Top 10 Best Calvin Klein Colognes for Men (2023) Full Review
Calvin Klein.
One of the most popular luxury brands for men.
This review will describe the ten best Calvin Klein colognes for men. I will detail their smell, performance, and anything else you need to know.
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Table of Contents
#10 – Obsession for Men EDT
The opening is dominated by cinnamon spice and a trio of citruses: lime, mandarin, and tangerine. These are exceptionally bright and citric. In Perry Ellis 360 Red for Men, there is a nice citrus-cinnamon duo, but here it’s off-putting. Within a few minutes is an old-school lavender addition. This only makes the opening more off-putting.
The first 15 – 20 minutes are not great. The mid has warmer florals, and much of the top notes settle. The overarching emphasis in the heart is woodier and spicier.
The dry-down still has a hefty dose of cinnamon paired with warm amber and vanilla highlights. A better blend than previously, this is the part of the wear that makes it reasonable to wear. All sit atop a sandalwood base with lingering florals. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
The longevity is in the eight-hour range with moderate projection. The first three hours push out well; afterward, it is a soft ambiance for the rest of the wear. This is fall and winter wear for formal occasions.
#9 – Eternity for Men EDT
Clean, crisp, and soapy lavender leads the opening. In the background, it is paired with fresh citruses and a blend of denser greens. I don’t particularly like the greenness, but the opening is diverse and fresh.
A deeper array of notes comes through in the heart. There’s a lavender, sandalwood, and vetiver trio. This blend is smooth, masculine, and woody. It takes the scent in a darker direction. After a few minutes of this transition, the herbal spice of sage comes through, taking over the citruses.
At this point, it is a denser, more aromatic, and darker fragrance. The dry-down starts off with herbal spices and woods. Sandalwood only gets stronger, while vetiver gives earthy accents. Herbal spices and fresh citrus nuances linger. The rest of the wear is fresh, herbal wood.
This lasts five hours but only projects for the first two hours and then becomes a skin scent. It’s not a fragrance you buy for the performance. This can be worn in the spring and summer for all occasions.
#8 – Eternity for Men EDP
Upon the first spray, it is awakening. There’s a particular aroma that grabs attention. Right off the bat, I smell a heavy dose of cypress and sage. Both of which have a natural smell to them. The cypress is the most prominent, with a very herbaceous and spicy tinge. While a woody nuance lingers in the background.
The sage is present and amplifies the herbaceousness of the cypress. After a few minutes, the cypress’s spiciness tones down. Giving way to a slight fruity sweetness. I can’t smell a distinct apple note, but based on the note tree, this is where the sweetness most likely comes from.
After 10 – 15 minutes, a lot has stayed the same. I get primarily fresh and spicy accords coming from the cypress note. While woody nuances linger in the background.
As the scent dries down, the intensity of the cypress fades more and more. This gives way to a warmer greenness and the addition of musky nuances from ambergris. They are the least prominent but have a faintly sweet tone.
For the rest of the wear, it stays very similar. Green and slightly musky.
This lasts six hours on the skin with decent projection. The first one to two hours is strong. After this period, it is a light ambiance. It is spring, summer, and fall wear for all occasions.
#7 – Eternity Air for Men
The opening is airy and light, with aromatic lavender the most noticeable. It is paired with fresh juniper and light mandarin orange. The juniper amplifies the aromatic nature of the fragrance while retaining freshness. The orange takes the scent in a lighter and more citric direction.
Within a few minutes comes a unique seaweed/seawater combination. They give the aquatic and marine nature that this fragrance is known for. The mid retains the sea notes, juniper, and mandarin but adds a warm amber base.
The dry down actually gets lighter with an ozonic violet leaf addition. Warm amber, fresh juniper, and marine seaweed pair equally. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
The longevity ranges from five to six hours with light to intimate projection. It pushes out for an hour before becoming a skin scent. This is spring and summer wear for all occasions. It is best worn for casual situations.
#6 – Euphoria Men
Spices undoubtedly lead the opening. Ginger is the most prominent, with a “punchier” black pepper in the background. You’ll know I love ginger if you’ve read many of my articles. Thus, this opening really drew me in.
The mid adds an amber base with an herbal basil spice and wood. The punch of black pepper fades, letting the spices shift to ginger and herbal spices with amber and fresh cedar in the background.
The dry down simplifies. The spices fade but leave their fresh, aromatic/herbal nature that pairs with a hefty dose of wood and amber. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
The longevity is in the three to four-hour range with intimate projection for the entire wear. This is why Euphoria Men ranks low, even though it smells decent.
