The best cologne for teens is different from what a fully grown man should wear — but do you know why? Colognes have a long history of being made for specific audiences, and we’re here today to explain why certain colognes are better for teens and young adults rather than adults.
In this guide, we’ll be giving you a full breakdown of our five favorite colognes for teens, including options for every budget as well as bottles that are great to give as gifts. Along the way, you’ll learn a lot about what makes a cologne specifically youthful, including comprehensive notes on the aromatics used in each fragrance and suggestions for when each cologne is best to wear.
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5 Best Cologne For Teens In 2022
The best colognes for teens are usually a classic style that’s been updated to reflect modern tastes, and made in a youthful version that’s fresh and not overpowering. With that in mind, let’s get into our recommendations for the top 5 best colognes for teens.
LaCoste L.12.12 Blanc (Our Top Pick)
A perennial favorite brand for young men, the best LaCoste colognes are made to exemplify the lifestyle of their creator, French tennis player Rene Lacoste. Based on classic formulas, they feature fresh and modern touches, are often quite affordable, and have a moderate intensity that’s very welcoming.
Of all the Lacoste colognes, L.12.12 Blanc is without a doubt our top recommendation for teens. It’s a woody aromatic style cologne that opens with notes of grapefruit, rosemary, and cardamom, before transitioning to interesting (but not overpowering) heart notes of ylang ylang and tuberose. Anchored by base notes of suede and cedar paired with leather and vetiver, it’s a refreshing take on a modern classic style.
With its moderate longevity and moderate intensity, it’s easy for teens to learn to apply just the right amount of Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc. And if they overdo it, no worries — it’ll fade promptly into a powdery soft drydown that’s always lovely to experience. Overall, it’s a great cologne available at a great price, and one that teens can easily grow into over the years.
Notes:
- Top notes of grapefruit, rosemary, and cardamom
- Middle notes of ylang ylang and tuberose
- Base notes of suede, cedar, leather, and vetiver
Best For:
- Year-round wear
- Everyday wear
Versace Eros
Versace Eros is a fresh and modern take on the super-classic aromatic fougere style, making it a great introduction to wearing stronger colognes later in life. Thankfully, it’s been formulated with contemporary tastes in mind — focusing more on fruity and approachable aromatics rather than dense and deep tones.
A lovely combination of green apple and fragrant mint is joined by a dash of lemon zest in Versace Eros’s top notes, which move slowly but surely into a spicy and floral heart of tonka bean, ambroxan, and geranium. In the base, you’ll find sweet vanilla, masculine cedar, dry vetiver, and woody oakmoss that provide balance and complexity.
A long lasting and rather strong cologne , Versace Eros is ideally suited for teens that are about to head into college. It’s a popular pick among teens that have just started dating, and a great cologne to wear for getting plenty of compliments.
Notes:
- Top notes of mint, green apple, and lemon
- Middle notes of tonka bean, ambroxan, and geranium
- Base notes of vanilla, cedar, vetiver, and oakmoss
Best For:
- Guys going into college
- A young guy’s first cologne
MontBlanc Explorer
A woody aromatic style cologne that was released just a few years ago, MontBlanc Explorer is the most mature of the fragrance selections in this list. Surprisingly, it’s also one of the most affordable colognes for teens that are growing and maturing quickly, making it one of our favorites to recommend to anyone who’s about to leave their teenage years.
Bergamot is a classic citrus ingredient that’s used to its full extent in Explorer’s top notes, where it’s joined by fruity pink peppercorns and subtly herbal clary sage. In the heart notes, you’ll find unexpectedly dense vetiver and leather tones, with the whole composition supported by heavy base notes of ambroxan, patchouli, cacao, and akigalawood. It’s a much darker and deeper cologne than many others featured in this list.
Despite its exceptional longevity, MontBlanc Explorer maintains a restrained intensity that’s perfect for guys who are still learning just how much cologne to wear. A single application will last all day, making it a great go-to cologne for everyday wear, like many other of the best Mont Blanc colognes.
