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In the grooming sphere, men are notoriously loyal to products they like, and they tend to stick with them. While this fierce loyalty is honorable, sometimes it’s worth branching out and trying something different — whether that’s a new brand or just a product in general. If you decide you don’t like it, you can always return to the Old Spice deo (no shade, of course; I still rock the unscented version in a pinch). And if you do like it, you have found a product worth adding to your regimen, and in turn, adding value to your life.
The Best Colognes of 2025
Plenty of scents made waves this year, but we cut through the hype to select the ones actually worth adding to your rotationThe below are suggestions meant to cover the basic areas of grooming products most guys should consider having in their medicine cabinet or washroom area (or gym bag). While there is nothing wrong with using classic drugstore brands, the items listed below are meant to be a bit more niche, formulaic, and specialized. After all, you pay for what you get, and that principle applies to what you put or use on your body. So, feel free to start with one, or a few, or heck, replace your whole medicine cabinet. Your face and body deserve a fresh start, and the results will be noticeable.
New Year’s Grooming Refresh
- The Moisturizer — Horace Mattifying Face Moisturizer, $20
- The Shave Cream — Claus Porto Classic Scent Shave Cream, $32
- The Deodorant — Church California Plastic-Free, Natural Deodorant, $24
- The Toothbrush — Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige,
$380$300 - The Eye Cream — Lumin Dark Circle Defense,
$30$24
Why We Love It: Claus Porto’s Classic Scent Shave Cream stands out by keeping things elegantly simple. Its exceptional lathering ability, coupled with enriching lanolin and natural oils, ensures a softening effect on your stubble. Perfumed with a delicate blend of vetiver and patchouli, it offers a pleasingly woody scent that transforms your morning shave into an anticipated ritual. All of this is packaged in a stylish retro tube that adds appeal to your medicine cabinet.
Why We Love It: Ever since I embraced an electronic toothbrush years ago, I’ve been cavity-free, and my teeth consistently feel exceptionally clean. Philips Sonicare remains the gold standard and their new Prestige model, while positioned at the premium end, represents their most advanced brush. It incorporates technology that adapts to your brushing style, effectively removing up to 20 times more plaque than a manual brush. Prioritizing the health of your teeth and gums is crucial, and a Sonicare is truly an investment worth owning.
The Best Electric Toothbrushes for Better, Brighter Smiles
Most are on sale for Black Friday, too
Why We Love It: If you, like me, struggle with dark circles under your eyes, a reliable under-eye cream is a must-have. Lumin’s Dark Circle Defense not only brightens under-eye circles with key ingredients such as lemon extract and caffeine but also provides relief for crow’s feet and fine lines. Whether applied before bedtime or as part of your morning routine, it’s an essential step to fight aging and look more refreshed.
Why We Love It: Jack Black’s lip balms have become grooming cult favorites over the years. Enriched with shea butter and vitamin E, this emollient balm is not smudgy like waxy sticks and instantly relieves dry, chapped, or irritated lips. Not to mention the SPF 25 that provides sun protection while guarding against wind and cold temperatures.
Why We Love It: Santa Maria Novella, the storied Florentine fragrance house that can be traced back to 1221, represents the epitome of aromatic bare-bones ingredients that focus on the heritage and art of fragrance making. Not to mention the bottle would fit in just as well in an old Italian cathedral as in your Medicine cabinet. Their classic Vetiver scent is a woody oriental fragrance that will smell just as refined and mature as the wearer himself intends.
The 11 Best New Colognes From Niche Fragrance Houses to Try This Winter
Looking beyond the mass-market stuff
Why We Love It: I was first introduced to the Italian toothpaste heritage brand Marvis years ago when the interesting and ornate packaging caught my eye in the Esquire grooming closet. When placed beside your sink, this toothpaste warrants a conversation start. Aesthetics aside, however, this is seriously concentrated and intense toothpaste that whitens and cleans with fluoride and xylitol, providing a fresher, cleaner feeling than many drugstore varieties.
Why We Love It: Started in Germany over 40 years ago, Tweezerman is the crème de la crème of grooming tools, and their clippers and scissors, etc., are built to last. This essential grooming tool kit has everything you need for brow, face, and nail precision maintenance for years to come. Not to mention, it comes with a handy pouch for travel.
