Sillage and projection are two vital properties of any fragrance, yet they are easy to overlook. It is incredibly frustrating to spend a small fortune on a luxury men’s fragrance and find it becomes a skin scent in less than an hour. We uncover the best men’s fragrances for sillage and projection to find 10 scents that perform incredibly well.
What Is Fragrance Sillage? Fragrance sillage is the length of the scent-trail that a fragrance leaves behind the wearer as they walk by. The distance of the sillage scent-trail is usually measured in feet.
What Is Fragrance Projection? Fragrance projection is the distance that a fragrance can project its aroma away from the wearer and still be detectable by others. The length of fragrance projection is usually measured in feet.
But What About Fragrance Longevity? Longevity is how long a fragrance will last overall and is measured in hours. The problem with ONLY using longevity as an indication of fragrance performance is that you can have a scent that is bearly noticeable yet will last 8 hours at that reduced level. Not ideal!
10 Best Mens Fragrances For Sillage And Projection
After an incredible amount of testing, we have uncovered the 10 best men’s fragrances for sillage and projection to get you noticed.
1. Roja Parfums Fetish Pour Homme Parfum
Review
First up is a real projection monster. Roja Parfums Fetish Pour Homme Parfum is a seductive Chypre masculine fragrance that is warm, spicy, leathery and slightly sweet. This is a real head-turning fragrance that smells very niche and unique.
The opening of Fetish Pour Homme is fresh with crisp notes of lemon, lime and bergamot. Sweet spices of cinnamon, cardamom, and benzoin soon follow for a dramatic opening. Ultra sexy vanilla is the heart of this scent, combined with fresh fig, and an undercurrent of jasmine, violet and neroli florals. The stunning opening is just the start as dry-down commences. Initially, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper notes rise to the occasion. Leather notes finally emerge with the resinous animalic scent of ambergris, castoreum, and musk. Incredibly manly yet the florals and light sweetness create a welcome softness.
Projection is immense at 4ft, with wave after wave of warm spices and leather. The sillage trail is 5ft behind the wearer. The longevity of Fetish is, of course, incredible and 10+ hours of endurance is easily achieved.
Presented in true Roja style, classic clean-lined bottle with a bejewelled cap that looks as good as it smells.
Fetish Pour Homme is an incredibly luxurious and almost niche fragrance with enormous sillage and longevity. One that will undoubtedly get you noticed for all the right reasons.
Performance:
Sillage 5ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 10+ hrs
Top Notes:
Bergamot, Lemon, Lime
Mid Notes:
Fig, Jasmine, Neroli, Violet
Base Notes:
Cardamom, Cinnamon, Elemi, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Pepper, Vetiver, Ambergris, Benzoin, Castoreum, Labdanum, Leather, Musk, Vanilla
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridges:
2. Frederic Malle The Moon Parfum
Review
Frederic Malle The Moon Eau de Parfum is an aromatic oriental floral fragrance, packed full of spices, fruits and warming resin. Launched in 2019, Julien Rasquinet is the nose behind this incredible fragrance that simply demands attention.
The opening of The Moon is deliciously fruity with raspberry and litchi blended with the sweetness of saffron. A heart of sumptuous smokey leather combined with juicy red berries and hints of floral adds an air of masculine sophistication. The dry-down is exquisite, with more leather and smoke entwined with warning amber and fresh woods.
You will only need a couple of sprays of this beast to cast a vast, mysterious sillage trail of approx 5ft that will turn every head as you casually saunter by. Projection is 4ft. Longevity is 8+ hours minimum.
As for when to wear, The Moon leans more towards the colder months of autumn/winter and early spring. One to wear when dressed up a little, this fragrance deserves it.
Frederic Malle The Moon Eau de Parfum comes presented in a squat clear glass bottle with a matt black label and cap. Simply oozes quality in an understated way.
Overall, The Moon is a suave and sophisticated smokey, fruity, spicy masculine fragrance with unbeatable sillage and projection. It smells expensive and classy.
Performance:
Sillage 5ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 8+ hrs
Top Notes:
Raspberry, Litchi, Saffron
Mid Notes:
Olibanum, Turkish Rose, Violet, Red Currant, Red Berries
Base Notes:
Agarwood, Leather, Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Frederic Malle:
3. Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male Eau de Toilette
Review
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male Eau de Toilette was launched in 2015 to reconnect with the original Le Male fragrance. Both fragrances were created by the master himself; Francis Kurkdjian. With additional spices and soft juicy pear added to the unique fragrance profile, Ultra Male is a masculine masterpiece with staggering sillage.