Notes:
- Top notes of bergamot, pink peppercorns, and clary sage
- Middle notes of vetiver and leather
- Base notes of ambroxan, akigalawood, patchouli, and cacao
Best For:
- Guys who are mature beyond their years
- Everyday wear for guys on a budget
Yves Saint Laurent Y
As opposed to the MontBlanc cologne featured above, Y by Yves Saint Laurent is a much more modern take on the classic woody aromatic style. Released in 2017, it’s the most popular of Yves Saint Laurent’s fragrances for men, due in large part to its juicy fruit heart notes that appeal to contemporary fragrance making style.
Synthetic aldehydes create an intensely fruity and floral start to Y by Yves Saint Laurent, where they are complemented by bergamot and lemon with a hint of ginger and spearmint. In the astonishingly full heart notes, you’ll find apple and pineapple playing a central role with support of violet, sage, and geranium. Grounded by a classically masculine base of cedar, musk, and incense, it’s quite a well balanced fragrance.
Offering moderate longevity and a friendly, approachable intensity, Y by Yves Saint Laurent is an ideal choice for spring and summer wear thanks to its dominant fruit notes. That said, it’s great for daytime wear any time of year, too. This makes it one of the best cologne for teens.
Notes:
- Top notes of aldehydes, bergamot, ginger, mint, and lemon
- Middle notes of violet leaf, apple, sage, pineapple, and geranium
- Base notes of ambergris, musk, cedar, incense, fir, and vetiver
Best For:
- Daytime wear
- Spring and summer wear
Maison Francis Amyris
Not every teen is going to want to wear cologne every day as an adult might, instead reserving their colognes for special occasions and their first forays into dating. If that’s the case, then Amyris by Maison Francis is a perfect choice. A gourmand style fragrance from 2012, it’s unique and interesting without sacrificing a friendly approachability.
Mandarin orange peels are joined by rosemary in Amyris’s top notes, which move slowly but surely into a heart full of coconut milk, chocolate, coffee, iris flowers, and resinous amyris. A strongly present foundation of oud, one of the rarest of all perfuming ingredients, is briefly accented by spicy and sweet tonka beans for a long-lasting complexity that’s wonderful to observe as it develops.
Exceptionally long lasting with a balanced intensity and fascinating development, Amyris is a perfect cologne to give a teen as a gift. It’s great for special occasions and nighttime wear, and smells especially good around the holidays.
Notes:
- Top notes of mandarin and rosemary
- Middle notes of amyris, iris, coconut milk, chocolate, and coffee
- Base notes of tonka bean and oud
Best For:
- Nighttime wear
- Special occasions
- Great to give as a gift
How To Choose The Best Cologne For Teenage Guys And Young Men?
While a big portion of choosing the best cologne for anyone is a matter of personal taste, we’ve found that teenage guys and young men would do best to stick with classic cologne styles. This means that if you’re out shopping for cologne, try to stick with fragrances with strong woody or citrus tones, as well as those classified as “aromatic” — a designation that means they will last for quite a long time and develop well over that time.
What Is The Best Cologne For Teenage Guys?
If we could recommend only one cologne for teenage guys, it would have to be the Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc. It’s just such a great take on a classic style, and perfect for guys to wear through high school and even into college. After they’ve developed a keener sense of what styles of fragrances they enjoy, most guys will still go back to Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc from time to time just because it’s so easy to wear and completely approachable.
Can High Schoolers Wear Cologne?
Quite honestly, people of any age that have an appreciation for fragrances can wear colognes. A word of advice for high school guys, though: Everyone’s first tendency is to apply too much cologne, and end up walking around in an overpowering cloud of fragrance. Instead, we recommend applying just one spray of any cologne that you’re trying out, and seeing how long it lasts — then applying more from there to adjust to your personal tastes.
Brian Adee
Brian has been fascinated with fragrances since his 8th birthday, when his Dad gifted him a bottle of Acqua di Gio. Since then, he has become a men's grooming & style aficionado who teaches men how to look sharp. Backed by personal experience, Brian's articles are known for his no-holds-barred style where he holds nothing back. You will get his real opinions on the latest men's grooming products and best practices where he reveals the best (and worst) style advice every man should know.