21 Best Colognes to Gift Your S.O. This Valentine’s Day

Why We Love It: Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male Elixir has a stunning bottle worth showing off, but there's more to this fragrance than its eye-catching looks. Its warm, intense scent actually starts with the zesty, fresh scent of mint that's brought back to Earth with herbal lavender and ambery benzoin. Once the dry-down sets in, sweet vanilla and creamy tonka bean take over while sugary honey and tobacco make an appearance.

Notes: Mint, lavender, benzoin, vanilla, tonka bean, honey, tobacco

Available Sizes: 4.2 oz.

Why We Love It: Yves Saint Laurent's Y Eau de Parfum is not your typical fruit-forward scent, which is why it's one of our favorites from the luxury label's roster of fragrances. Its intensely earthy base note of vetiver is given a sweeter, juicier twist by the additions of sweet and subtle apple and citrusy bergamot. This fragrance tones down its fruity-floral scent with wafts of spicy ginger and herbal sage.

Notes: Vetiver, apple, bergamot, ginger, sage

Available Sizes: 2.0 oz, 3.3 oz, 6.8 oz

Why We Love It: If you want to smell like a Mediterranean beachside getaway, try spritzing on the Prada Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum. This coastal-inspired fragrance starts with a burst of citrusy grapefruit that's harmonized with woody incense. Vanilla bean also makes an appearance to sweeten its aromatic profile.

Notes: Grapefruit, incense, vanilla bean

Available Sizes: 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz

Why We Love It: The star of Burberry's Hero Eau de Parfum is its base notes of three different cedarwood oils to highlight this note's woody, citrus-tinged fragrance. Sure, you can consider it a celebration of cedarwood, but that's not all you'll sniff out. Its olfactory profile also consists of breezy, invigorating pine needle, resiny benzoin, and spicy incense to balance it out.

Notes: Cedarwood, pine needle, benzoin, incense

Available Sizes: 1.6 oz, 3.4 oz, 5 oz.

Why We Love It: The key fragrance player in the Versace Eros Pour Homme Eau de Parfum is a delightfully unexpected hit of mint. Its cool, zesty scent is toned down with a slew of scent-balancing notes, including a blend of fruity lemon, orange blossom, and candied apple, to round out its fragrance profile. But, don't expect to smell like a delectable sweet treat, because this eau de parfum also contains woody cedar, vetiver, and patchouli.

Notes: Mint, lemon, orange blossom, candied apple, cedar, vetiver, patchouli

Available Sizes: 3.4 oz, 6.7 oz.

Why We Love It: Floral scents in cologne? Actually groundbreaking. Some of the best men's colognes, including the Ralph Lauren Ralph's Club Eau de Parfum, contain bouquets of aromatic flowers. Each spritz douses you in an herbal pairing of clary sage and lavandin, a more herbaceous-scented cousin of lavender. As it dries down, its floral-forward scent is heightened by vetiver and cedarwood.

Notes: Clary sage, lavandin, vetiver, cedarwood

Available Sizes: 1.0 oz, 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz, 5.1 oz

Why We Love It: The Montblanc Legend Eau de Toilette is the aromatic equivalent of taking a long, brisk walk in the forest. This green, fougère-heavy scent contrasts herbal lavandin, white cedar, and sandalwood with softer florals like jasmine and rose. Creamy tonka bean, green and fruity pineapple leaves, and bergamot also make surprise appearances to balance its mossy profile.

Notes: Lavandin, white cedar, sandalwood, jasmine, rose, tonka bean, pineapple leaves, bergamot

Available Sizes: 0.5 oz, 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz, 6.7 oz.

Why We Love It: Sure, technically the Calvin Klein Eternity For Men Eau de Parfum is made for, well, men, but we guarantee that anyone will love spritzing on this citrusy, floral scent. This fragrance is a timeless classic because of its ever-popular blend of freesia, mandarin, sage, white lily, patchouli, and sandalwood. It's the perfect balance of florals, fruits, and woods that usually contrast like night and day yet come together seamlessly.

Notes: sage, ozonic notes, pamplezest, apple, geranium, cypress, nutmeg, lavandin, suede, orris, vetiver, ambergris, cypriol

Available Sizes: 3.3 oz.

Why We Love It: Don't let Azzaro's The Most Wanted Parfum's revolver-shaped bottle fool you, because it actually has quite a sweet side. Yes, it has fiery, spicy notes of ginger and woods, but you'll also notice a sweet hint of bourbon vanilla with each and every spritz of this fragrance.

Notes: Ginger, woods, bourbon vanilla

Available Sizes: 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz.

Why We Love It: If warm, amber-heavy fragrances are more your thing, we suggest grabbing the Hugo Boss Bottled Elixir Eau de Parfum. Its star base note is, you guessed it, amber, but there's more to this cologne than the resiny fragrance. Its warmth is heihtened with a spicy kick of incense, floral vetiver, and earthy cedarwood.

