Ape to Gentleman's cheap winter colognes:
- Burberry London for Men EDT: $29.95 for 100 ml at FragranceShop.com
- Joop! Homme EDT: $18.89 for 125 ml at AuraFragrance
- Montblanc Explorer EDP: $42.95 for 100 ml at Perfume Box
From Scent Grail's cheap winter fragrances, which picks "stronger fragrances with different warm and woody aromas that cut through the cold air":
- Givenchy Pi EDT: $31.00 for 100 ml at eBay
- Versace The Dreamer EDT: $32.89 for 100 ml at Beauty House
- Guy Laroche Drakkar Intense EDP: $18.84 for 100 ml at FragranceNet
- Jesus del Pozo Halloween Man EDT: no price we can show right now
Summer
From SheerLuxe's affordable summer fragrances:
- Davidoff Cool Water EDT: no price we can show right now
- Calvin Klein CK One EDT: $20.95 for 100 ml at FragranceShop.com
- Nautica Voyage EDT: $7.60 for 100 ml at eBay
- Versace Pour Homme: $31.49 for 100 ml at eBay
- Azzaro Chrome EDT: $22.99 for 100 ml at eBay
From Scento's summer scents on a budget, whose perfumer says that in summer we want light, fresh scents, "which is why citrus notes work so well" (our translation from Polish):
- Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue EDT: no price we can show right now
- Armani Acqua di Gioia EDP: $98.57 for 100 ml at eBay
Before you buy
- Check the strength. Several of these come as an EDT and an EDP, and they are separate products at separate prices; see EDT vs EDP vs parfum.
- Light scents fade sooner. Citrus and aquatic fragrances tend to wear for less time than heavy winter ones; our post on why some fragrances fade fast explains why.
- Compare like with like. Each fragrance page compares the same size across shops, so check the size beside the price.
A Price Alert tells you when any of these reaches the price you set.