The house of Frederic Malle is an interesting fragrance house. With over 40 different fragrances, from many different perfumers, there’s bound to be a Frederic Malle fragrance for you. But what are the best Frederic Malle fragrances for men?
The House Of Frederic Malle And Its Fragrances
The house of Frederic Malle was founded by, you guessed it, Frederic Malle. Frederic Malle is a Frenchmen, born in the world of perfumes. His grandfather actually founded the house of Christian Dior, one of the most recognizable fragrance houses nowadays. Despite being born in the world of perfumes, Frederic Malle initially decided to study art. However, quickly after, he decided to embrace the world of perfume.
After working with some of the finest professionals in the industry for 15 years, Frederic Malle founded his own brand. With this brand, named Frederic Malle, he took a different approach. He invited 9 perfumers and gave them absolute freedom to create their fragrances. These were then packaged in such a way that the perfumer’s name was on the bottle, which was never done before in the fragrance industry.
Usually, the perfumer behind a fragrance stays relatively hidden. Not in the case of Frederic Malle. After working with the first 9 perfumers, or, in Frederic Malle’s words, the ‘authors of perfumes’, others followed. Nowadays, there are over 40 different fragrances in the Frederic Malle collection. Despite being the name of the fragrance house, Frederic Malle sees himself as the ‘author of perfumes’ and gives creative freedom to the perfumers he works with.
This approach in fragrance creation can be seen as a nod to his artistic past, where he initially studied art. Nowadays, the house of Frederic Malle is known for its bold and unique fragrances. Below are some of the best Frederic Malle fragrances for men, in no particular order!
1. Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur
Scent: Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur is an incredibly refreshing fragrance with a spicy, floral scent. This fragrance opens with an immediate blast of mint and geranium. These two balance each other out perfectly, providing you with a sparkly and classy scent of geranium. This scent will stay like that for the remainder of this fragrance. After a little while, though, you can start to notice some fresh, spicy notes as well. All these spices blend perfectly with the sparkly fresh scent of geranium found in the opening.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur are star anise, mint, and geranium. The middle notes are clove and cinnamon. The base notes are benzoin, styrax, incense, sandalwood, and musk.
Best for: Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the warmer months. This fragrance has a refreshing scent of mint and geranium, providing you with a unique and fresh scent. Although this fragrance is a bit linear, it does have a classy and elegant vibe to it, making it perfect for formal wear. Of course, you can also wear this fragrance casually as well. The versatility of this fragrance makes it work in pretty much every occasion. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
2. Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Scent: Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur is one of the best-known Frederic Malle fragrances and with good reason. This fragrance has a warm, spicy, sweet, and musky scent. This fragrance opens slightly fresh, but quickly turns into the warm scent it is known for. With notes like cinnamon and cloves, you get a rich, warm, and spicy scent, which will only continue on from here. The base adds some warm woods, as well as some sweetness, in the form of vanilla and tonka bean. This leaves you with an overall warm, spicy, and sweet scent. Truly a masterpiece.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur are bergamot, lavender, and tangerine. The middle notes are cloves and cinnamon. The base notes are cedar, amber, guaiac wood, vanilla, musk, tonka bean, and sandalwood.
Best for: Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the fall and winter. This fragrance has a very warm and strong scent, yet it is still approachable and welcoming. The warmth of this fragrance just fits in perfectly with the colder days. During those colder days, this fragrance is great for casual wear, but it also works great at night and could even be used as a date fragrance. You could even wear this fragrance to the office as well, as long as you watch your sprays. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
3. Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
Scent: Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire is a gorgeous fragrance with a woody, earthy, and fresh scent. This fragrance opens with a fresh, citrusy scent, however, that quickly fades away into a more vetiver based scent. This vetiver based scent has a strong, green scent, surrounded by some spices. When this starts to dry down, some of the base notes make themselves known, adding a gorgeous scent of woods and earthy notes. This leaves you with an overall fresh, yet slightly warm fragrance.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire are bergamot and bitter orange. The middle notes are vetiver, cloves, and pink pepper. The base notes are musk, myrrh, oakmoss, cedar, and sandalwood.
Best for: Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire is a great fragrance to wear during the spring, summer, and even during the fall. The initial freshness, as well as the woody, earthy dry down make for a fantastic warm weather fragrance, and the overall warm vibe makes this a great during the fall as well. During those seasons, this is a great fragrance to wear formally. This fragrance has class and elegance and is bold at the same time, making sure you leave a powerful impression. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
4. Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady
Scent: Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady is a beautiful fragrance with a warm, spicy, and almost smoky scent. This fragrance opens with a gorgeous scent of warm spices and sweet fruits. However, the spices take the foreground, allowing for a fantastic transition to a gorgeous scent of rose. What you have now is a warm, spicy scent of rose, which smells absolutely gorgeous. The base of this fragrance adds a very subtle touch of smoke, however, you mainly get this warm, spicy scent of roses.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady are raspberry, blackcurrant, rose, cinnamon, and cloves. The middle notes are incense, patchouli, and cedarwood. The base notes are benzoin, amber, and musk.