Notes: Amber, vetiver, incense, cedarwood

Available Sizes: 3.3 oz.

Why We Love It: Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue Pour Homme Eau de Toilette is a certified classic cologne, and its under-$100 price tag certainly doesn't hurt. Evoking the spirit of the Italian coastal scene, this beach-inspired fragrance starts with bright bursts of bergamot, mandarin, and grapefruit that are given an earthier kick with the help of rosemary, pepper, rosewood, and musk.

Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, rosemary, pepper, rosewood, musk

Available Sizes: 1.3 oz, 2.5 oz, 4.2 oz.

Why We Love It: Shopping editor Angela Trakoshis says this is her dad's "ultimate fragrance." And, given its popularity, we'd say there are tons of folks who agree. "He adores the woods-meets-citrus notes in this scent so much that every time he travels, he makes sure to stock up on bottles at duty-free," she says.

Notes: Bergamot, vanilla, nutmeg

Available Sizes: 1 oz, 2 oz, 3.4 oz, 6.8 oz.

Why We Love It: Maison Margiela's Jazz Club is loved by folks of all genders and, ironically, it is some of the more masculine-leaning notes like tobacco leaf and rum that make it so broadly popular. This warm scent transports you directly to a speakeasy, one that is below street level, where the owner allows you to smoke inside.

Notes: Pink pepper, primofiore lemon, neroli, rum absolute, clary sage oil, java vetiver, tobacco leaf absolute, vanilla bean, styrax resin

Available Sizes: 1.0 oz, 3.4 oz.

Why We Love It: Chances are, you may already have a bottle of Le Labo's Santal 33 Eau de Parfum — so consider this your sign to restock, stat. This modern classic's main fragrance note is, of course, warm and earthy santal (a derivative of sandalwood), but you'll also catch hints of cardamom, iris, papyrus, and cedarwood in this unisex fragrance.

Notes: Cardamom, iris, violet, sandalwood, ambrox, cedarwood, leather, musk

Available Sizes: 0.5 oz, 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz.

Why We Love It: Want to go on an Italian getaway to the Amalfi Coast? Maybe your budget doesn't allow for that, but you can definitely evoke the spirit of a beachside European vacation by spritzing on Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio Eau de Toilette. Each spray of this delightfully aquatic eau de toilette begins with notes of bergamot, neroli, and green tangerine that dry down and combine with an herbaceous mix of rosemary, persimmon, and Indonesian patchouli.

Notes: Bergamot, neroli, green tangerine, cedarwood, rosemary, persimmon, patchouli

Available Sizes: 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz, 6.7 oz.

Why We Love It: Those who are in the know when it comes to colognes can't stop raving about Creed's luxury blends. The most popular pick from the brand is, without a doubt, the Aventus Eau de Parfum. This invigorating scent starts off with a burst of warm ginger, juicy mandarin, and spicy pink pepper that dries down to a mix of musky and woodsy base notes like styrax, birch, musk, and tonka.

Notes: Lemon, pink pepper, apple, bergamot, blackcurrant, pineapple, jasmine, patchouli, birch, ambroxan, cedarwood, oakmoss, musk

Available Sizes: 0.33 oz, 1.0 oz, 1.7 oz, 8.4 oz, 16.8 oz.

Why We Love It: "Tom Ford describes its universally loved Ombré Leather fragrance as a 'second skin' because that's exactly what it is — at least to me," says news editor Nicola Dall'Asen. "The spicy leather and muted floral notes melt into my skin until it smells like something akin to coziness itself." This is the scent that brings her back to earth on days when she's feeling a little off-balance. "It snaps me right back into place."

Notes: Black leather, violet leaf, cedarwood, tobacco

Available Sizes: 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz

Why We Love It: If you really want to experience the transformative power of scent, Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Gentle Fluidity duo comes in Gold and Silver versions that smell radically different, but are actually composed of the same notes — just in different concentrations.

Juniper berries, nutmeg, coriander, musks, amber wood, and vanilla make up this elixir, and while the Gold version skews more warm and vanilla, Silver is fresh, spicy, and aromatic. It smells like you're washing with a really expensive soap or an equally pricey aftershave and it's just the thing to spritz on at the start of a hot summer day or a night out.

Notes: Juniper berries, nutmeg, coriander, musks, amber wood, vanilla

Available Sizes: 2.4 oz, 6.7 oz

Why We Love It: Paco Rabanne's Invictus Platinum has associate features director Dianna Mazzone hooked. "This kinda-citrusy, kinda-earthy scent is made with grapefruit, cypress wood, and — wait for it — lavender," she says. "In my honest opinion, the floral note is the secret sauce that makes this fragrance so delightfully unexpected. The resulting blend is at once calming and uplifting."

Notes: Absinth, grapefruit, Lavender, oakmoss, mint, patchouli

Available Sizes: 3.4 oz.