Hugo Boss started as a clothing company. Hugo Ferdinand Boss founded it in 1924 in the small German town of Metzingen, and the group's own history page still opens with that line. Fragrance came six decades later, when the company granted its first fragrance licence in 1984.

The bottle most men mean when they say Hugo Boss cologne arrived in 1998. Boss Bottled was created by the perfumer Annick Menardo, and Fragrantica lists apple, plum and bergamot on top, a heart of cinnamon, mahogany and carnation, and a base of vanilla, sandalwood, cedar and vetiver. That apple and cinnamon opening is why it smells clean and warm at the same time, and why it has lasted.

Today the scents are made by Coty under licence. The partnership began in 2016 and was renewed in December 2022 to run beyond 2035, according to a Hugo Boss press release.

The first grid is the Boss Bottled family, from the original Eau de Toilette to the Parfum, the Elixir and the Absolu, plus HUGO Man for something greener. The second grid is eight colognes from other houses that sit in the same fresh and woody lane.

A simple test in a store: spray two on paper strips, walk around for twenty minutes, then smell again. The one you still like after the opening fades is the one to take home.

Every Hugo Boss Bottled shares the same rectangular bottle idea, but the scent inside gets deeper as the names get longer.

The BOSS Bottled Eau de Toilette is the original: fresh and fruity on top, with a spicy-floral heart built around geranium and a touch of clove. It is the one I would wear to the office. The Boss Bottled Eau de Parfum keeps the apple and adds cardamom and vetiver, so it is woodier and lasts longer. Boss Bottled Infinite leans lighter, with apple, lavender, patchouli and sandalwood.

Then the evening bottles. Boss Bottled Parfum has leather, orris and wood, and it smells warm and dressed up. Boss Bottled Beyond is spicier, with ginger and leather. Boss Bottled Absolu is a Parfum Intense with leather, patchouli and cedarwood. The Boss Bottled Elixir is ambery and woody, with incense up top, vetiver in the heart and cedarwood underneath.

HUGO Man is the outlier. It is green apple with aromatic notes and fir balsam, sharper and younger than anything in the Bottled line.

How I would wear them: two sprays, one on each side of the neck, before you put your shirt on. Fragrance lasts longer on skin than on fabric, and it will not mark a collar.

What I would skip: the Absolu or the Elixir on a summer afternoon. They are built for cold air and evenings.

If you already own a Boss Bottled and want a second bottle, these are the ones I would try next. Most sit in the same fresh or woody space.

Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum is the obvious one, with vanilla and nutmeg under a fresh top. BLEU DE CHANEL Eau de Toilette is woody and aromatic, and it is quieter than Sauvage in a room. Prada Luna Rossa Carbon is bergamot, lavender and ambroxan, clean and a little metallic. Armani Beauty Acqua di Giò is the fresh, watery classic with bergamot and cedarwood.

For something with more edge, Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum has sage and woods, and Azzaro Wanted Eau de Parfum pairs sage with vetiver. Valentino Uomo Born in Roma has violet in it, which gives it a soft, almost powdery side that works well at night.

Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt is the one I would give to someone who says he does not like cologne. It is mineral and herbal, and it smells more like a coastline than a fragrance counter.

What I would skip: layering two of these. Fresh and woody colognes are balanced on their own, and mixing them usually blurs both.

I think Hugo Boss cologne is at its best when you keep it simple. Pick the Eau de Toilette for daytime, one of the Parfums for evening, and stop there. The line was built on a clean apple and a warm spice, and that balance still works for most men and most rooms. Spray skin, not fabric, and give it twenty minutes before you decide how you feel about it. A good cologne should arrive a moment after you do and leave a moment after you go.

Boss Bottled is a clean place to start, and this last stretch is for the day you want to see what else is out there. For something fresh and blue, I would try Acqua di Giò Eau de Parfum Intense, Bleu de Chanel and Dior Sauvage. For something greener, the CREED Wild Vetiver, Malin and Goetz Vetiver and Hermès Terre d'Hermes Eau Intense Vétiver are all built around vetiver. Jo Malone London Blackberry & Bay and Cypress & Grapevine are lighter colognes for days when you want something quiet. For evenings, Valentino Uomo Born in Roma, YSL MYSLF and Tom Ford Oud Wood have more weight. The Boss Bottled Beyond opens the lineup if you want to stay close to home. Pair a vetiver with a crisp white shirt. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Frenshe Is Ashley Tisdale's Wellness Habit, Bottled in Cashmere Vanilla and Burberry Cologne, Built Around a Trio of Cedars.