MEGA Man Holiday Gift Guide 2022: 10 Minimal Fragrances of 2022

MEGA Man Holiday Gift Guide 2022: 10 Minimal Fragrances of 2022

By

From spicy mandarin to seductive ebony wood, these are the fragrances that men must have in their possession

Scents are tied to identity. They can communicate something as subliminal as confidence and attraction, or simply good hygiene. Whatever fragrance you use, if you use it frequently enough, you’ll be remembered by that scent.

And since it’s the season of giving, gifting someone a bottle of one of the finest perfumes that you know can match their style and personality perfectly is not just thoughtful, but also an art form. Here are some of the best fragrances that 2022 has to offer.

Epic Man by Amouage, De Los Santos by Byredo, Eau de Parfum CoSTUME National fragrances

Epic Man by Amouage

Epic Man’s spicy and woody composition is perfect for the opulent man with a big personality, someone who is unafraid of making his presence known in any room he steps in. Perfumer Randa Hammami communicates these using pink pepper berry essence, frankincense, cumin, cardamom essence, saffron, mace essence, nutmeg, and myrtle essence for the top notes. 

Meanwhile, the fragrance’s heart notes are made of geranium essence and myrrh essence, and its base notes are made of oud, sandalwood, patchouli, leather, frankincense, cedarwood, musk, and castoreum. All these intense ingredients combined together are made to evoke the legends surrounding the ancient Silk Road journey from China to Arabia.

De Los Santos by Byredo

De Los Santos is made from a vegan, genderless formula with a medium intensity. The unisex fragrance’s top notes are clary sage and mirabelle, its heart is composed of orris and ciste oil, and its base is made from musks, ambroxan, and palo santo. 

This minimalist blend of ingredients results in a sweet but lightly spiced scent that is reminiscent of the Earth. Notably, De Los Santos was made to pay homage to the traditions of Día de los Muertos and All Saints’ Day, evoking a sense of togetherness through rituals of remembrance.

Homme Parfum by CoSTUME National

Similar to Epic Man, HOMME Parfum also smells of spices and wood. With only the most high-quality ingredients, the HOMME Parfum man is described to be a traveler in search of excellence. 

With access to Laboratoire Monique Remy’s (LMR) premium natural extracts, perfumer Dominique Ropion makes a vegan-friendly fragrance that has LMR cardamom extract, grapefruit, and bergamot for its top notes. Meanwhile, the heart notes are made from LMR patchouli, LMR cinnamon, and LMR vetiver extract, and the base notes are from musk, sandal, and LMR labdanum.

Jo Malone Orange Bitters, Aventus by the House of Creed, Eau Rose Eau de Parfum by Diptyqye fragrances

Aventus by The House Of Creed

An alternative to the spiced, woody fragrances men have grown to love, Aventus is perfect for the gentleman that prefers a rich and fruity aroma. Making that olfactive effect is the concoction of lemon, pink pepper, apple, bergamot, and blackcurrant in the fragrance’s top notes. As for its heart notes, it has pineapple, jasmine, and patchouli from Indonesia. Lastly, its base notes are a blend of birch, cedarwood, oakmoss, musk, and Creed’s signature ingredient, ambergris. 

Unsurprisingly, Aventus is not just the House’s best-selling and most successful men’s fragrance, but it also stands as the number one luxury men’s fragrance in the UK.

Eau Rose Eau De Parfum by Diptyqye

Less sweet than most rose-centric fragrances is Diptyque’s Eau Rose Eau de Parfum, which is a unisex perfume that’s perfect for those who wish to remind others of the scent of freshly cut flowers.

Inspired by nature, perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin gave a unique take on the rose by using litchi for its top note; damask rose, Grasse rose, rose water, chamomile, and artichoke for its heart notes; and then musk, cedar, and honey for its base notes to resemble the freshness of a garden. With this perfume, Diptyque reminds users that a “good rose always smells of artichoke.”

Orange Bitters Cologne by Jo Malone

Another unisex fragrance, Orange Bitters Cologne smells exactly as it sounds with sweet orange and mandarin for its top note, bitter orange and prune for its heart note, and rich sandalwood and amber for its base note. This fragrance evokes the zest of its fruits, and complements the use of sweet and bitter oranges with a grounding, woody base.

Tom Ford Ebene Fume, James by Leland Francis, Kologne by Kilian Shield of Protection and Meteore by Louis Vuitton fragrances

 Kologne, Shield of Protection By Kilian

Kologne, Shield of Protection is also a citrusy and aromatic unisex fragrance, but with a fresh and luxurious take. Perfumer Calice Becker made a scent with top notes of green mandarin, bitter orange, and mint, a heart of rosemary and neroli, and a base of cedarwood, rosemary, and green mandarin. 

With seduction and protection in mind while the perfume was being created, Kologne, Shield of Protection promises a scent that is light, but lasts long into the night.

James by Leland Francis

James is a unisex fragrance made with le jardin de Versaille in mind—specifically, the garden’s bank side with fresh peaches and melons. The fragrance boasts of bright, creamy, and floral scents with top notes of melon, heart notes of rose and peach, and base notes of heliotrope and violet. Leland Francis also promises the use of clean, safe ingredients that are vegan and cruelty-free.

Météore by Louis Vuitton

For a citrusy scent with a spicy twist, Météore is for you. The men’s fragrance’s top notes are mandarin orange, Sicilian orange, and Calabrian bergamot. Meanwhile, the heart notes continue to take you around the world with pink pepper, Tunisian neroli, pepper, Indonesian nutmeg, and Guatemalan cardamom, along with its base note of java vetiver oil. Météore promises an alluring effect that will attract others to you after just one whiff.

ÉBÈNE FUMÉ by Tom Ford

Last but not least is ÉBÈNE FUMÉ, whose composition promises to arouse exquisite calm and heightened spiritual luxury from its woody amber aroma. This came about due to Tom Ford’s desire for a scent that “captured a meditative feeling.”

He describes this unisex fragrance as having “an almost spiritual sensuality that uplifts your mood, which might be the most seductive indulgence of all.” The top notes to this fragrance are incense, palo santo, black pepper, and violet leaf, while its middle notes are leather, labdanum, cade oil, papyrus, and rose, and its base notes are resins, ebony tree, and guaiac wood.

Order your print copy of this month's MEGA Magazine:
Download this month's MEGA digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]