Why We Love It: I love a foaming face wash, and this Oars+Alps version cleanses gently without stripping skin of its natural oils. Prebiotics help balance your skin’s pH while aloe hydrates to prevent redness and irritation. The fragrance-free formula (great for sensitive skin) lathers exceptionally well, making for a no-fuss upgrade to much of your average drugstore fare.
Why We Love It: A toner helps rebalance skin after cleansing, clear away impurities, and refine pores. Harry’s may be best known for shaving, but this alcohol-free toner is a standout everyday option, leaving skin cool, hydrated, and refreshed. Best of all, it’s budget friendly.
Why We Love It: A serum is a super-concentrated, active-packed formula that targets aging, boosts cell turnover, and soothes skin. And this potent, user-friendly version is mega antioxidant-rich, made with 27 wild-harvested botanicals to smooth lines, even tone, firm, and deeply hydrate. A few drops on clean skin sink in fast, feel silky, and make even the “do I really need a serum?” guy a convert.
Why We Love It: This super-hydrating yet refreshing daily moisturizer from the insider-y yet accessible Parisian heavy hitter Horace is made from mainly natural ingredients. The gel-like texture is lightweight, mattifying, unscented, and works well across skin types. Provitamin B5 boosts hydration, while organic plum oil, shea butter, and pear oil nourish and soften skin without feeling heavy.
Why We Love It: Broad-spectrum SPF is non-negotiable, gents, and if your moisturizer doesn’t include it, you should be layering a separate one daily. Beyond reliable UVA/UVB protection, Malin+Goetz’s SPF 30 feels more like skincare, with glycerin and shea butter hydrating the skin while vitamin E and niacinamide protect. The lightweight, nongreasy texture layers easily, and housed in the brand’s signature apothecary-style tube, it adds a subtle dose of style to your sink.
Why We Love It: This newer deo from California-cool Church California has earned a permanent spot in my rotation. The all-cardboard, compostable tube skips plastic yet feels sturdy, while magnesium and tapioca absorb moisture, and coconut oil and shea butter keep skin comfortable. With an herbaceous blend of cedar, eucalyptus, and clary sage, it’s a highly effective, natural, eco-conscious odor fighter that justifies the price tag.
Why We Love It: Why choose between a physical exfoliator’s scrubbing power and a chemical’s smoothing mojo when this excellent exfoliator does both? Volcanic ash and ultra-fine microcrystals polish and retexturize, while wintergreen, rich in salicylic acid, and willow bark keep pores clear. Meadowsweet flower reins in shine and oceanic clay leaves skin matte. It’s potent stuff, so use a small scoop no more than twice a week for skin that feels noticeably softer and smoother.
Why We Love It: An overnight cream is a richer, more reparative formula designed to work while you sleep. While the OG brand makes a moisturizer for every occasion, this is its most indulgent. The whipped, buttercream-like texture is packed with botanical oils and a hefty dose of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to strengthen the skin barrier, lock in moisture, and boost elasticity so you wake up with smoother, plumper, healthier-looking skin.
Why We Love It: Gillette’s new Next Generation Blade pairs ultra-thin, diamond-coated blades with a smart taper so it glides with less pressure. I’m a cartridge guy, and this moved effortlessly over stubble thanks to an upgraded lubricating strip, an exfoliating bar that lifts hairs, and a new pivot disk that contours. Add a sleek stand, and a sub-$20 price, and it’s a no-brainer shaving upgrade.
Why We Love It: Meridian’s The Trimmer smooth-glide ceramic blades handle fine, coarse, and curly hair without tugs or nicks, while the waterproof design makes upkeep easy above and below the belt. With 90 minutes of rechargeable runtime and adjustable guide combs, it’s a tool that works hard and looks good doing it.
Why We Love It: Drawing on the estate’s olive oil heritage, this cream uses olive and lanolin oils to lock in hydration. Manuka honey and calendula soothe skin, reduce redness, and support cellular turnover, while shea butter delivers lasting moisture, finished with a richly intoxicating scent.
Why We Love It: Did we have any doubt the hand wash upgrade would be Aesop? It’s still a bar-setting, gold-standard staple, delivering the classic Aesop clean you expect every time you wash, with a citrus, rosemary, and lavender aroma that smells incredible.
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