which axe body spray is best?
After hours of researching and testing I found five of the most popular Axe deodorant body spray fragrances. I’ve included a range of fragrance accords to help you find one that you might enjoy wearing.
These are by far the best smelling sprays of the group.
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to find a personal fragrance that you like. Choose one of these body sprays, and you’ll get a masculine fragrance that effectively reduces body odor while helping you smell nice without overspending your male grooming budget.
Ready to get fresh without going broke?
On to the list!
Axe daily fragrances for men, also known as, deodorant body sprays have a reputation for being obnoxiously bold. People either love them or hate them, but the company releases new fragrances each year and some are quite toned down in comparison to decades ago.
The difference between these body sprays and their dry spray antiperspirants is that the body sprays protect against odor only, not wetness.
Also, Axe dry spray antiperspirants can only be sprayed in the armpit area, but these deodorant body sprays can literally be sprayed onto various parts of the body. But…just don’t do this.
Here are the top five scents.
According to Axe, Phoenix is their best-selling fragrance. What is it about this scent that makes customers return to purchase it over and over again?
Somebow, Phoenix is the perfect blend of fresh, masculine, and sophisticated. This particular scent was released in 2000, and originally included the following layers:
Top layer
Middle layer
Base layer
At first glance, you might see “soil tincture” and wonder why anyone would want to spray this fragrance on their body as a deodorizer or fragrance spray. But somehow, it works.
I suppose it’s like smelling the earth after a fresh rain or grassy soil notes after drying laundry on a clothesline outdoors. Somehow, you smell freshness even though there’s dirt involved.
Phoenix is floral, herbal, and fresh at the start, and then you smell the fresh soil and powdery violet notes. Musk is a common base note but leather adds depth to the dry down.
You might expect an Axe product to be a linear fragrance but many of them are quite complex. And for more than 20 years, the scents have been composed by perfumer Ann Gottlieb.
There seems to have been a change in its formula because mint and rosemary notes have become the dominant scent accords.
I should also note that this is a fairly small bottle – 4 oz (113 g), but that makes it highly portable. Six are included in this set, so you can keep bottles wherever you need them. And the price makes it easy to replace once you’re finished.
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Reportedly the second most popular Axe fragrance, primary scent accords for Apollo deodorant body spray are sage and cedarwood.
This is a refreshing scent that’s more subtle than Phoenix. It’s so much softer, as a matter of fact, women share that they enjoy wearing this scent as well. Many of them do so on the sly and some even avoid wearing it in public for fear that others will tell them that they smell masculine.
Seriously, Apollo is such an attractive scent that you might find your siblings, girlfriend, or others using your supply.
Depending on which batch you receive, additional fragrance notes might include:
The company doesn’t veer too far from its original scent accords, but you might notice subtle differences between bottles until the older version has been completely phased out.
These bottles are small as well, 4 oz (113 g), but two are included.
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Rounding out the top three scents sold by Axe, Black is slightly fruity. Primary fragrance accords include frozen pear and cedarwood.
The creaminess of cedarwood is joined by the sweet but tangy juiciness of pear. As with all the Axe fragrances, their scents narrowly evolve over time, so the bottle you receive might smell a little different.
Nevertheless, here are some scents you may encounter on each layer:
Axe Black is marketed as one of their subtle but sophisticated fragrances. Although it’s a top three contender, more and more men have expressed disappointments with the direction this fragrance is going. To them, it’s increasingly subtle, meaning less and less masculine.
All of the Axe deodorant spray bottles are encased in black containers with colorful graphics. Black’s sleek bottles hold 4 oz (113g) of liquid; two are included.
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Through Gold Citron, Axe did a great job of combining refreshingly sweet citrus notes with earthy white woods for a clean but grounding effect.
Although this fragrance incorporates sweeter notes, it’s still very masculine. At the same time, it’s a light fragrance that is just strong enough to make a difference without being overpowering.
Since this fragrance is somewhat less common, it’s an Axe scent you can try if you’d prefer not to smell like others. Standing out with Gold Citron is a possibility.
As formulas have evolved, finding the exact notes included in Gold Citron proved difficult. It’s also more difficult to find this fragrance out in the world. So, if you come across it in stores or online, you might want to purchase it right away because it might be a while before you come across it again.
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For an even lighter, fresher deodorant body spray, there’s Axe Cool Ocean.
Since Cool Ocean isn’t one of the top three best selling fragrances, it’s quite possible that you can enjoy the odor-fighting properties of an Axe spray without smelling like most other men you come in contact with.