The opening of Ultra Male is a blast of crisp bergamot and lemon entwined with sweet pear and blooming lavender. Fresh mint also makes a discreet appearance. A wave of spices in the heart increases the intensity, especially cinnamon and sage. The dry-down is my favourite part and is incredibly masculine and sensual, with delicious vanilla and warming amber combining with light woods.
One might say its tailor-made as a clubbing fragrance as the beast-like sillage trail of Ultra Male is 5ft with its 4ft projection turns heads everywhere. Longevity is 6+ hours.
As for when to wear, Ultra Male leans more towards an autumn/winter evening scent. One to wear when you are dressed up, ready to impress and off to the bars and clubs.
Presented in a frosted pale blue version of the original Le Male figurine bottle with black stripes.
Overall, Ultra Male Eau de Toilette is arguably the best Le Male flanker. It is sweet yet masculine, sexy, and attention-grabbing with fantastic performance.
Performance:
Sillage 5ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 6+ hrs
Top Notes:
Bergamot, Pear, Mint, Lavender, Lemon
Mid Notes:
Cinnamon, Clary, Sage, Caraway
Base Notes:
Vanilla, Amber, Cedar, Patchouli
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at John Lewis & Partners:
4. Montale Black Aoud Eau de Parfum
Review
Montale Black Aoud Eau de Parfum is an incredibly sexy masculine woody fragrance launched in 2006. Nose Pierre Montale has created an exciting blend of wood and floral notes that last and project incredibly well. Montale released an ‘intense’ version on 2017 but trust me, this original version performs far better.
With powerful floral opening notes of rose and labdanum and a nip of orange, you may feel you accidentally sprayed your grandmother’s favourite scent. Fear not, as after a few moments, Montale Black Aoud gets down to business and reveals sensual musk, intoxicatingly earthy patchouli and not forgetting sexy, almost animalic oud. A staggeringly good fragrance after full dry-down.
With 8+ hours of longevity coupled with exceptional sillage of 6ft and projection of 3ft, you can expect compliments galore. Although this scent performs brilliantly, it’s not harsh or overpowering. The florals do a great job of keeping this scent masculine, but with a lighter side.
As for when to wear, Montale Black Aoud is one for the evenings of autumn/winter. Don’t worry about extra layers of clothing affecting the performance, this scent is almost radioactive in its ability to project.
Presented in Montale’s stylish ‘canister’ style bottle in shiny black with classy MTL logo on a dangling badge.
Overall, Montale Black Aoud Eau de Parfum is a master class of how to create a sexy, masculine fragrance with beast-like projection and sillage that does not offend. Folk will undoubtedly know you are wearing it, but not be looking for the nearest exit. Highly recommended.
Performance:
Sillage 6ft – Projection 3ft – Longevity 8+ hrs
Top Notes:
Mandarin Orange
Mid Notes:
Rose, Labdanum
Base Notes:
Musk, Patchouli, Agarwood
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridges:
5. Tom Ford Oud Wood Intense Eau de Parfum
Review
Tom Ford Oud Wood Intense Eau de Parfum is a strikingly mysterious leather and oud focused masculine fragrance that was released in 2017. With attention-grabbing projection and sillage, Tom Ford has created a bold and classy scent that smells classy and refined.
The opening of Tom Ford Oud Wood Intense is leathery and animalic with a wave of castoreum that has a slight petroleum vibe entwined with the evergreen/woody notes of cypress. Angelica and ginger add warmth. The dry-down reveals the star of the show, dark and smokey woody oud that is both rich and dark.
The sillage is excellent with a trail of 6 feet behind the wearer, and beast-like projection of 5 feet. This is a long-lasting fragrance with the woody/leathery/animalic trio providing 8+ hours of performance.
As for when to wear, definitely, an autumn/winter evening fragrance that is best suited to refined social events when you want to smell classy and masculine.
Presented in the classic Tom Ford square-edged bottle in black with silver label. Looks as classy and masculine as it smells.
Overall, Tom Ford Oud Wood Intense is an imposingly dark and mature masculine woody/animalic fragrance with blistering sillage and projection. Not a total crowd-pleaser or a blind buy as this is relatively niche, but will undoubtedly have enough fans who fall in love with it.
Performance:
Sillage 6ft – Projection 5ft – Longevity 8+ hrs
Top Notes:
Cypress, Juniper, Castoreum
Mid Notes:
Angelica, Ginger
Base Notes:
Agarwood
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridges:
6. Parfums de Marly Oajan Eau de Parfum
Review
Parfums de Marly Oajan Eau de Parfum is a deliciously warm, spicy and slightly sweet masculine oriental fragrance that was launched in 2013. Parfums de Marly has created a sophisticated crowd-pleasing gourmet fragrance with incredible performance.
