7 Best Amouage Perfumes for Men (2023) Full Review
Amouage.
One of the best niche brands in perfumery.
In this review, you’ll discover the seven best Amouage perfumes for men. I will describe their smell, performance, and anything else you need to know.
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Table of Contents
#7 – Interlude Man
Interlude Man wastes no time; it has a very powerful and decisive opening that lasts for a while, like 3-4 hours. The opening is where many instantly say no and start scrubbing their skin.
Heavy incense with light oregano and pepper nuances lead the opening. It has a spicy tinge, but the profound amounts of incense drown out everything else.
After some time, incense dies down and is replaced with woody accords while the spices linger. Adding to the woody spices are myrrh/opoponax. If you are unfamiliar, they are resins with aromatic medicinal-like undertones.
The dry-down is why Interlude Man is so highly rated. It is simple yet dark and smoky. An ambery leather with lingering smoke dominates the base. It took a while to develop, but it’s a true art form for mature tastes.
Interlude Man lasts 12+ hours on the skin with excellent projection. It has a room-filling projection for the first three to four hours. After this period, it recedes but maintains an arm’s length or more ambiance for the rest of the wear.
This is fall and winter wear for special occasions and casual wear.
#6 – Journey Man
The opening starts with a blast of Sichuan pepper, incense, and bergamot. An interesting combination, to say the least. Dry tobacco, cardamom, and a leathery depth come within a few minutes. The overarching emphasis is spice and smoke.
The mid becomes more wearable. Bergamot adds a bright and juicy nature that smoothes out the intense dryness of the fragrance. It’s needed as dry and smoky tobacco becomes more and more prominent as the scent develops.
In the background is a subtle woody and aromatic addition of juniper berry while cardamom spice lingers.
The dry down has hints of leather here and there, but it’s drastically weakened since the opening. The final addition is a woodier and creamy tonka bean addition with warm amber. The rest of the wear is smoky tobacco, spice, subtle leather, woods & musk tinges.
This lasts eight to nine hours on the skin with moderate projection. The first three to four hours, it pushes out an arm’s length before receding to a two-foot ambiance for the rest of the wear. This is considerably wearable for an Amouage fragrance. This is spring, fall, and winter and for all occasions.
#5 – Memoir Man
The opening is exceptionally aromatic. There is a double punch of minty basil and bitter wormwood. It may be hard to imagine these two notes but think of the greenest, most herbal, and aromatic fragrance you can think of, and that’s the opening.
Within a few minutes is a dry and smoky incense paired with dry wood. This is interesting as it’s exceptionally dark. Think charred and sooty woods. A complete contradiction to the near-overwhelming greenness in the opening.
The dry down comes quickly. The greenness from the opening has a cool wetness. The smoky woods with subtle cedar additions sit in the background. A simple scent but an extremely unique one.
This lasts nine to ten hours on the skin, but the projection is so light that it seems like it’s gone after three to four hours. During these first few hours, it pushes out a foot or two and is then an extremely light ambiance for the rest of the wear. This is all-season and occasion wear.
#4 – Overture Man
A lot of stuff is happening in the opening, which makes it a better part of the fragrance.
Right off the bat, there is cardamom, cumin, and saffron. Puffs of smoke come in and out, mainly attributed to incense. Though it never overwhelms the scent. A lot is going on in the beginning. But to simplify, it’s smoky, spicy, and resinous. The notes are high-quality because of their depth and richness.
An array of resins become more prominent in the mid. The smokiness from the opening has faded, and sweetness from the resins has filled the void. Into the base, it becomes a woodier scent.
Resinous sweetness with nuances of smoky incense and a light woody backbone finish the development.
One of the best performers I’ve reviewed on this website. Overture Man lasts days on the skin, filling a room with its projection. I made a joke in my “best winter fragrances” article, mentioning the astronauts on the ISS would be able to smell you. A bit dramatic but a good representation of the Overture power.
This is exclusively cold-weather wear for casual situations. It needs room to air out.
#3 – Reflection Man
The opening is strong and aromatic. The sharpness comes from a blend of herbaceous greens, pepper, and a mix of florals. Almost exclusively jasmine and powdery iris. I won’t lie; the first 10 minutes can be slightly off-putting. Not that it smells bad, but rather it may be unexpected.
After this period, the sharpness fades, allowing the florals to gain more strength. Neroli comes on quite strong and amplifies the white florals. While still retaining the powderiness of iris. Usually, neroli would have a citric nature, but here, it is all about the floralness and layer of depth.
The top notes carry into the base, blending with equal parts creamy sandalwood and tonka bean. From here on out, the scent is pure joy. The fragrance was fantastic in the mid, but now it is breathtaking.
Reflection Man lasts ten hours on the skin and pushes out multiple feet for the first half of the wear. It never becomes a skin scent. The projection is pleasant as it always makes your presence known, but it’s not so strong that it ever consumes others. This is all-season and occasion wear.
#2 – Interlude 53 Man
If you’re familiar with the original, this version is less harsh and more rounded.
The opening has a decent dose of bergamot with a mix of spicy pimento and subtle oregano. Yeah, it is an odd mix, but it sure is interesting. Bergamot fades quickly, and resins and smoky woods fill the void. There’s an almost herbal quality lingering in the background.
As the scent progresses, it gets more mysterious. What I mean by this is that it gains depth from sweetness and is “dark.” The resins get more intense, mixing with smoke and leather.
Many will compare the mid to the smell of a church – but in the best way possible. These notes mix and mingle until they settle on smoky incense and resins. These accords make up the smell into the base and the rest of the wear.
Interlude 53 lasts 12+ hours on the skin. On the clothes, it will last days. As for the projection, it pushes out five to six feet for much of the wear before receding. This is exclusively fall and winter wear for casual situations.
#1 – Jubilation XXV
The opening is a complex mix of warm spices, sweet fruits, incense, and wood. The delicate fruity tone comes from a blackberry note fused with thick resin. In the beginning, these are the main contributors to the warmth.
In the background is the array of woods. They all support the top notes, and none are identifiable. They are all so well-blended that you can’t independently pick them out.
Now the best part of the opening. The spices are branded in the scent. They are neither in the background nor the foreground but encoded in the scent DNA. They are the one accord that pulls everything else together.
As the scent develops, the balance of the woods breaks. A combination of smooth cedar and subtle oud comes through. Both still sit in the background, like the opening. Yet, they are thoughtfully added to round off the edges, making the scent slightly darker and deeper.
The rest of the wear, it’s incredibly well-blended. A combination of warm and woody.
Jubilation XXV lasts seven hours on the skin with moderate and consistent projection. It pushes out about two feet for a large portion of the wear. This is one of my favorite aspects of the fragrance, as it makes it extremely wearable. This is fall, winter, and spring wear for special events – an extremely alluring fragrance.
Final Words
The final burning question is, are Amouage colognes worth it? Definitly. Their biggest barrier to entry is the price, but all their scents are worth it. I’m always disappointed when I have to spend $300-400 on a fragrance. However, once I get them, I understand why.
After you try an Amouage perfume for men, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.