5 Best Colognes for the Gym (2025)

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You want to wear cologne to smell clean, fresh, and feel energized at the gym, but at the same time you don’t want to annoy those around you. To help make your life easier so you can concentrate on your workout while still smelling fantastic, here are the 5 best colognes for the gym!

The ideal gym fragrance should be:

Light, airy, and fresh. Look for a cologne you’ll actually enjoy wearing while you’re sweating and pushing yourself. It should stay fresh and pleasant — a scent those around you will appreciate, not find headache-inducing.
Natural and clean. The best gym scents evoke crisp citrus, fresh aquatic, and cooling green notes that feel refreshing and energizing.
Not too expensive. Since you’ll only be wearing your gym cologne for a short period — maybe an hour at most — there’s no reason to splurge. Don’t go for $400 colognes; stick to the great options I recommend that are all under $150.

1. Versace Man Eau Fraiche

Versace Man Eau Fraiche is a premium, natural-smelling cologne with a light, refreshing profile. Its prominent notes of lemon, bergamot, and star fruit deliver a zesty, invigorating burst, while hints of rosewood and sycamore wood add a subtle, masculine touch.

This is the kind of cologne women love to smell on men — especially at the gym!

2. Acqua Di Parma Colonia Essenza

If you’re looking for a clean, natural and sophisticated gym cologne, Acqua di Parma Colonia Essenza is hard to beat. Its citrus opening of lemon, orange, bergamot, and grapefruit feels fresh and uplifting, while the soft woods in the base adds a masculine elegance.

This is a cologne that’s fresh for the gym but classy enough to wear to the most formal of events.

3. Nautica Voyage

While Nautica Voyage is the most affordable cologne on this list, it’s one of my most complimented fragrances overall — and not just at the gym.

Its crisp green apple and fresh water lotus notes make it light, refreshing, and perfect for workouts.

4. John Varvatos Artisan

I highly recommend John Varvatos Artisan for the gym. Its prominent notes of Sicilian clementine, tangelo fruit, and ginger create a smooth, fresh citrus scent that feels light and energizing — perfect for workouts.

It’s refined without being overpowering, which makes it a great fit for the gym.

5. Lacoste L12 12 Blanc

Lacoste is a brand rooted in the sport of tennis. As such, most of their fragrances are a fantastic choice for a gym/active cologne. The Lacoste L12 12 Blanc eau de toilette is a grapefruit forward cologne with vetiver and fresh woods in the background which lend it a fresh and masculine scent profile.

This is a cologne specially designed to be fresh, light and energizing and sure to garner compliments.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this list of the best colognes for the gym. Each one brings something unique — some lean more on bright citrus, others on fresh aquatic notes — but they all share a clean, refreshing quality that makes them perfect for your workouts.