Beautiful from start to finish, Oajan opens with a spicy/sweet combination of cinnamon and honey. Mid notes reveal a heart of mainly sweet and smooth vanilla-like benzoin entwined with fruity/woody labdanum. Dry-down is very masculine-sexy, with creamy vanilla-tobacco notes from tonka bean infused with vanilla. Musk and patchouli are only slightly noticeable to me personally but present in the background. So much more than the sum of its parts, this is one heck of a delightful fragrance.
The sillage of Oajan Eau de Parfum is excellent with a trail of 6 feet behind the wearer, and decent projection of 4 feet. This is a long-lasting scent that providing 6+ hours of performance before notes begin to fade.
As for when to wear, I will go out on a limb and say Oajan is pretty much an any-season fragrance. Maybe not on a hot summers day but any other time is fair game for this beauty. Think parties, dates, nice meal, could even be your go-to office fragrance if used moderately.
Presented in the classic style Parfums de Marly bottle with slightly matt black bottle, gold cap and the dual rearing horses logo. Exquisite.
Overall, Oajan is a staggeringly classy masculine gourmand fragrance that will turn heads. It is fruity, spicy, sweet and a little boozy with blistering performance that will get you noticed.
Performance:
Sillage 6ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 6+ hrs
Top Notes:
Cinnamon, Honey, Osmanthus
Mid Notes:
Benzoin, Labdanum, Ambergris, Artemisia
Base Notes:
Patchouli, Musk, Vanila, Tonka Bean
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Harvey Nichols:
7. Dior Homme Parfum
Review
Dior Homme Parfum was released in 2014 and is a masterful combination of leather, wood and iris for a truly stunning, almost niche-like masculine fragrance. Fragrance legend, Francois Demachy is the nose behind this scent, and he has created a masterpiece.
This fragrance opens quite lightly with citrus notes of orange and only a hint of Iris, but this is the lull before the perfect storm. Within less than a minute, iris fully blooms to combine with sumptuous leather that is incredibly manly. Upon dry-down, woodsy notes of cedar and sandalwood provide a classy and sophisticated base, with hints of musk. Wow!
The performance of Dior Homme Parfum is off the chart. Sillage is 5 feet and projection 4 feet. Longevity is 8+ hours. It’s not just about the performance with this fragrance, its the fact it smells do darned good too! I am on my second bottle.
As for when to wear, the deep sumptuous leather and sultry woody notes lend themselves well to autumn/winter, although I would happily wear this all year round. More suited for formal evenings and would make an incredible evening signature scent.
Presented in true Dior Homme style with a clean-lined, weighty bottle with a black, yet transparent cap and a warm glow of the amber fragrance itself. Very classic masculine and would not look out out place in a swanky gentleman’s club.
Overall, Dior Homme Parfum is like a fine wine or aged whiskey, it just improves with age. It smells incredibly manly, complex and elegant with exceptional performance—a must-try.
Performance:
Sillage 5ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 8+ hrs
Top Notes:
Orange, Tuscan Iris
Mid Notes:
Leather
Base Notes:
Musk, Cedar, Sandalwood, Oud
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Dior:
8. Mancera Black to Black Eau de Parfum
Review
Mancera Black to Black Eau de Parfum is a warm, spicy, yet sensually floral masculine smelling unisex fragrance from nose Pierre Montale. Famed for its stellar performance, this is one incredible oud, leather and rose combination.
The opening of Black to Black took me by surprise as it’s quite abrupt, with rose managing to bloom through a forest of oud. Soon jasmine, cloves and spiced saffron make themselves known, and things settle nicely. The dry-down is fantastic, with expensive leather and more woods entwined with warming amber and not forgetting the intoxicating dark scent of patchouli. The rose, oud and leather, in particular, stand out for a mature, masculine scent.
The performance is impressive. Sillage is 6 feet and projection 5 feet. Longevity is 6+ hours. Only needs 2 – 3 sprays and you are all set.
As for when to wear, for me personally, the delightful rose and subtle jasmine allow what would typically be an autumn/winter fragrance to be perfect in any season. Perhaps an evening scent in the summertime.
Presented in a discreet yet classy clear glass bottle with black label and cap. The fragrance inside emits a been brown glow. Looks very manly for a unisex fragrance.
Overall, Mancera Black to Black is a classy, attention-grabbing masculine combination of oud, leather and rose with excellent performance. Not a blind buy as its quite a niche scent, but one of those fragrances you simply fall in love with or not. Certainly deserves your attention. Personally, I love it.
