5 Best Chocolate Colognes for Men (2023) Full Review
Tasteful.
All of the best chocolate colognes are gourmands and delicious.
In this review, I will describe the five best chocolate colognes for men. I will detail their smell, performance, and anything else you need to know.
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Table of Contents
#5 – Profumum Roma Sorriso
The opening is a somewhat concentrated booziness for the first few seconds, quickly overtaken by a tidal wave of dusty cocoa powder. It is paired with intensely sweet vanilla and a hint of musk and subtle woods.
The dry cocoa becomes more prominent in the mid. It is powdered, dusty, and semi-sweet. It’s nothing like a milk chocolate bar but rather raw cocoa powder. The boozy undertone is quickly dissipating. Within five minutes, it is gone.
Five minutes in the cocoa note does a 180. It’s deep, smooth, and rich and pairs perfectly with the vanilla note. It’s similar to a swirled chocolate and vanilla milkshake. In the background, a musky sweetness grows more prominent.
The scent stays the same for hours. It eventually adds a subtle cashmeran wood base and a fleeting citric nuance of bitter orange. By the end, it is a chocolate woody fragrance.
This lasts seven to eight hours on the skin with light projection. It pushes out one to two feet for the first four hours, then becomes a skin scent. The perfect projection for an intimate date. This is exclusively fall and winter wear for special events like dates and formal occasions.
#4 – Montale Chocolate Greedy
The opening is like nothing else. The chocolate is intense with warm, rich, and thick faucets. Imagine if you dunked your head in a chocolate fountain. This is the exact smell you would get. Within a few minutes, a hint of juicy and zesty orange adds to the background. It makes the chocolate both bitter and sweet.
The dark fruits grow more noticeable as the wear continues. This chocolate, orangey, and fruity nature is prominent for a large portion of the wear.
Chocolate switches to a darker and more fudge-like aroma in the dry down. Vanilla essence adds in the background. It amplifies the gourmand nature but only stays for a couple of hours. Chocolate Greedy finishes off with just dark and dusty cocoa.
This lasts 10-12 hours on the skin with above-average projection. This pushes out at least an arm’s length for six to seven hours. After this period, it recedes but maintains a one to two-foot ambiance for the rest of the wear. This is exclusively fall and winter wear for special occasions.
#3 – By Kilian Black Phantom
A dark and sweet caramel accord leads, supported by prominent dark chocolate and a flood of sweet rum. The overarching emphasis in the first few minutes is all about the sweet accords. It remains this way for the rest of the wear.
The one aspect I appreciate about the rum note is that it is never overpowering. It’s present but lets the caramel and chocolate combination be the star of the show. It took a few moments, but subtle coffee made its way in. It adds to the gourmand nature but restrains the chocolate and caramel from getting too sweet. It is at the same intensity level as the sweet rum note.
The sweetness fades as the scent dries down. A smooth almond note with woody accents fills the void bringing creamy sandalwood. The sweetness of chocolate and caramel is still dominant. The newly added base notes solely smooth over the fragrance and add a slight woody depth.
This is an extremely linear scent. The entire wear and all the rest is this blend of gourmands.
Black Phantom lasts seven to eight hours on the skin with intimate projection. It creates a one-foot ambiance around you for hours. This is exclusively fall and winter wear for special occasions.
#2 – Serge Lutens Santal Majuscule
One of the best aspects of Santal Majuscule is its development. The entire wear winds you down a delicious path of sweet sensual sandalwood accords.
It is the perfect balance between lightness and darkness. What I mean by this is that it never gets so heavy that it’s hard to wear. On the flip side, it still has enough depth to be what you’d expect from a woody dominant cologne.
If you’re into simple and linear, you’ll enjoy this. Sandalwood, Rose, and Cacao are mostly what I pick up for the entire wear. Enveloped by smooth sandalwood, rose and cacao are by far and wide, the most prominent in the opening. Together they make a gourmand chocolate accord.
After a few hours, the sweet rose notes enter the background. Dark and powdery aspects add to the chocolate accord. The gourmand-ness is still present but shifts towards cocoa focused.
This makes the note slightly bitter. Then comes the best part, a dominant sandalwood backbone adds to the chocolate accord. It is a pleasant woody chocolate aroma for the rest of the wear.
Santal Majuscule lasts eight hours on the skin with moderate projection. It is a wearable scent that pushes out an arm’s length at its peak and recedes but remains present for the rest of the wear. This is fall and winter wear for special occasions.
#1 – L’Instant de Guerlain Homme EDP
L’Instant’s powerful citrus opening is impressive. It’s a fleeting waft of bergamot and lemon. In the background are a light resinous nature and soft, sweet anise. The anise from the get-go smells of warm and woody spices. It’s a unique spice combined with others.
For quite a while, I get refreshing citruses with spice. Over the next 1-2 hours, the opening combination slowly transitions. Light patchouli with some lavender and white floral touches lead the way. The patchouli is dark and woody, emphasizing the anise and preparing you for the base.
With 3 hours left in the wear, the dry-down starts. Patchouli becomes stronger and brings dark cocoa and a variety of woody notes with it. This is a slightly earthy pairing. Yet, still has a delicious gourmand faucet. The rest of the wear has these same accords, but the notes get softer and warmer.
L’Instant de Guerlain Homme lasts six hours with light but consistent projection on the skin. It pushes out one to two feet for most of the wear. This is fall, winter, and early spring wear for all occasions.
Final Words
I enjoy a lot of these chocolate fragrances from their sheer uniqueness and quality. However, chocolate isn’t necessarily my favorite gourmand note. I tell you this because it can be overwhelming if you’ve never tried a chocolate fragrance before. Thus, I recommend trying a sample or decant before blind buying, even if you’ve already fallen in love with one.
After you try a chocolate cologne, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.