10 Best Prada Colognes for Men
Updated January 2023
How We Found the Best Prada Colognes
5 Experts Interviewed
14 Fragrances Tested
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Liam Carson
Prada started its life as an Italian fashion house in 1913. It’s now one of the few major fashion brands which still has the involvement of the founder’s family. Like other major Italian fashion brands like Versace and Valentino, Prada made the seamless transition from ready-to-wear and couture to perfumes and colognes with ease.
Compared to other luxury brands, Prada’s venture into the world of perfumery is a relatively recent development. Their first perfumes hit the market in 1990, with 86 fragrances now in the brand’s catalogue. At the same time as launching their first perfumes, Prada came out with their partner brand, Miu Miu, which now also offers a perfume range.
For our best Prada fragrance review, we’re taking a deep dive into ten of the brand’s bestselling colognes, comparing their notes and aesthetics to give you a feel of each scent. Our guide will help you choose the classic perfume that you should add to your collection.
Summary List
Prada Colognes Ranked by Cologne Critic
Why we chose it
Luna Rossa Black has been tagged the best performing cologne choice from Prada by out experts. Daniela Andrier is the nose behind this fragrance, which launched in 2018 as the seventh variant from the Luna Rossa line. The cologne takes its inspiration from the Luna Rossa sailboat, which the brand co-sponsor.
While this is a night-time scent, it is wearable for daytime as well. It opens with top notes of angelica and bergamot, which give way to the heart notes of coumarin and patchouli. You’ll smell amber and musk in the base notes, which give this cologne its masculine feel. Unlike the other Luna Rossa scents, this one does not contain lavender.
Luna Rossa Black has an impressive sillage and the sort of longevity that you would expect from a luxury cologne. It’s a great choice for a signature fragrance or if you don’t want to touch-up between day to night.
Main Accords
- Amber
- Musky
- Woody
Our Take
This Prada summer cologne can see you from the spring through autumn as a signature daytime scent. Daniela Andrier once again is the nose behind the L’Homme cologne. This woody chypre fragrance opens with top notes of black pepper, cardamom, carrot seeds, and neroli. You’ll smell geranium, mate, iris, and violet in the heart notes. L’Homme closes with base notes of amber, cedar, patchouli, and sandalwood. Amber and iris are two classic notes that you’ll find in almost every Prada fragrance.
L’Homme was launched in 2016 alongside its female counterpart La Femme, based on the idea of a “pair of equals”. The two fragrances tell the story of a man and woman, both confident in their relationship and themselves, ‘reunited in an identical vision’. If you’re looking for matching fragrances that you and your significant other can wear, consider the L’Homme and La Femme scents from Prada.
Main Accords
- Iris
- Violet
- Powdery
Our Take
Give your cologne collection an update for spring and summer with the Luna Rossa Sport fragrance. This Prada summer cologne has a citrus aromatic scent, launching in 2016 to instant positive reviews. The man who seeks adventure in his life is the inspiration behind this scent, which remains true to the essence of the original Luna Rossa cologne, while adding in new notes.
Bergamot and citron make up the top notes, which open to ginger and lavender in the heart of the fragrance. Luna Rossa Sport concludes with base notes of ambergris and cedar. This cologne is for the man who isn’t afraid of a little healthy competition in his life, while also lending itself to be a unisex fragrance.
Main Accords
- Amber
- Citrus
- Lavender
Our Take
One of the newer releases from Prada, launching in 2018, as a limited-edition version of the popular L’Homme cologne, which was released two years earlier. L’Homme Absolu is an oriental woody cologne, with Daniela Andrier as the nose behind the scent. While the original formulation is a summer scent, this version will take you from fall through to spring, lending itself equally to day and night-time wear.
The fragrance opens with a similar composition to the original, containing top notes of black pepper, bergamot, cardamom, and green mandarin. You’ll find geranium, neroli, and iris in the heart notes. The base notes conclude the cologne with amber, cedar, and labdanum. As the cologne dries down, you’ll have the lingering aroma of amber and cedar.
For the bottle, the brand took their inspiration from the print on the floor of one of their stores in Milan, turning it into a Saffiano leather textile.