Best for: Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady is a bold and elegant fragrance with a warm scent. This warm scent fits in perfectly with the cold, wintery months. Originally classed as a women’s perfume, Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady is also a fantastic choice for any confident man. It has a bold and elegant scent, which makes it work nicely in both casual, as well as formal occasions, as well as a comforting, approachable warmth, perfect for the colder months. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
5. Frederic Malle Carnal Flower
Scent: Frederic Malle Carnal Flower is a great fragrance with a strong scent of white florals, especially tuberose. This fragrance opens with a fruity scent of white florals. These fruity notes add a sweet touch without being overly sweet, where the white florals bring a fresh, sensual scent. After a little while, you can start to notice some green notes, but the white florals remain the most prevalent scent. Overall, you get a gorgeous white floral and tuberose fragrance which actually works great for men.
Notes: The notes of Frederic Malle Carnal Flower are coconut, white musk, melon, bergamot, orange blossom, ylang ylang, tuberose, jasmine, and eucalyptus.
Best for: Frederic Malle Carnal Flower is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the warmer months. Floral fragrances always work nicely when the temperatures are high as they have a refreshing scent. Although white floral fragrances are usually seen as feminine, Frederic Malle Carnal Flower can actually be worn by men as well. This fragrance is great for casual daytime wear, but due to the slight sensual vibe, it also works great as a nighttime fragrance. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
6. Frederic Malle Outrageous!
Scent: Frederic Malle Outrageous! is an interesting fragrance with a citrusy, fruity, and slightly green scent. This fragrance opens with an immediate blast of citrusy notes. Added to this citrusy opening is the note of apple, as well as cinnamon. These add a fruity, sweet scent, which serves as a nice transition to the mid of this fragrance. This is where some sweeter citrus notes make themselves known. The base of this fragrance adds a rather unique scent of aldehydes and musk, serving as a solid foundation for this scent.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle Outrageous! are grapefruit, mint, green apple, cinnamon, and lime. The middle notes are neroli and orange blossom. The base notes are musk, cedar, amber, and aldehydes.
Best for: Frederic Malle Outrageous! is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the warmer months, like the spring and summer. The fresh, fruity scent of Frederic Malle Outrageous! fits in perfectly with those warm, summery days, as it provides you with a refreshing, invigorating scent. Such a fragrance works perfectly when worn casually, but it is also luxurious and sophisticated enough for formal wear. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
7. Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee
Scent: Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee is a fantastic fragrance with a green, fresh, and floral scent. This fragrance opens with a green scent, setting up the freshness of this fragrance. After a little while, the floral notes make themselves known. These floral notes add to the initial fresh opening, but they also add a subtle sweetness. The base of this fragrance adds the notes of musk and vanilla, providing the fragrance with a warm, slightly sweet, but also salty scent. This salty scent comes from the musk, as well as the note of seawater.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee are ginger and seawater. The middle notes are lily, lotus, orange blossom, and angelica. The base notes are vanilla and musk.
Best for: Frederic Malle Lys Mediterranee is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the spring and summer. This fragrance has a fresh, green, and salty scent, which works perfectly with those warmer, high-temperature days. During those warmer days, this fragrance is a fantastic one for casual daytime wear. Because this is a floral-based fragrance, you will stand out a bit, but, a confident man can easily pull this one off, without a problem. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
8. Frederic Malle French Lover
Scent: Frederic Malle French Lover is a gorgeous fragrance with a woody, aromatic, and slightly musky scent. This fragrance opens with a slightly green-smelling scent. Added to that are some spices, creating an elegant and sophisticated scent. After a little while, you can start to notice the woody notes in this fragrance. At this point, you can also notice a slightly bitter scent of vetiver, adding to the elegance and class of this fragrance. Overall, you get a green, woody, and aromatic fragrance with a classy, elegant scent.
Notes: The top notes of Frederic Malle French Lover are galbanum and spices. The middle notes are angelica, cedar, and incense. The base notes are vetiver, oakmoss, and white musk.
Best for: Frederic Malle French Lover is a fantastic fragrance to wear during the spring and summer, but it can also be worn nicely during the fall. Overall, this fragrance is quite fresh, which makes it work better with the warmer days. During those warmer days, this is the perfect fragrance for a true gentleman. This fragrance has class and elegance, making it great for formal wear. However, it also works nicely when worn casually, just make sure you dress the part. If you’re interested in this fragrance, you can check it out over here on Amazon!
Are Frederic Malle Fragrances Worth It
The house of Frederic Malle is an incredibly interesting fragrance house. Everything from their history, all the way to the bold creations shows the competence of this fragrance house.
When you judge Frederic Malle fragrances purely on their scent, they’re more than worth it. However, the house of Frederic Malle is considered to be a niche fragrance house, meaning the prices will be higher than your general designer fragrances. These high prices can deter a lot of people away, which is a shame, as the fragrances are so good.
Luckily, there’s a way to get your hands on Frederic Malle fragrances for a little cheaper. The way to do this is to purchase fragrance decants. A fragrance decant is basically a smaller bottle, usually 5ml or 10ml, filled up with the original fragrance. This way, you can try out the original fragrance without having to commit to a full-sized, full-priced bottle. If you’d like to learn more about fragrance decants, where to purchase them, and how they’ll save you money, you can check out this article I wrote here!
Despite the higher price tag, a Frederic Malle fragrance is more than worth it. With the higher price tag comes a fragrance of true class. With their luxurious, elegant, and bold scents, a Frederic Malle fragrance should be in every men’s collection. I’d recommend you take a look at your current collection and see which of these Frederic Malle fragrances would fit in perfectly!