#5 – CK One
The opening is all about citric tropical fruits. Mainly citric lemon and bergamot are paired with fruity papaya and pineapple. The fruits aren’t too juicy or sweet as they are tempered by fleeting green tea and cardamom spice.
Within a few minutes, the citruses are weaker. They don’t necessarily lose strength but smell diluted or watered down. Musk and floral notes add to the citruses, creating a clean, soapy quality for the rest of the wear.
The intensity of the citruses fade in the dry down. Greener and more floral notes fill its void. There’s still a decent dose of musk with woody cedar in the background. The rest of the wear has “just out of the shower” freshness. It is clean and fresh with a woody backbone.
This lasts four to five hours on the skin with intimate projection. From the get-go, it never pushes out more than a few inches. You’ll have to douse yourself for a reasonable projection. This is summer wear for casual situations.
#4 – Eternity Aqua for Men
The opening is as clean and fresh as you’d expect. The aquatic notes aren’t too prevalent in the opening. They linger in the background until later in the wear. I mainly smell soothing, cool cucumber and fresh greens.
The mid has less cucumber; its void is filled by citruses, a fruity plum, and a pepper kick. The aquatic still rests in the background, but fresh spices lead the charge into the dry down.
The base simplifies. More of the aquatic nature comes through with soapy lavender, some musk, and a sandalwood base. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear. The aquatic/ozonic nature was always present but never dominant.
Eternity Aqua for Men lasts 6 hours on the skin with light projection. It pushes out two feet for the first one to two hours. After this period, it becomes a skin scent for the rest of the wear. This is late spring and summer wear for casual situations.
#3 – CK One Shock
The opening starts with a hefty dose of cardamom spice, a subtle mixture of tobacco and warm amber, and a fresh clementine note in the background. Cardamom is the most dominant and will be retained for the rest of the wear. However, over time, it loses strength.
The amber and tobacco were fleeting at first. They were present almost in equal parts with cardamom for a few minutes but then died down. The clementine note is not fleeting. It gives a fresh nuance to the top notes, then wholly fades after the mid.
Within a few minutes, a unique mixture of lavender and cool cucumber takes over the amber and tobacco. While the fresh clementine is momentarily the most prominent.
As the wear continues, the freshness fades. Warm amber and tobacco come back in full force. The cardamom spice still lingers but only gives the dominant notes an intriguing touch. There is a significant sweetness that sneaks in as One Shock dries down. The rest of the wear is sweet, amber, tobacco, and faint spice.
It lasts five to six hours on the skin with below-average projection. Only pushing out one to two feet for the first one to two hours. This is fall and winter wear for all occasions. It is an excellent winter date night fragrance with warm spices and amber.
#2 – CK Be
The opening is a subtle blend of musk, lavender, peach, and citric bergamot. A lot is happening in the opening, but the general idea is extreme cleanliness and a soapy-like aroma. Lavender is the most prominent with its fresh, aromatic nature.
After a few minutes, warmer and spicy additions pair with the subtle citruses. Again, this amplifies the freshness of the scent.
The dry down retains its clean and soapy aroma but heads in a greener direction. I smell significantly more florals and woody notes. It is less sweet as the peach from the top has faded. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
The longevity is in the three to four-hour range. It is an intimate projection from beginning to end. This is exclusively spring and summer wear for all occasions.
#1 – Eternity Now for Men
The opening is overwhelmingly tropical. Bright star fruit and coconut are at the forefront. They are both juicy and fresh, with light ginger spiciness in the background. It is sweet, but I never felt it was overwhelming.
Coconut gets creamier in the mid with strong vanilla and tonka bean washing in. The fruity star fruit is less prevalent, lingering in the background.
Vanilla and coconut sit atop a woody cedar base. This is what the scent is most about for the rest of the wear. There are wafts of spice, tonka bean, and fruits, but nothing as notable as the dominant trio.
The longevity is in the five to six-hour range with light projection. The first one to two hours is noticeable. After this period, it is a skin scent for the rest of the wear. This is spring, summer, and fall wear for all occasions. I’ve found this to be an excellent summer date night fragrance.
Final Words
The final burning question is, are Calvin Klein colognes for Men worth it? Some of them. There are a few on this list that I love having in my collection. However, a few aren’t that great. I try to keep these reviews as objective as possible, but you can pick up on the ones I dislike.
Ralph Lauren fragrances are in a similar ballpark as Calvin Klein, and I find many better choices.
After you try a Calvin Klein cologne, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.