Best-Smelling Colognes for Men (2012)

It is still early in the year, but numerous types of cologne have already been released this year. As you can imagine, 2012 will be bringing plenty of colognes to stores as the year goes by. However, I think 2012 has already given us a few winning colognes. I have selected a few colognes that I think could be the next best-smelling colognes for the year of 2012. I also thought it would be a good idea to select a few brands of cologne that haven't been released yet. It's going to be difficult to determine the best-smelling men's cologne for 2012 this early in the year, but I hope that I can point out some major contenders.

2012 Mens Cologne Trends

As I began to shop around for the best-smelling men's cologne I found a very obvious trend occurring this year. I really feel that 2012 is going to be the year of the "sports" cologne. A sport cologne generally has a clean, refreshing smell. They are often made of spicy, citrus, watery or herbal accords.

Of course we are only half of the way through 2012 and most of the colognes released this time of year are targeted for spring and summer wear. This may explain the abundance of sporty colognes which so happen to be perfect for spring and summer wear. Fortunately, I think sporty types of cologne are some of the best-smelling colognes out there.

After some thought and a bit of research I picked 12 colognes to showcase on this article. The only requirements that I placed on myself was that each cologne had to have been released in 2012 or the cologne needed to be scheduled for release in 2012. As you can imagine I haven't actually smelled the selected colognes that haven't been released yet. Many of the fragrances that are due out later this year that are listed in this article were selected because of the reputation the brand has for creating popular and quality cologne.

Jean Paul Gaultier will be releasing another version of his very popular Le Male Summer fragrance that was originally released in 2008. The Le Male Summer line in general has a strong mint and ginger note that people have grown to love. In the Le Male Summer version we can expect some mint notes, but they will be paired with lavender and vanilla. This is going to create a light and fresh fragrance that will resemble the original Le Male fragrance from 1995. It will be interesting to see if people love this or hate it.

This is a new addition to Diesel's "Only the Brave" cologne line. This line is famous for its unique fist shaped bottle. Tattoo may have a similar bottle, but It is actually expected to be quite different from the original "Only the Brave" cologne. Tattoo will still have the woody notes that the original had, but I think we can expect a more herbal cologne with this new addition. If this fragrance sounds like something you will enjoy you are in luck because it is due to be released in March of 2012.

Burberry is releasing a new version of its popular Burberry Brit cologne that was released in 2006. Brit Summer will have the usual ginger and citrus notes that summer fragrances have, but will also have several heavier woody notes. The original Burberry Brit had a strong vanilla note, so I'm curious to see how far Burberry Summer steps from the original Burberry. I am very much interested in smelling this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the original, but I think I may like this one more. You can expect Burberry Summer to be released before the summer of 2012.

The original Dior Homme Sport was released in 2008. It has been reformulated so that it now has a more sophisticated and elegant scent for 2012. Early reviews show that people actually prefer this new formulation over the earlier version that was fairly popular. This is a powdery and woody scent that has hints of citrus, ginger and iris. Overall this a very nice sport cologne.

Paco Rabanne is releasing a new version of the Black XS cologne called Black XS L'Excess. I think Paco Rabanne's new version is expected to be less sweet and more herbal than the original Black XS. The new version will not have the caramel and almond note that Black XS lovers enjoy, but will have a stronger lavender note. This is going to be a nice cologne to wear on a night out. I really do think it will be interesting to see how the Black XS cologne followers react to this new version Black XS.

Diesel's popular cologne "Fuel for Life" was originally released in 2007. In 2012 they plan to release a new summer version that is expected to be more fresh, clean and energetic. It sounds like everything you would want from a summer cologne. "Fuel for Life" summer edition with have spicy notes with hints of lavender and sea notes. This delicate summer fragrance will be a hit for sure.

Givenchy is going to add a sports addition to its Givenchy Play cologne line-up. If you are not familiar with Givenchy Play, you may remember the Justin Timberlake commercials that were on TV advertising it. The original Play had a nice coffee note, which the sport addition won't have. Givenchy Play will still have the spicy pepper notes that the original had, but will add notes like ginger and mint. Overall, Givenchy play will still have the footprint of the original, but will have more of a light and refreshing feel to it. This is one of the many colognes coming out this year with a "sport" version. If you are interested in the Givenchy Play cologne you will hopefully be able to find it in March of 2012.

Dolce and Gabbana have also decided to jump on the sport cologne band wagon. Dolce and Gabbana will be adding a sport version of the "The One" cologne that was originally released in 2008. This new version will still have the essence of the original, but will introduce aquatic notes and rosemary. Dolce and Gabbana is attempting to create a sophisticated and modern fragrance that is casual and light enough for a day at the gym. If you are interested in "The One Sport" you can find it in most high-end department stores now. Perhaps it will end up being the best-smelling cologne for 2012; time will only tell.

I am actually very excited about La Nuit de l`Homme Frozen Cologne from Yves Saint Laurent. I currently wear Yves Saint Laurent's L'Homme Libre and I love it. This cologne is meant to invoke thoughts of icy coolness, which is perfect for the upcoming summer. Most summer types of cologne end up being flowery and fruity so I'm excited to see the Yves Saint Laurent is taking a different approach to the summer cologne. I think La Nuit de l'Homme Frozen is a contender to be the best-smelling cologne for men the comes out this year. If you are excited about this new addition to Yves Saint Laurent cologne line-up you will be happy to know that you can find it in stores in early March of 2012.

Theirry Mugler has yet again released a limited edition version of their original A*Men fragrance from 1996. Theirry Mugler does a really good job with their fragrances. This new version called Pure Shot is supposed to have a spicy, chilling effect. It has notes of mint, pepper and patchouli which should create a very nice cologne for summer. This is quite the leap from the original A*Men cologne that had warm coffee and caramel notes. This is another fragrance that I am very curious about and I'm interested in seeing what the A*Men fans will have to say about it.

Armanie is going to release a new version of their extremely popular Acqua di Gio. Acqua di Gio is probably the best selling cologne since 1996 which is when it was released. As you can imagine a new twist to this very popular fragrance is going to catch a few people's eyes. The new cologne will have strong citrus and aquatic notes which will be perfect for summer. It will be interesting to see if the Acqua di Gio fans embrace the new fragrance or if they will hate the new version.

I am the most excited about the new Allure Homme Sport Extreme cologne that Chanel released earlier this year. I think Chanel's original Allure Homme Sport is the best-smelling cologne out there at the moment . With that being said I can only assume the new extreme version is better. Chanel's new version is supposed to have a stronger aromatic and spicy accord to it which should make for a nice twist to an already amazing fragrance. If you are interested in this citrus, aquatic fragrance with aldehydes, then you are in luck. Allure Homme Sport Extreme from Chanel was released earlier this year.

To be honest, I don't know what the best-smelling cologne is, but I hope I have been able to point out a few good contenders. To really determine what the best-smelling cologne is we will just have to wait and see what people grow to love this year. Until then we can only guess. I think overall this is going to be an interesting year for cologne and I'm excited to see what will come out next.