The note of iris is often linked with feminine fragrances. But the note of iris can also add a fantastic scent to masculine fragrances. But what are the best iris fragrances for men?
What Is The Note Of Iris And How Does It Smell
As most people know, the iris is a flower. However, the iris is also a commonly used fragrance note. Although this fragrance note might lean more towards the feminine side, there are a few fantastic men’s fragrances based around the note of iris.
But how does iris smell in a fragrance? An iris has a strong, powdery scent. This can come off as old-smelling scent, but, when combined with the right notes, can add a beautiful layer on to a fragrance. Sometimes, the scent of the note of iris is also compared to the scent of wet earth.
Overall, the note of iris can add a beautiful layer to a fragrance. It’s powdery scent actually smells very clean. This cleanness is what most men’s fragrances use the note of iris for. Such a clean scent is usually great for formal environments, like the office. Many of the fragrances below fit under the ‘office’ category as well. Below are some of the best iris-based fragrances for men, in no particular order.
1. Dior Homme Parfum
Scent: Dior Homme Parfum is a true masterpiece, and one of the main notes in here is actually iris. This fragrance opens with a powdery scent of iris, mixed with a soft, fruity scent of orange. However, this is quickly accompanied by one of the best and most realistic leather accords. This creates a beautiful, rich scent. The base of this fragrance adds a strong, woody scent. This leaves you with a fantastic fragrance with a woody, leathery, and powdery iris scent that conveys true class and luxury.
Notes: The top notes of Dior Homme Parfum are Tuscan iris and Italian orange. The middle notes are leather and rose. The base notes are oud, sandalwood, cedar, and ambrette.
Best for: Dior Homme Parfum is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the colder seasons, like winter and fall. This scent is quite rich and dark, which would be too overpowering during the warmer seasons. However, this fragrance can be worn during the nights of the warmer seasons. It would make for a great date fragrance. But you can also wear this casually during the colder seasons. You can’t really go wrong with this fragrance. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
2. Le Labo Iris 39
Scent: Le Labo Iris 39 is a fragrance based around the note of iris, but it also has a warm, spicy undertone to it. This spicy undertone starts off in the opening of this fragrance. With a nice scent of spices, you’re gradually introduced to the powdery iris. This has a very strong, floral, and powdery scent that goes perfectly with the spicy opening, as well as the warm, ambery base. Overall, you get a very clean, warm, and powdery fragrance that smells nothing short of fantastic.
Notes: The notes of Le Labo Iris 39 are rose, civet, lime, cardamom, musk, ginger, patchouli, violet, iris, and ylang ylang.
Best for: Le Labo Iris 39 is a beautiful fragrance that goes perfectly with the warmer seasons. Despite the slightly spicy opening and warm ending, this fragrance is mainly a fresh, floral fragrance. Those types of fragrances go perfectly with higher temperatures, as they provide a clean and refreshing vibe. This fragrance is great for casual wear, but it also works perfectly at the office. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on the official Le Labo website!
3. Ermenegildo Zegna Florentine Iris
Scent: Ermenegildo Zegna Florentine Iris is a high-quality, masculine fragrance based around the note of iris. This fragrance opens with a nice floral scent, consisting mainly of the note of violet. After a little while, this scent transforms into a beautiful iris fragrance. Along with the beautiful, floral, and powdery scent, you can also notice s woody and slightly musky background. But you mostly get the note of iris, in its true and most beautiful form.
Notes: The notes of Ermenegildo Zegna Florentine Iris are musk, violet, jasmine, bergamot, and iris.
Best for: Ermenegildo Zegna Florentine Iris is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the fall, spring, and summer. This fragrance is quite fresh and has a heavy dose of florals. This makes it work great during the warmer seasons. There’s also a woody background, which makes it perform nicely during the fall as well. With this fragrance, you get a classy, luxurious, and elegant fragrance, which works great during any formal occasion. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
4. Hermes Eau De Gentiane Blanche
Scent: Hermes Eau De Gentiane Blanche is quite a linear fragrance, but luckily, the scent you get is extremely pleasant. This fragrance has a bitter, floral, and almost metallic scent. With a beautiful note of iris, this fragrance also has a soft powdery aspect to it. This powdery aspect makes for a slightly sweeter scent, which is quite uplifting, as most of the fragrance smells cold and a little bitter. However, cold and bitter is actually very pleasant in a fragrance.
