The 13 Best Smelling Deodorants for Men, Tested by Gear and Grooming Editors

While we’ve found that many natural deodorants not only dry out your skin, they also don’t do so great in the scent department. But Salt and Stone has proved to us that natural deodorant isn’t just for winter (aka the least sweaty days of the year).

This deodorant uses seaweed extracts and hyaluronic acid to keep your skin from drying out, while probiotics kill odor at the source. The real winner, though, and why you’re here, is the smell. The santal and vetiver scent lasts all day long and reminds us of the most popular scents available today.

Did we mention the most popular scents on the market? Le Labo is responsible for most of those these days. Its roll-on deodorant carries the brand’s pedigree of developing excellent smells and makes it into a more affordable option than its pricier colognes.

Made with plant-derived glycerin, this deodorant rolls on smooth, leaves no residue and won’t irritate the skin. Plus, like any scent from Le Labo, you can be sure it’ll be a pleasant addition to your daily grooming regiment that won’t overpower those around you.

One of our favorite deodorants to keep in our gym bags, OffCourt’s body spray uses the power of prebiotics to keep odor at bay, while the sandalwood scent will keep you smelling good, whether you spray some on in the morning or are freshening up after a workout.

OffCourt even advertises this as a 2-in-1 spray, taking on deodorant duties while also working as a fragrance. Another cologne replacement deodorant you can rely on each and every day without breaking the bank for a tiny bottle of a designer scent.

If scent is of the utmost importance to you and you enjoy the finer things in life, this deodorant from Chanel will most certainly win your favor. It’s earthy, woody scent is masculine but won’t leave people wrinkling their nose at the potency.

It’s a luxury deodorant, so don’t balk at the price—we think the quality is apparent, and well worth it, thanks to the complexity of the formula. You can easily skip your cologne when wearing this deodorant, saving you time and money.

Old Spice? More like old faithful. The Sport scent from Old Spice is a classic scent that calls back to the manly, musky scents you think of when you think of the 90s.

It’s more than old-school bravado, though. Old Spice is aluminum-free, keeps its scent for a whopping 48 hours and goes on clear to prevent pesky white streaks from ruining your favorite outfit.

One of the newer brands in the grooming game, Hawthorne makes high-quality scents and offers them to guys at unexpectedly low prices. The same goes for its deodorant, which, at $15, is a small price to pay for scents you’d think would only be found in ritzy downtown stores.

Natural witch hazel and AHAs kill odor at the source and soothing nettle leaf keeps your pits from drying out. The woody scent is inspired by its cologne, and is made from a mixture of mint and eucalyptus that will keep you smelling fresh all day long.

Read more: Best Deodorants That Don’t Stain Clothes

Initially a favorite because of its exceptional Amazon reviews, this deodorant does wonders for sensitive skin, but also features some of the most complex scents on the market.

There are over half a dozen scents to choose from, each of which will make you feel like a million bucks, not only because you’ll smell good, but because you’ll be focusing on what’s in front of you, not the sensitive skin under your arms.

If you’re keen on finding a deodorant to replace your cologne but don’t know where to start, copping this Bravo Sierra bundle is for you.

Each of the brand’s scents is well-crafted and will keep you smelling sweet even when things get messy. Its deodorants are all aluminum-free and baking soda-free, and it uses a unique sweat-absorptive powder derived from Brazilian cassava plants.

Oars and Alps Aluminum-Free Deodorant

Smelling of cedarwood, pine and oakmoss meet frosted citrus and a hint of wildflowers, the Aspen Air scent from Oars + Alps punches well above its weight. It also goes on clear, preventing pit stains and making sure you don’t get any white marks on your clothes before that big presentation at work.

While we love Aspen Air, Oars + Alps makes a ton of other scents that are just as good, so if cedarwood and the piney woods aren’t your go-to scent, you’ll be taken care of either way.

Native Deodorant

Another brand that does a ton of scents and does all of them well, Native is a great pick if finding the picture-perfect scent is of the utmost importance. We love the Eucalyptus and Mint scent, but the brand has a huge selection of perennial scents, plus it drops seasonal scents every few months that are great if you like to mix things up.

Each Native deodorant is free of aluminum, parabens, phthalates, and talc, meaning you can be confident in what you’re putting onto your skin each and every day.

Malin + Goetz Eucalyptus Deodorant

A titan of the grooming and scent industry, Malin + Goetz is a go-to for everyone from interior design connoisseurs to gym rats to magazine editors like us. It’s no surprise, then, that its deodorant makes the list.

Made with a less-is-more philosophy, this deodorant has minimalist ingredients, uses as little packaging as possible and keeps production waste to a minimum, resulting in a product that not only smells damn good, but is damn good for the environment, too.

Helmm The Starter Kit

Fragrance is at the heart of everything for Helmm, each of which is developed by Cecile Hua, an award-winning French perfumer. Buy a starter kit and you’ll be on your way to finding your favorite scent.

Don’t like what you chose? That’s fine. Keep your deodorant vessel and pick up a different refill from Helmm. This way you keep waste to a minimum while cycling through scents made by a world-renowned scent expert.

Guess Effect Deodorizing Body Spray

This list wouldn’t be complete without the experts’ Grooming Awards pick for the best deodorant/cologne combo. Guess Effect starts out strong like a cologne but fades into a nice, lingering scent that keeps you smelling great all day without venturing into Axe Body Spray territory.

Plus, it’s only $12, so you can easily buy two: keep one at home and throw one in your gym bag for use on-the-go.

Sweat reduction: Deodorant is, first and foremost, a personal product. If you’re looking for sweat reduction, opt for an antiperspirant/deodorant combo. Remember that deodorants only control odor, not sweat.

Scent: Once you’ve decided on a deodorant, look for one with a scent you like. A stronger scent usually means more long lasting protection. Feel free to mix it up or stick with one all the time, you can’t go wrong either way.

Non-irritating ingredients: If you’re prone to skin irritation, you may want to consider a baking soda-free version as baking soda has been shown to cause irritation in some people. Look instead for ingredients like magnesium, tapioca starch and arrowroot powder.

Consistency type: Finally, you’ll want to consider the delivery mechanism. Most deodorants come in solid stick form: chalkier ones may carry more risk of leaving stains on clothes. Sprays, gels and lotions are also available if you’re not into the stick thing.

For the past three years, we consulted with Men’s Health‘s Grooming editors and writers on the best smelling deodorants for men. Experts, including our Grooming Editor Garrett Munce and Deputy Commerce Editor Christian Gollayan tested more than 30 men’s deodorants to the test how great they smelled, and how long they lasted. We also considered top-reviewed deodorants that had more than 100 five-star ratings on e-commerce websites we trust.