Performance:
Sillage 6ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 6+ hrs
Top Notes:
Bergamot, Saffron, Cloves
Mid Notes:
Rose, Jasmine, Patchouli Leaf, Amber
Base Notes:
Leather, White Musk, Sandalwood, Agarwood
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Notino:
9. Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme Eau de Parfum
Review
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme Eau de Parfum is a more intense flanker of the original Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb men’s fragrance. The mysterious and seductive combination of vanilla and tobacco really steal the show, and the performance is nothing less than staggering.
The opening is a real explosion of spice with intense notes of cracked black pepper, cumin, and fresh tobacco. A discreet heart of lavender lightens the fierce start. Upon dry-down, sweet and sexy vanilla presents itself and blends so well with the spicy profile.
This is one sexy masculine fragrance and should not be overlooked. Just like an unexploded bomb, you need to be a bit careful with this scent. It’s VERY spicy for the first 15-20 minutes so allow some for it to settle before heading out and about. But don’t worry, its a staggeringly good fragrance once settled.
The performance of Spicebomb Extreme is impressive. Sillage is 6 feet, and projection 5 feet so can quickly fill a room. Longevity is 8+ hours.
As for when to wear, more of an autumn/winter scent due it is warming and decidedly dark personality. However, try layering Spicebomb Extreme with Dior Sauvage to smooth the edges a little for an incredible any-season masculine fragrance adventure.
Presented in the now-classic shaped Viktor & Rolf hand grenade with shiny black edges, matt black top and copper coloured label/band. Not forgetting the cool pin-cord.
Overall, Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme was far more grown-up than I anticipated. Its classy, dark, mysterious and sophisticated yet a total crowd-pleaser. The pairing of vanilla and tobacco produces a classic male fragrance with exceptional performance.
You can jump to my review of 4 of the best Spicebomb fragrances.
Performance:
Sillage 6ft – Projection 5ft – Longevity 8+ hrs
Top Notes:
Cumin, Black Pepper, Tobacco
Mid Notes:
Lavender
Base Notes:
Vanilla
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Selfridges:
10. Mugler A*Men Eau de Toilette
Review
Mugler A*Men Eau de Toilette is a complex oriental woody masculine fragrance that is both warming and spicy, yet with a sensual underline sweetness. Launched back in 1996 and crafted by nose Jacques Huclier, A*Men has stood the test of time and still smells modern and edgy. This scent has been reformulated several times over the years. I am testing a 2020 sample.
The opening is fresh with minty lavender and a little citrus, but this is absorbed by the tsunami of caramel, coffee and chocolate that follow. These add a delicious, almost gourmand experience to this scent. Oddly I also seem to get the smell of hot burning tar, the type you get when you drive past roadworks; an interesting addition and very manly. The base is woody with musky/earthy patchouli and warming amber. The more I have worn A*Men, the more I love it, so give it at least 3 – 4 tries, and you may have found something special.
The performance of Mugler A*Men Eau de Toilette is excellent. Sillage is 5 feet and projection 4 feet. Longevity is 8+ hours. This fragrance will get you noticed and although not a total crowd-pleaser, those that love it will REALLY love it.
As or when to wear, although most customer reviews seem to lean towards autumn/winter, for me, it’s an any-season evening fragrance. One to dress up a bit for.
Presented in one of two bottle varieties (with the same fragrance), the black rubber bottle and the brushed metal versions. Both look a little dated now but don’t let that put you off as the fragrance inside is really overlooked, and you can buy a refill for a steal!
Overall, Mugler A*Men is in a class of its own and not like any other masculine scent I have encountered. Yes it’s sweet, but the coffee and spices just scream male confidence. The performance is excellent and will no-doubt generate lots of compliments.
Performance:
Sillage 5ft – Projection 4ft – Longevity 8+ hrs
Top Notes:
Bergamot, Lavender, Mint
Mid Notes:
Honey, Patchouli, Jasmine, Caramel, Coffee, Chocolate, Tar
Base Notes:
Cedar, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Amber, Patchouli, Vanilla
Price & Reviews
You can check the latest pricing, see customer reviews and shop online at Mugler:
Conclusion
Our research for the 10 best men’s fragrances for sillage and projection was a mammoth task and one of our longest articles to produce. Overall we tested 26 fragrances for both sillage and projection and reduced it down to the top 10 reviewed in this article.
If you own any male fragrances that are sillage and projection beasts that did not make it to our top 10, please let us know!
Further Reading
Below are some additional articles from Viora London’s blog. We write articles on a number of interesting lifestyle topics such as fragrance, beauty, designer handbags, luxury accessories and more.