This is hands-down Axe’s freshest fragrance. Aquatic notes are so precise that spraying on this deodorant spray truly reminds you of the scent of ocean waters.
Even though it’s light and crisp, Cool Ocean still blasts odor molecules. If you don’t want to have a very specific smell, like vanilla and oud, then Cool Ocean lends a somewhat neutral solution.
Spraying this over your chest and maybe even your clothes before a meeting after having been outdoors can neutralize your odors and freshen you up without causing you to smell as though you’ve dipped yourself in cologne.
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Founded in 1983, some of the older Axe advertisements used to include the taglines like, “The Axe Effect” and “Love at first sniff.”
These phrases were used to describe the reaction guys could expect to receive from girls while wearing Axe body spray.
Of course, these commercials exaggerated the romantic possibilities, and the company got a lot of flak about it so modern taglines have been toned down to, “Smell irresistible…all day.” This tagline has been referred to as “The New Axe Effect.”
The company has been doing a lot of work to correct prior messaging, and they seem to be making sincere efforts to communicate more positive phrasing through newer marketing campaigns.
Still, with each of their fragrances the company aims to help you feel attractive and desirable to others. It may or may not work, but if you’re the kind of person who wants to fade into the background, that’s unlikely to happen while wearing an Axe product.
If the product may or may not make you appealing to others, you might wonder what the advantages of wearing Axe deodorant body spray are.
One of the primary functions of Axe’s deodorant body spray is that it helps support your grooming routine.
From body wash to hair care products to antiperspirant deodorant and body spray, incorporating Axe products into your daily use helps you to not only smell great, but prevent foul odors from developing.
That’s where the deodorant body spray does its best work. Using zinc technology, Axe deodorant body sprays are formulated to eliminate the bad odors instead of simply covering them up with a nice smell.
You might already be wearing Axe antiperspirant deodorant and not have time or access to take a shower after a short workout. In such cases, Axe deodorant body spray can tide you over until you’re able to properly clean your body. Some of the formulations continue to fight bacteria for 48-hours.
Either way, the body spray is a refresh. It doesn’t simply cover up the funk, it fights those odor molecules, which prevents you from smelling sweaty and gross.
Simply killing odorous bacteria isn’t enough, though. You’ll want to smell nice as well. Some deodorizers can cause you to smell worse instead of better, though, and that’s something that helps Axe deodorant body sprays stand out.
More than just a drugstore personal fragrance, Axe fragrances are fresh and modern. Some of them are even more mature than what you might be familiar with from past Axe fragrances.
For example, there are two fragrances that didn’t make the top five list but are perfect runner ups, especially for the older Axe customer. Those two scents are Axe Gold and Axe Essence.
Axe Gold deodorant body spray is a more refined fragrance combination of oud wood and dark vanilla.
This scent is masculine but also subtle. It’s no Tom Ford, but Axe Gold is warm and creamy, though best worn in cold climates.
The second example is Axe Essence deodorant body spray. This one has fresh green, leafy notes but it’s also aromatic due to the addition of herbaceous thyme. Subtle sweetness is present due to top green apple notes.
Of the top five scents listed above, Phoenix is the most popular Axe fragrance. Its fragrance notes are surprising but clearly a fan favorite.
You might be amazed to encounter more complex and mature Axe scents that leave you smelling more like a designer fragrance than a cheap, nauseating teenage fragrance.
And you get to experience these more developed scents with odor-fighting power without digging too deep into your pockets.
The average cost for a 5.1 oz bottle of Axe deodorant body spray is about $7 USD. That’s highly inexpensive in comparison to designer fragrances, especially when you consider its odor busting feature.
Designer fragrances don’t kill odors, they simply make you smell nice. Granted, designer fragrances last longer and are made with even better ingredients, but you can’t sweat, and then spray on a designer fragrance and expect to smell nice. That simply won’t work. You’ll end up smelling even worse, actually.
But when using Axe deodorant body spray, you’ll get more value for your money if you’re in a bind and need to quickly eliminate body odor.
You can purchase multiple bottles for home, work, your gym bag, and so forth. And it’s easy to replace these bottles once they’ve been used. Instead of dropping $100 USD or more on a well performing designer fragrance, you can kill two birds with one stone by purchasing a bottle of Axe.
Instead of dropping $50-$100 USD or more on a well performing designer fragrance (or $200+ USD on a niche fragrance), you can kill two birds with one stone by purchasing a bottle of Axe.
Axe deodorant body sprays can’t replace designer or niche fragrances. The longevity, sillage, and projection of more expensive fragrances can’t be matched by Axe.
