There are a lot of very sweet men’s fragrances on the market right now but the scents out there are not exclusively sweet ones. There are a lot of other types like fresh citrus aromatics, aquatics, chypres and dark leathery orientals.
It really depends what you’re looking for but some that I recommend are:
– Un Jardin en Méditerranée by Hermès – a beautifully fresh floral aquatic with the barest hint of gentle sweetness underlying the freshness. It’s not even close to sickly though, maintaining a fresh sharpness coupled with effervescent fruitiness.
– Sonoma Scent Studio – Fireside Intense – Smoky, dark with a heavy leather note. No sweetness in this one at all. A very subtle oud note in there. Very beautiful artisan scent (available direct from the SSS website).
– Montale – Patchouli Leaves – Very intense patchouli and amber. No real sweetness but a very sophisticated scent.
– Huitième Art Parfums – Aube Pashmina – Like a dewy vegetable garden at dawn. The thick scent of vegetation comes through and you can almost smell the damp droplets of morning water on the leaves. It’s a beautifully calming fragrance and perfect for spring.
– Cartier – Déclaration Essence – A wonderful fresh and spicy vetiver scent with a citrus zing running through it. Starts off very smoky, inky and dark but lightens as it drys down.
If you really want something strong and bordering on medicinal then I would suggest trying oud (agarwood) fragrances. Oud is a very eastern note, but in the West Montale do some amazing oud scents such as Black Aoud or Aoud Musk. Amouage also do some wonderful oud scents that are worth exploring. You can order samples of these scents online from stores like The Perfume Shoppe among others.
A lot of the scents I’ve recommended are niche scents or high end designer but you can also find quality scents within the cheaper end of the market too.
Davidoff’s Cool Water is a very fresh scent that is affordable. Similarly scents like CK One by Calvin Klein, Kenzo Power Cologne by Kenzo, Bvlgari Aqva, 212 VIP for men by Carolina Herrera, and Giorgio Armani’s Acqua di Gio are all fragrances that you might like but with an affordable price tag.
For a less expensive leathery aoud than the Montale that I suggested earlier, then try Juicy Couture’s Dirty English. It’s very affordable and dark and I don’t get any hint of sweetness from the fragrance. To me it epitomizes masculinity.
Another wonderful leather that’s more soapy with a hint of citrus and dark fruits is Sex Pistols by Etat Libre D’Orange. This alternative niche house really provides a very different take on scents and Sex Pistols does somewhat capture the anarchistic spirit of the 1970’s.
I hope that helps and my advice is to just keep on testing until you find something you love. 🙂