The Creed brand, based outside of Paris, is responsible for some of the most famous luxury creed colognes on the market today. Each scent is blended by hand in the highest tradition of Henry James Creed, who founded the Creed house of perfumes in 1760.
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Today, the sixth-generation master perfumer Olivier Creed and his son, Erwin Creed, continue the craft in their Parisian laboratory. Father and son continue to seek out the finest elements to continue the art of Creed in the 21st century — creating timeless, yet modern, scents.
Our Top Picks for Creed Colognes
Best Overall
Creed Imperial Millesime for Men is everywhere. It's up there with Aventus as one of the best known of Creed fragrances. And deservedly so. It's a crisp, clean fragrance with fresh fruity notes and a touch of musk that create a classic fragrance. Jay Z is one of Imperial Millesime's devotee's.
Created in 1995, this is one of those stand-bys every guy should have in his cologne collection. It's noticeable but inoffensive, combining scents like lemon, mandarin, iris, and bergamot. It's also a very versatile scent — I'd say the lightness makes it more of a daytime scent but I know guys who use it all the time as their signature fragrance. Definitely worth a try.
Best for a Night Out
For a special occasion like a night out — date night, dancing or a special event, Creed Tabarome is a fun, go-to bold fragrance. The name “Tabarome” honors the pinch of the finest tobacco aroma that gives this fragrance its aristocratic touch of English club luxury.
Warm notes of ginger, jasmine and seductive sandalwood are strengthened with the addition of leather and tobacco to create a sexy punch of scent. This is an assertive fragrance for men who want a memorable and exotic scent.
Best Unisex
Creed's Original Santal is an aromatic fragrance that will give you some spice during the cooler fall and winter months. And like many of Creed's fragrances, it's a unisex scent that is trending right now. With main notes of cinnamon and sandalwood, it’ll give you a warmth that’s hard to resist.
Top notes include Indian sandalwood, cinnamon, coriander, and fragrant juniper berry. Middle notes are lavender, leaves of an absolute orange tree, rosemary, and ginger. The base is made up of tonka bean and vanilla.
Best for Casual
Vetiver Millesime is the scent from Creed that was gifted to J.F.K. when he became the U.S. President. Like most vetivers — it is a fresh, barber-shop type fragrance.
It is unusual in that it uses all three parts of the vetiver plant (roots, leaves, and heart) with other elements to create a rich scent with deeper notes. It's a relatively light fragrance best suited for spring/fall and summer.
It feels very relaxed to me so I enjoy it for casual use but it could also be used for an office or work setting. Great longevity.
Best-Selling Creed Perfume
Aventus by Creed was introduced in 2010 and is another of those Creed scents that every guy should at least try once. It's one of those no-brainers that you can spray on for nearly every occasion. The only issue with this one is it's so popular.
Top notes of black currant, Italian bergamot, French apple, and pineapple combine with heart notes of rose, dry birch, Moroccan jasmine and patchouli, plus base notes of oakmoss, musk, ambergris and vanilla, to form a fruity, complex fragrance that dries down to a pleasant, long-lasting scent, good for daytime or evening use.
Best Winter Creed Cologne
Creed Silver Mountain Water is a modern scent from Olivier Creed (who is a championship skier as well as a master parfumier). Silver Mountain Water, as its name indicates, evokes sparkling streams coursing through snowy mountains.
Even the bottle and packaging echo this snowy whiteness. The fragrance is hard to describe — it carries a hint of soft, milky-sweet blackcurrants mixed with notes of green tea, a touch of the richness of bergamot, and sandalwood.
Best Summer Cologne
The smell of summer. Virgin Island Water Eau De Parfum is a great creed cologne for the dog days of summer when you just want to imagine yourself on your own private beach.
It's strong on the lime and coconuts so if you're not a fan, this probably isn't the scent for you. It's definitely a relaxed, casual scent. Good longevity for a summer fragrance too.
Best for Spring
A favorite since 1985, Green Irish Tweed is classy, versatile and elegant. GIT combines woody freshness and pure masculinity, equally suited to a stroll through the Irish countryside or a strut down the red carpet.
Though it is a distinctive scent, it also manages to be subtle so it crosses that line between day and night appropriately. This premium men's creed cologne combines notes of verbena, sandalwood, iris, and violets. It's a classic that never goes out of style.
Most Trendy Scent
Creed delivers a Royal Oud cologne that is both elegant and wearable. It's definitely worth checking out as oud is one of the biggest trends in fragrance right now. The opening is smoky, while the cedar notes start to come through on the dry down.
Top notes include ginger, Pinkberry, and bergamot. The middle notes include cedar, galbanum, and angelic root. The base consists of Regal Indian oud, sandalwood, and Tonkin musk.
Best Citrus
Royal Water is a celebration of citrus notes the typically fresh notes a vintage, elegant finish. Plus, its longevity and sillage are fantastic.
Top notes include fresh citrus and peppermint, which is followed by middle notes of juniper berry and basil. Base notes of musk and ambergris give this fragrance its classic finish.
Best Gourmand
Royal Mayfair is simultaneously woody, floral, fresh and clean. It may be tough to create a wearable gourmand fragrance, but leave it to the house of Creed to deliver one that is classy and elegant.
Top notes include pine, lime, and pine tree. The middle consists of a rose. Base notes are orange, cedar, and eucalyptus.
Best All Day Creed Cologne
Going straight from work to a night out on the town? With Bois de Portugal, you’ve got a scent that’s rich and warm, yet classic and understated. It’s suited to both the office and the bar.
Top notes of bergamot give this fragrance a fresh opening. The heart of bergamot and the base of Mysore sandalwood, vetiver ambergris, and cedar deliver a mature, vintage finish.
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Best Overall
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Best for Spring
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Why are Creed Colognes So Expensive?
If you're used to purchasing designer or celebrity colognes, the prices of Creed's perfumes might come with sticker shock.
There's a number of reasons that Creed (and other niche perfumes) are expensive. First, is the brand's use of high-quality ingredients and packaging.
Like other niche perfumers, they're willing to pay for unique and rare scents such as ambergris as well as thick, quality glass for their bottles. Secondarily, their long connection with pomp and royalty means consumers are willing to pay more for a premium product.
Conclusion
It's no secret — Creed is one of my favorite fragrance houses. The fragrances are consistently well made and it's rare that they come out with a new fragrance that I don't want to add to my collection immediately.
There are certainly cheaper creed colognes out there. However like many niche perfumes and private designer collections, it's money well spent. The fragrances are high-quality and keep for years. I've had GIT in my collection for 10 years now and it's still going strong.
The main issue I have is that they are highly emulated. Once they come out with a hit, there's a bunch of knock-offs right on their heels. That said, I still love Aventus and think it's a classic, versatile scent for men or women, day or night.
However, if you want to smell completely unique, try out some of Creed's less popular fragrances like Bois de Portugal.
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Born and raised in Austin, David is a dedicated writer and avid fragrance lover. When he's not trying out perfumes, he enjoys traveling and exploring new restaurants.