But Axe simply serves a different purpose. Its performance is in its odor elimination capabilities; scent is secondary, and a nice bonus.
The clear winner for the best Axe deodorant body spray is the ever-popular Phoenix scent.
It’s got that traditional Axe forcefulness, but it’s still a mature fragrance that won’t burn your nose hairs. Axe Cool Ocean is a refreshing alternative that’s equally effective but with less forcefulness.
You may or may not smell irresistible, but as long as you feel good and fresh wearing your Axe deodorant body spray, that’s all that really matters.
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Axe is an affordable deodorant and body care brand and my first memory of it was when I was in high school. All the guys used to wear Axe but while it is often associated with younger generations, there are lots of us that still get a kick out of these sprays.
Axe has now 61 different scents, based on my count. Even though fragrances come and go, with this much choice, how do you know which is the scent for you?
Here’s where I can help. I’ve been trying out the top Axe body sprays to find out which scent smells the best and fights my sweat and odor. Let’s dive right in!
Having an oud-based fragrance in Axe made me thrilled. Oud is one of my favorite scents and with the addition of vanilla, this deodorant feels more like a luxury perfume. I went crazy spraying it all over myself and was surprised at just how strong it was.
If you don’t like intense deodorants then it might not be for you. But if you want an opulent, powdery, unisex deodorant, it’ll be right up your alley.
Just like many other Axe sprays, Gold Oud Wood and Dark Vanilla does a really good job at masking odors but since it’s not an antiperspirant, it won’t stop you from sweating. For day to day wear, I felt reasonably dry and fresh and the scent continued for as long as I needed it to.
Dark Temptation is a men’s deodorant but there’s a sweetness to it that I think makes it more than unisex. With a chocolate and patchouli scent, this is something you can wear in place of cologne if you want something a little less in your face for day to day wear.
That said, Dark Temptation is one of the stronger Axe scents and since I like something that grabs attention, I had to put it in second place.
I felt as though the deodorant kept me smelling fresh all day but I feel as though it performed better when I used it alongside the Dark Temptation body wash. So, if you like this one, you may find yourself spending a little more to buy the whole range.
If you’re looking for a powerful masculine deodorant then Apollo will be up there with the best. It’s not one of my favorites although the sage and cedar scent is quite nice. However, I couldn’t put it any lower than third place because this is one of the most popular Axe deodorants out there.
Apollo is one of the more classic Axe scents from the early 2000s. I remember people going crazy for this and to this day, I still notice it on people as they pass me by. While it’s only a deodorant, it really packs a punch.
Plus, I find that Apollo does an excellent job at masking odors and does keep you fresh and confident for longer. That said, I find that, after around six hours, I need to reapply if I want to get the best performance.
I personally prefer Excite to Apollo but I put it lower down because Apollo is so much more popular.
The Excite spray is a rich, warm smelling deodorant with coconut and caramel. There’s almost a unisex vibe to this one and I think it perfectly compliments an evening cologne because of how luxurious and strong it smells.
What about sweat protection? Well, I was very pleased to say that the fragrance lasted all day and stopped the smell of nasty odors. People have however told me that the scent didn’t mask sweat odors in their bodies, but rather made them worse. For this reason, I’d suggest putting it to the test before you commit.
The blend of white woods and citrus appeals to me. The only reason I haven’t placed this Axe deodorant further up in my ranking is because there were some scents that I found were a little stronger and longer lasting.
Gold Citron stopped me from feeling stinky throughout my day, but I didn’t catch as many whiffs of it as I did with something like Dark Temptation. That said, I didn’t notice any sweaty odors when I was wearing it so it does what you’d expect.
I do think that this particular Axe deodorant is better suited to younger guys as the scent is quite youthful. If you want something more mature then I’d go for Anarchy (look at number 7).
Axe Love is Love is a unisex fragrance that is sadly only a limited edition. However, with the sweet, woody scent of sandalwood, I had to include it on my list.
I’ve heard a few people commenting on how Love is Love is one of the best scents from Axe. But because of its limited status, I couldn’t include it higher on the list. Yet, the Pride Flag on the spray is a brilliant addition.
This is a deodorant body spray so it’s not designed to stop you from sweating but it does mask odors really well. It feels incredibly fresh when you spray it and that’s something that lasts all day without being offensive.
This deodorant scent became a hit for Axe very quickly. So much so that the brand Launched two Anarchy scents for women.
This men’s version is a sweet amber scent that I feel works well as a replacement for cologne on days where you want a more discreet fragrance.
