Can You Wear Men’s Cologne in ANY Climate? [Answered]

I’ve been getting questions lately about the possibility of wearing men’s cologne in different climates. The terms ‘winter scents’ and ‘summer scents’ are thrown around, and people ask me if I have any preference. Do I only wear winter scents in winter? And summer scents in summer? In today’s article we’re going to quickly explore this topic by answering a few of your biggest questions.

Q. “The concept of men’s cologne only being appropriate to wear in some seasons/weather. Is it a myth?“

Sort of. I’ve always seen it as a general guide. As you get more experienced wearing different fragrances, you start to learn what works on your skin. Furthermore, you’ll also become familiar with what temperatures certain scents start to smell not so good.

However, it’s just a general guide after all. I wear plenty of traditionally ‘winter’ scents in summer, and ‘summer’ scents in winter. I tend to write about these characteristics in my cologne reviews to make it easy as a starting point.

Ultimately though, it all comes down to your preferences, skin chemistry, and the cologne itself.

Q. “I have a winter fragrance I want to wear in the heat. Should I do that?“

Generally, it’s fine. I’ve worn plenty of winter colognes in summer without any issues. In fact, I’ve often received compliments!

A great example is Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme. In the fragrance community, this is indisputably considered a winter scent. However due to the fresh spicy qualities, it seems to work fantastically on my skin in the heat as well.

Nevertheless, there are a subset of winter fragrances which I’d avoid wearing in the heat. Due to their dense composition, they may become cloying in the heat (i.e., the heat will amplify the scent profile to a sickly level and offend others). Parfums de Marly Layton is one fragrance that has a risk of cloying.

In all my fragrance reviews I let you know if a scent has a risk of cloying. I live in Australia after all – who knows heat better?

Q. “I have a summer men’s cologne I want to wear in winter. Should I do this?“

For sure. I think it’s totally fine to be wearing summer fragrances in winter. This is especially the case if you have a small collection and aren’t spoiled for choice. Don’t listen to people who say you can’t! You don’t have the risk of cloying like you do with the winter scents.

I’ve worn many summer fragrances in winter with incredible success, including Versace Dylan Blue and Acqua di Gio Profondo. The list goes on.

However, if you do have choice, I’d suggest you stick to winter scents in the cold. They’re going to work incredibly well on chilly days to make the scent profile shine. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille is a scent that really pops off the skin and turns heads in the cold.

Any questions?

That’s all I have for now. Do you have any topics or questions you’d like me to explore? Get in touch in the comments and let’s have a chat about men’s cologne.