How to smell good – however old you are.

Back in summer, a flame-print Prada shirt caused a stir in the Twittersphere because seemingly everyone who wore it looked fantastic in it. From 41-year-old Pusha T to 66-year-old Mr Jeff Goldblum and the droves of street-style stars who were snapped wearing it at fashion week, here was a shirt that seemed to transcend age entirely. In a world where so much of what we wear is dictated by how old we are, this was a rare thing.

With fragrances, too, some things just work better on certain age groups. A man in his sixties should not be smelled dead wearing duty-free Joop!, for instance, and a teenager should probably avoid anything with patchouli.

Exceptions exist, of course, but finding a fragrance that works for a breadth of ages takes a little sniffing around. With that in mind, we have rounded up a roster of sophisticated and well-rounded fragrances that are as contemporary as they are refined (but never stuffy). And – much like the that Prada shirt – will be a credit to any man who wears them.

Gps 26’ 3”E Chalk Eau De Parfum by Haeckels

Some fragrance brands rely on their storied history to set them apart, but newer ones have to carve out a niche to get noticed. Mr Dom Bridges began making bars of soap from Margate seaweed, and from there has built a venerable cosmetics brand on ingredients sourced from the seaside town. Haeckels fragrances are as fresh and easy-going as the brand’s ethos: “They’re unisex and for any age,” Mr Bridges tells us. “I don’t subscribe to gender-based scents; you either love it or you don’t.” Its GPS 26’ 3”E Chalk fragrance is named for the precise geographical location from where its ingredients were picked and is intended to evoke Margate’s white grassy cliffs. It also comes with a small stick of chalk, which works as a natural diffuser, should you wish to infuse your home with it.

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Tam Dao by Diptyque

Tam Dao is consistently said to be one of Diptyque’s best offerings and combines a mixture of floral and woody notes to create a fresh, invigorating scent that has a subtly musky depth. It’s inspired by the heat of an Asian jungle, although it must smell much better than that. It contains cypress, amber, sweet Brazilian rosewood and cedar. Exotic yet easy to wear, this is a good signature fragrance if you’re looking for compliments.

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Bruma by Cire Trudon

Founded in 1643, Cire Trudon is rather special. The world’s oldest wax-producing factory provided candles to the royal court of King Louis XIV, and last year launched its own line of fragrances. They are, as you may expect, as rich and layered as the candlemaker’s history, and Bruma, the scent created by perfumer Mr Antoine Lie, is a worthy addition to Cire Trudon’s olfactory repertoire. Latin for “solstice”, Bruma contains layers of powdery-sweet violet, iris and tonka bean and has a woody depth.

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Cologne Indélébile by Frédéric Malle

Frédéric Malle is a must-know fragrance brand for men who value long-lasting scents that are as versatile as they are unique. Its Cologne Indélébile is a straightforward and sophisticated fragrance that has top notes of bergamot and lemon that open out into a scent of neroli and orange blossom. It’s good if you’re a fan of citrussy fragrances and is a scent that will fit in at parties as well as in the office.

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Mister Marvelous by Byredo

Do you have a Mister Marvelous in your life? Perhaps you are him. In any case, Byredo knew what they were doing when they named this fragrance. Combining top notes of neroli and mandarin with woodier, musky scents like black amber and white cedarwood, Mister Marvelous is strangely evocative. Scents generally cannot command authority or, say, be handsome, but if they could…

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Oud & Bergamot by Jo Malone London

Jo Malone London’s Oud & Bergamot cologne is both fresh and heady, and is decadent without being overpowering. It works especially well as a light evening fragrance. Particularly pleasant in the cooler months, add another dimension to Oud & Bergamot by layering it with the brand’s Dark Amber & Ginger Lily cologne – they complement each other well, making them lifelong staples on your dressing table.

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