Anarchy does keep odors at bay for a few hours but like some of the other scents by Axe, I found that I needed to repeat the spray after a few hours. Not so much because I felt as though I smelt bad but because I could no longer smell it on my skin.
Before trying I was a little skeptical about Wild Bamboo as I thought it might not be a scent for me. But then, I was impressed by the super fresh and uplifting scent of bamboo and grapefruit.
I found that this was one of the best Axe deodorants to use right out of the shower as it stayed smelling clean for a decent length of time. The fragrance covered any odors really well but it didn’t stop me from sweating and when working harder, I found my underarms a little wetter than I’d have liked.
Perhaps if the longevity was a little better, I’d have included Wild Bamboo a little higher in my ranking. But I do think it’s one of my favorites for everyday wear.
Cool Ocean is a super fresh smelling deodorant with a blast of mint alongside the earthiness of rosemary. I felt instantly refreshed after using this spray, and it kept me feeling clean for hours afterward.
I think that Cool Ocean is a masculine scent but because it feels so soapy and clean, women could get away with wearing it. I’d have featured it further up my rank but I feel as though this is a pretty generic smelling deodorant and not all that original.
Axe claims that this deodorant will keep you fresh for up to 48 hours and while it did hold up well, I wouldn’t say you’d get quite that long. Since it is aluminum free, as all Axe products are, you will have something long lasting that’s also kind to the skin.
Axe is largely aimed at guys but there are a few women’s deodorant sprays and Anarchy for Her is one of the best selling. The packaging has a nice feminine touch so you don’t feel as though you’re wearing a men’s brand. I think this would make a good gift option.
I find that Anarchy for Her smells fruity and sweet, which makes it a great choice for younger women or teenage girls.
The deodorant is designed to be worn all over the body and leaves a lasting scent for a good few hours after applying. The body spray actually does prevent bad odors and works well even when you’re exercising or being active.
If there’s anything that Axe is known for it’s the TV commercial promising lashings of female attention. Back in the day, I remember being enamored with the idea of being chased by hundreds of bikini clad women through the wilderness and across the beach. But I think by today’s standards, that 2011 commercial might not hit in the same way!
Axe was formed under the Unilever brand in France back in 1983 although Unilever is actually a British company. Prior to this, the parent company had successfully launched a range of women’s deodorant body sprays called Impulse which up until this day remain the spray of choice for young women around the world.
In the UK and a few other countries like Australia and Ireland, Axe is sold under the brand name Lynx owing to issues with trademarking in these locations. But you’d easily be able to tell a bottle of Lynx and Axe as being the same product since the branding and marketing are totally the same. Moreover, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that Axe was launched in North America.
One of the main concepts behind Axe was that it would be a deodorant that could also act as a cologne thereby bridging the gap between these two personal care products.
While it can be worn by men (and women) of all ages, Axe is mainly marketed towards guys between the ages of 15 and 28. Because of this, many people associate the products with high schoolers despite not realizing that there are some seriously mature and indulgent deodorant scents out there; Dark Temptation and Gold Oud Wood and Fresh Vanilla, I’m talking about you!
Regardless of the target audience, Axe has seen success after success. In 2006, just four years after being introduced to the US market, more than $71 million worth of Axe products had been sold in the country. Today, the company brings in a whopping $1 every year, despite the many controversies it has seen.
For example, there have been multiple complaints around the sexual promiscuity promoted in the marketing campaigns. Plus, back in 2008, Axe was blamed for the death of a teenage boy in the UK who allegedly died of heart failure after spraying copious amounts of Axe deodorant in an unventilated area. However, when you investigate a little more closely, you find out that the victim may well have already had a heart condition that was exacerbated by the use of too much deodorant.
As a parent who used to use Axe back in my younger days, I can really relate to this meme. It’s that musty concoction of typical Axe scents like Apollo mixed with the sweat of the day that seems to fill the house as soon as teen boy’s bedroom door opens. But it’s as if he’s nose blind and only his mother and I catch a whiff of the terror.
Do you remember how ingrained those Axe adverts were in your mind? I was convinced that if I doused myself in the stuff, I’d be sure to score. Most of the time I was wrong because every other guy in the club was also covered in Axe so women would probably be gassed out in a corner somewhere rather than hitting on these guys that smelled like a teenage locker room.
Doesn’t there seem to be an image associated with wearing Axe body spray? The cheap, young guy with one thing on his mind; impressing the women. The only problem is that the rest of us cringe when we see what he’s done to himself. That was never me when I was younger, was it?
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