Sometimes our budgets don’t allow us to buy the newest and most luxurious fragrances out there. However, you might be surprised to learn that there are some excellent cheap options for when you’re on a budget!
In the following guide, you will discover the top 10 best men’s cheap fragrances under $30 that you can buy online:
- Paco Rabanne Pour Homme
- Old Spice
- Aramis by Estée Lauder
- Cerruti 1881
- Davidoff Cool Water
- Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man
- Mäurer & Wirtz 4711
- Tabac Original
- Scent Box Subscription
- Scentbird Subscription
Use the links above to jump ahead or scroll down to discover them all!
How To Buy Cologne
Best Colognes By Season
Best Colognes By Budget
Best Colognes By Occasion
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Aromatic Fougère
- Seasonality: Spring
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 5/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
Although Pour Homme edges slightly over the $30 mark, it offers one of the best olfactory experiences available. With an enduring longevity and strong projection, you won’t need to use much in order for it to be effective, which only adds to the fantastic value for money.
Read More: Paco Rabanne Pour Homme Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Rosemary, Sage, Rosewood
- Heart: Lavender, Geranium, Tonka Bean
- Base: Oak Moss, Honey, Labdanum
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Spicy Oriental Amber
- Seasonality: Fall & Winter
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 3/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
An unforgettable classic, Old Spice is a multi-generational fragrance that is still very much relevant today. At a mere $15 for 150ml, this after shave performs remarkably well and will keep you going throughout the day. Furthermore, its blend may be reformulated compared to the original but it is far from dated.
Read More: Old Spice Aftershave Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Blood Orange, Anise, Nutmeg
- Heart: Carnation, Jasmine, Cinnamon
- Base: Cedarwood, Vanilla, Amber Resin
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Leather Chypre
- Seasonality: Winter
- Occasion: Romantic
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
Another classic but this time from the ’60s, Aramis is a renowned powerhouse fragrance. Giving one of the most long-lasting and impressive performances, you’ll be very satisfied with its longevity. However, this is a fragrance very much an emblem of its time so be wary of its contents!
Read More: Aramis Cologne Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Artemisia, Thyme, Pepper
- Heart: Jasmine, Patcouli, Cloves, Sage
- Base: Sandal, Guaiacwood, Labdanum
Read More
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Citrus
- Seasonality: All Year
- Occasion: Office
- Longevity: 3/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
A complex citrus bouquet followed by a floral heart and freshly woody base makes this a wonderfully versatile fragrance. The added benefit of this cologne is that Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme can be worn all year-round. Therefore, for those really on a budget, it can keep you going for any occasion and any season.
Read More: Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Juniper, Lavender, Cypress
- Heart: Lily, Carnation, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang
- Base: Cedar, Pine, Oak Moss, Patchouli
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Aromatic Fougère
- Seasonality: Winter
- Occasion: Romantic
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
Although somewhat retro, Cool Water is a classic aquatic fragrance that offers one of the most refreshing summer experiences. Its overt calone head endures throughout the dry-down while offering lavender, pine, peppermint, jasmine and cedar notes on the way.
Read More: Davidoff Cool Water review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Calone, Lavender, Pine, Rosemary
- Heart: Jasmine, Mint, Sandal, Carnation
- Base: Oak Moss, Cedar, Ambergris
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Fruity Musk
- Seasonality: Summer
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 5/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
Although it won’t offer you the same premium experience, CDNIM is a much more affordable alternative to Creed Aventus. Despite being essentially a clone, it offers a rich experience on of itself. Therefore, if you’re on a tighter budget, it’s a great option to consider!
Read More: Club de Nuit Intense Man Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Cassic, Lime, Pineapple Leaf, Apple
- Heart: Rose, Jasmine, Birch
- Base: Ambergris, Patchouli, Vanilla
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Aromatic Citrus
- Seasonality: Spring
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 1/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Money?
We absolutely love this historical fragrance and feel that it is systematically overlooked in favour of modern alternatives. Despite its age, it doesn’t feel dated. Furthermore, it’s an excellent unisex option that can be enjoyed as a standalone scent or event for layering.
Read More: Mäurer & Wirtz 4711 review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Basil, Lemon
- Heart: Neroli, Jasmine, Lily, Rose
- Base: Vetiver, Cedar, Patchouli
Read More
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Floral Aldehyde
- Seasonality: Spring
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 3/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Money?
A classic fragrance that’s well-loved particularly by shaving enthusiasts, Tabac Original has a rich floral heart that lingers throughout the base. The resulting skin scent is pleasant yet conservative, which offers a great casual or office choice.
Read More: Tabac Original Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Lime, Jasmine, Petitgrain
- Heart: Lavender, Chamomile, Carnation, Pepper
- Base: Rose, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Amber
Is It Worth The Money?
If you’re on a small budget, there is an alternative approach. Rather than purchase a full bottle of fragrance, you could consider subscribing to a service. While you will indeed get less fragrance for your money, it’s an affordable way of trying new things!
Our preferred one is Scent Box, which delivers you a month’s worth of fragrance for as little as $14.95. You can also get 35% with the code listed above! There are also additional options such as an extra fragrance or a premium selection.
Read More: Scent Box Subscription Review
Is It Worth The Money?
While we prefer Scent Box, Scentbird is probably the best known fragrance subscription service. Overall, Scent Box provides better value for money as well as a 35% discount.
However, Scentbird does give you a great selection and doesn’t distinguish between standard a premium fragrances so you have access to everything at the same price. They also offer you long-term discounts if you commit to several months at a time.
Read More: Scentbird Subscription Review
How Did We Decide The Best Colognes Under $30?
Firstly, all our fragrance reviews are written based on the Bespoke Unit Fragrance Formula. This proprietary sheet allows us to establish quantifiable scores that are as objective as possible given that fragrances are quite subjective to begin with.
Each of our in-depth reviews attributes a score to a particular fragrance and one of the factors in this score is the value for money. Here, we take note of both the retail price and the one we actually paid. Furthermore, all of the fragrance prices in this list are based off 100 ml bottles and the closest available volume.
This avoids us recommending very small bottles, which we feel would be dishonest as you’d get very little for what you paid. Similarly, we also don’t suggest very large bottles, which although are more expensive, may offer a better price per 100 ml.
After all, the final investment will still be well over your budget even if the value for money is there.
How We Compare The Scores
Whilst working on the fragrance’s formula review, we attribute it a value for money score, which only contributes 4% to the final result. Although it won’t impact the fragrance’s total score by much, it is something that we track independently.
Once complete, we archive the fragrance formula results, which then allows us to compare how well they rate with other fragrances. We also consider other factors such as their blends and occasions in order to provide a variety of different fragrances.
This then allows us to arrange the final results by value for money and score whilst filtering out anything above and below the desired budget. Once we have established our final list, we make sure that the prices haven’t changed since the review as these can be quite volatile.
Because of this, we believe that our lists are the most justified and carefully assorted on the internet.
What Next?
If you enjoyed our list of the best men’s fragrances under $30, remember that you can also explore other budgets! Head back to the top to see our other fragrance buying guides. Otherwise, we have numerous fragrance-related resources such as the following:
- Latest Men’s Fragrance Reviews
- How To Try & Test Fragrances
- How To Apply Fragrances
- What Is A Perfume Pyramid?
"Some quality cheap options here! I like how this guide looked back at classics rather than just choosing recent ones."Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★
Men’s Fragrances Contents
Interesting selection! You don’t hear much about Cerruti 1881 these days!
You don’t, do you? I think it was one of those fragrances that didn’t make as much noise as, say, Davidoff Cool Water, which is very iconic.
Best,
CP