The 2026 Men's Journal Grooming Awards Just Named Their Best Colognes

Men's Journal just dropped its 2026 Grooming Awards, and the cologne list is where things get interesting. Fourteen categories, one winner apiece, and not a single boring pick in the bunch. If you've been coasting on the same three bottles since 2019, consider this your sign to pay attention.

The award for Best Cologne Overall went to Aesop Above Us, Steorra Eau de Parfum, and it earns the win by being genuinely hard to pin down. It opens with spice and closes smokier, built around warm amber, cardamom, frankincense, and labdanum, then warmed further by cumin, cinnamon, and elemi resin. It reads differently depending on who wears it, which is exactly what an overall winner should do. At $200 it sits toward the top of the price range on this list, but it's the kind of scent that makes people ask what you're wearing without you saying a word.

Fresh & Clean Takes a Sharper Turn

Not every fresh fragrance has to be predictable, and this year's winners prove it. Montblanc Neroli Letters Eau de Parfum took Best Fresh Citrus Cologne, opening with a sharp burst of bergamot, settling into a clean floral heart, and landing on a dry, woody patchouli base that gives it more staying power than most citrus scents can manage. At $160, it's light enough for the office and refined enough to wear alone.

For warmer months, Horace Vetiver Primavera Eau de Parfum won Best Summer Cologne. It leans herbal instead of heavy, built to stay vibrant in the heat rather than fade into a generic clean smell. At $82, it's one of the more accessible picks on the list, and it belongs in rotation from May through September.

Warm & Spicy Owns the Cold Months

Winter belongs to Penhaligon's The Blazing Mister Sam Eau de Parfum, part of the brand's Portraits collection, inspired by a loud, free spending American abroad. Cardamom and cumin open it with warmth, saffron and black pepper carry the heart, and tobacco, vanilla, and cedar land the base. It's spicy without being aggressive, sweet without being saccharine, and built for long winter dinners. At $350 it's a splurge, but it's the kind of bottle you keep on the shelf for the nights that call for it.

For date night, Fulton & Roark Fulton Extrait de Parfum took the category outright. Built at parfum concentration, meaning 25 to 30 percent fragrance oil, it opens with a mandarin lift and white pepper before revealing tea olive, saffron, and a smoldering guaiacwood in the heart. The incense base stays subtle, more warm air than church, and the whole thing settles into something rich and easy at once. It runs $225.

And if you need something for the boardroom, Coach Pure Platinum Parfum won Best Cologne for Work. It opens clean and aromatic with lavender, mandarin, and apple, then warms into rum absolute and orange blossom before ambroxan and cedarwood take over the dry down. At $135, it's a smart entry point into the warm and spicy family.

Earthy & Woody Wins on Longevity

If long lasting is the priority, D.S. & Durga Golfjazz Cologne took that category by a wide margin. Co-founder David Seth Moltz describes it as a golf fantasy by a guy who doesn't golf, and the scent backs that up with lime and cut grass up front before leather, mint, and dark mossy patchouli pull it toward something closer to a jazz club than a fairway. At $225, it projects hard and stays all day.

Parfums de Marly Castley Eau de Parfum won Best Musky & Woody Cologne, opening with vibrant bergamot and ginger, balanced by a zesty timut pepper that reads more like tart grapefruit than heat. Petitgrain and neroli give it lift before spicy akigalawood and leathery labdanum settle it into a warm, woody base. At $285, it's the house's most modern release yet, the kind of scent that gets you asked what you're wearing without ever feeling loud.

And for anyone who wants the woody, warm vibe without the splurge, Dr. Squatch Fireside Bourbon Cologne won Best Budget Cologne at just $59. Bourbon warmth, tobacco smoke, and cedarwood make up the profile, delivering a rich, masculine base that wears dark without getting heavy. It's a smart first step for a guy still wearing the same drugstore scent he bought in college.

A Few More Worth Knowing

The list runs deeper than these six. Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club Eau de Toilette won Best Classic Cologne, with rum, tobacco accord, pink pepper, and vetiver sitting against warm musks that make it a genuine skin scent. Blind Barber Speakeasy Eau de Parfum took Best Indie Fragrance with organic lavandin and bergamot up top and a tonka accord anchoring the heart. And 2787 Genetic Bliss won Best Pheromone Cologne, blending akigalawood, Bel Ambre, and sandalwood into something that reads a little differently depending on the skin wearing it.

The Bottom Line

This year's winners make one thing clear. There's no single right cologne, only the right one for the moment, the season, and the man wearing it. Whether you gravitate toward the bright citrus of a Fresh & Clean pick, the layered spice of a Warm & Spicy winner, or the grounded depth of an Earthy & Woody favorite, the smartest move is building a small rotation instead of leaning on one bottle for every occasion.

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