Main Accords
- Citrus
- Fresh Spicy
- Warm Spicy
Our Take
After the original Amber Pour Homme hit the shelves in 2006, it became an instant success for its sophisticated but masculine fragrance that blends traditional notes with a modern twist. It came to define what Prada stood for in the world of menswear. In 2011, Prada released Amber Intense as an oriental fragrance which elevates the notes of the original formula, intensifying the amber scent.
This night-time cologne is ideal for fall and winter, opening with top notes of bergamot, cardamom, and neroli. You’ll catch geranium, musk, myrrh, and vetiver in the heart notes. This cologne reaches its end with the base notes of amber, leather, patchouli, and vanilla.
Amber Intense is a seductive cologne which will turn heads in any room you walk into.
Main Accords
- Amber
- Woody
- Warm Spicy
Our Take
In 2016, Prada launched their original La Femme and L’Homme colognes as an interlocking pair of scents for the modern man and woman. Their popularity meant that the brand quickly released the intense variants within a year of the original launch.
This cologne opens with a top note of iris and heart notes of amber and patchouli. The base notes give this fragrance an oriental feel with leather, sandalwood, and tonka bean.
The Intense various is a described by the brand as “multi-layered experience”, with the classic Prada notes of iris and amber. This cologne and its bottle design take their inspiration from the “elusive nature of the multi-faceted Prada man”.
Main Accords
- Iris
- Amber
- Powdery
Our Take
This is the cologne that kick-started the Luna Rossa range for Prada. Launching in 2012, this citrus aromatic cologne is a staple in every best Prada fragrance review. The fragrance takes its name from the “Red Moon” sailing team that is co-sponsored by Prada for the American Cup, with the fragrance inspired by the world of sailing and the adventure that comes with it.
Luna Rossa will take you through spring and summer as a daytime cologne that you’ll want to throw into your work bag. You’ll smell bitter orange and lavender in the top notes, which give way to the heart notes of clary sage and mint. Ambrette and ambroxan comprise the cologne’s base. The accords work together to take classic notes and give them a contemporary masculine feel.
Main Accords
- Green
- Aromatic
- Lavender
Our Take
L’Homme L’Eau launched in 2017 as a woody chypre fragrance to wear from spring into fall as a daytime scent. Daniela Andrier is the nose behind this scent. This cologne is made up of only six notes: amber, cedar wood, ginger, neroli, iris, and sandalwood.
The notes work together to create a fresh but sensual fragrance with a slight floral tint. The original L’Homme cologne was released in partnership with La Femme, to bring together polar opposites in two fragrances. For the L’Eau version, Prada explores the fluidity between the original two scents to create something that is utterly modern.
Main Accords
- Iris
- Woody
- Powdery
Our Take
We know we’ve featured several variants of Luna Rossa on this list, but it’s a Prada classic perfume with praise-worthy variants. Luna Rossa Carbon is unique in the line-up as it can see you through from spring to fall, while still lending itself as a winter scent in the right circumstances. It’s a daytime cologne which will take you from day to night.
This cologne opens to top notes of bergamot and pepper. You’ll smell coal, lavender, metallic and watery notes in the heart. The base notes comprise of the classic scents of ambroxan and patchouli.
Like the original Luna Rossa, this variant includes lavender. This aromatic fougere cologne launched in 2017 and is now a staple in the Luna Rossa line as one of the highest-rated scents.
Main Accords
- Amber
- Lavender
- Fresh Spicy
Our Take
We’re finishing off our best Prada fragrance review with the Amber cologne. Daniela Andrier is the nose behind this cologne, focusing on four accords that blend to create an oriental fragrance that is surprising gentle, with an understated elegance.
This cologne has an interesting background, with Miccia Prada playing a personal role in the creation of the scent, saying that she tried to “imagine what I would like if I were a man”.
Amber opens with top notes of bergamot, cardamom, mandarin orange, and neroli. You’ll catch geranium, myrrh, musk, orange blossom, and vetiver in the heart notes. Prada Amber concludes with base notes of labdanum, leather, patchouli, saffron, sandalwood, and tonka bean.
Main Accords
- Amber
- Aromatic
- Warm Spicy
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Researched by a team of fragrance experts.