Notes: The notes of Hermes Eau De Gentiane Blanche are incense, Gentiana, iris, and musk.
Best for: Hermes Eau De Gentiane Blanche is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the summer. This fragrance could also be worn during the spring, but it works much better when it’s really hot outside. The cold, metallic-like scent, combined with the florals makes for a very pleasant and refreshing scent. Such a scent is great for casual wear, but it’s also great to wear in any formal setting. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
5. Prada l’Homme
Scent: Prada l’Homme is a fantastic fragrance with the most fantastic, soapy, iris-based scent. This fragrance opens with a slightly spicy, but mostly very clean scent. After a little while, you can start to notice some floral notes, which give this fragrance it’s soapy, clean vibe. One of those floral notes is the note of iris, which adds a fantastic, powdery, slightly sweet and soapy scent. This is truly one of the best offerings of Prada and it’s considered by many to be a niche fragrance in a designer bottle.
Notes: The top notes of Prada l’Homme are neroli, cardamom, black pepper, and carrot seeds. The middle notes are geranium, iris, mate, and violet. The base notes are sandalwood, amber, cedar, and patchouli.
Best for: Prada l’Homme is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the warmer months. The incredibly clean, soapy scent is perfect for those warm, high-humid days. Thanks to its clean scent, Prada l’Homme is also considered to be one of the, if not the best office fragrance. With such a clean, yet sophisticated and classy vibe, you can’t really go wrong, whether you’re wearing it formally or casually. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
6. Atelier Cologne Silver Iris
Scent: Atelier Cologne Silver Iris is a fruity fragrance with a nice influence of iris. This fragrance opens with a very fruity, slightly spicy scent. The opening also introduces the note if iris, mainly in a powdery form. This gives the fragrance a waxy vibe while still smelling fresh and fruity. The base of this fragrance adds a soft touch of woods, as well as a spicy, earthy patchouli note. Overall, this is a very nice, fruity, oriental fragrance with great utilization of the note if iris.
Notes: The top notes of Atelier Cologne Silver Iris are tangerine, blackcurrant, and pink pepper. The middle notes are mimosa, iris, and violet leaves. The base notes are musk, amber, and patchouli.
Best for: Atelier Cologne Silver Iris is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the warmer seasons. This fragrance mainly has a fruity and floral scent, which goes perfectly with those warm, summery days. Overall, this fragrance can easily be worn casually, as well as formally. This fragrance isn’t offensive in any way, making it very versatile. Despite this fragrance smelling amazing, it isn’t the most masculine. Although it can definitely be worn by men, it’s definitely more of a unisex fragrance. If you’re interested, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
7. Armaf Futura La Homme
Scent: Armaf Futura La Homme is a fantastic fragrance with an interesting, gourmand scent, mixed with iris. This fragrance opens with a slightly fresh, spicy scent. This scent is quickly accompanied by the note of iris, which adds a powdery sweetness to the fragrance. After a little while, you can start to notice a subtle hint of coffee, adding the gourmand aspect to this fragrance. Overall, you get a very safe, yet pleasant fragrance with a strong scent of iris and a gourmand background.
Notes: The top notes of Armaf Futura La Homme are bergamot, sage, and lavender. The middle notes are coffee, iris, and amber. The base notes are cedar, vetiver, and leather.
Best for: Armaf Futura La Homme is a fantastic fragrance that shares a lot of similarities to Valentino Uomo Intense. This fragrance is great to wear during the fall and spring, as it is neither too sweet nor too fresh. This fragrance is very safe and can go a little unnoticeable. This makes this fragrance perfect for any office environment, as you’ll still smell great, but you won’t offend anyone with your fragrance. This fragrance is also extremely cheap. If you’re interested, you can check out the current price over here on Amazon!
Are Iris Fragrances Worth It
The note of iris is quite a rare note used in men’s fragrances. Nevertheless, this note can add such a nice scent. The common trend with masculine iris fragrances is that they’re a bit powdery and mostly smell very clean. Some even smell soapy.
Owning such a fragrance is a fantastic idea, as these soapy, powdery fragrances are very safe to wear. Their scents aren’t that offensive and they’re actually quite nice and refreshing. Most of the fragrances above, for example, work great as either a casual, warm-weather fragrance, but they also work fantastic in formal environments.
And that’s what makes an iris fragrance so nice. They’re versatile and safe, and those types of fragrances are always welcome in any collection. I’d recommend you take a look at your current collection and see which iris fragrance would fit in perfectly!