People search for it as Mont Blanc aftershave or Montblanc aftershave, and the answer is the same either way: two big families and a long tail of older bottles. Montblanc has more than two dozen fragrances for men on our site, and Explorer and Legend carry most of the weight.
Aftershave here means what a British shop means by it: a men's fragrance, not a post-shave splash. Our guide to what aftershave is covers the difference. Everything below is an eau de toilette, eau de parfum or parfum, and each pick says which.
The picks come from the verdicts on our perfume pages, compiled from wearer reports. Where wearers split, we say so.
Explorer, the one most people mean
Explorer is the modern line, from 2019. The Eau de Parfum is the original. Platinum is the herbal, fresher take, Ultra Blue turns it aquatic, and Extreme is a Parfum with leather and amber in the base.
Explorer - Eau de Parfum
Bergamot, pink pepper and clary sage over vetiver and leather, on ambroxan, akigalawood, patchouli and cacao pod. Composed by Olivier Pescheux, Antoine Maisondieu and Jordi Fernández in 2019.
By far the biggest name in the range, with over 16,000 votes and a 4.24 rating. Our verdict is clean, versatile and confident without shouting, an easy everyday and office choice. It is often set against Creed Aventus, and our comparison says the two share similar DNA, with Aventus smokier and Explorer brighter and cleaner. Longevity votes lean positive: 3,427 of 12,133 say long lasting or eternal, against 1,706 weak or very weak.
Explorer Platinum - Eau de Parfum
Violet leaf over clary sage, on cedar. Bruno Jovanovic, Fabrice Pellegrin and Nathalie Lorson, 2023.
The one to pick if you want Explorer without the leather. The verdict describes a crisp, ozonic lift and a balanced herbal heart, relaxed but assertively clean. Wearers vote it long lasting far more often than weak (673 votes against 97). It is rated lower than the original, 3.82 against 4.24.
Explorer Ultra Blue - Eau de Parfum
Bergamot, pink pepper and a fruity top over sea water and ambergris, on patchouli and leather. Fernández, Pescheux and Maisondieu again, 2021.
A brisk modern aquatic with sparkling citrus and salty blue accents, made for daily wear. It has the lowest rating of the Explorer set at 3.66, so treat it as the choice for people who want blue freshness and nothing more complicated.
Explorer Extreme - Parfum
Bergamot over patchouli and vetiver, on amber and leather. Maisondieu and Fernández, 2025.
Opinionated, and divided: the verdict says some wearers hail it as a smart blend of designer favourites while others call it a copy-cat. The rating is a healthy 4.17 from 1,077 votes, and it is the longest-lasting Explorer by wearer votes, with 426 of 658 saying long lasting or eternal. Smell it before you commit.
Legend, the long-running family
Legend started in 2011 as an eau de toilette and now runs from toilette to parfum. The original is a fruit, lavender and moss fougère. Spirit is the citrus aquatic, Night the sweeter evening version, and the 2020 Eau de Parfum goes violet and woody. Red and Blue are the recent flankers.
Legend Spirit - Eau de Toilette
Grapefruit, bergamot and pink pepper over lavender and cardamom, on musk, cashmere wood and oakmoss. Olivier Cresp, 2016.
The biggest Legend flanker, with over 8,000 votes and a 4.11 rating. A crisp citrus aquatic for daily wear, gym freshness and warm weather, and never cloying. The longevity votes are modest, with 889 weak or very weak against 723 long lasting.
Legend - Eau de Toilette
Pineapple, lavender, bergamot and lemon verbena over red apple, dried fruits, oakmoss, geranium, coumarin and rose, on tonka bean and sandalwood. Pescheux and Céline Perdriel, 2011.
The reference point for everything else in the family. A versatile fougère that does not shout but feels assured and inviting, rated 3.95 from 7,817 votes. Longevity is the usual complaint, with 1,086 weak or very weak votes against 758 long lasting.
Legend - Eau de Parfum
Violet leaf and bergamot over jasmine and magnolia, on oakmoss and leather. Pescheux, 2020.
This is a different scent from the toilette rather than a stronger copy: a violet-laced woody that sits between fresh and mossy, an everyday signature for someone who wants refined without loud. It is rated 4.23, well above the toilette, and wearers vote its longevity higher too: 828 of 1,913 long lasting against 171 weak.
Legend Night - Eau de Toilette
Cardamom, mint, clary sage and bergamot over apple, lavender, cedar and violet, on vanilla, akigalawood, musk, patchouli and vetiver. Pescheux and Maisondieu, 2017.
Everyone agrees it smells good, and the verdict says the catch is how briefly it lasts. Votes bear that out, at 295 weak against 260 long lasting. Rated 4.18 from 1,932 votes. A fragrance for a close, short evening rather than a long one.
Legend Red - Eau de Parfum
Blood orange, grapefruit and cardamom over clary sage and juniper, on cedar, mahogany and tonka bean. Pescheux, 2022.
Bright, spicy citrus with woods underneath, and a daily driver more than an occasion scent. It is the lowest-rated Legend for men at 3.76 from 1,311 votes, so try it before you buy it.
Legend Blue - Eau de Parfum
Mint and lavender over cedar and sandalwood, on ambroxan and oakmoss. 2024.
Our verdict does not flatter it: safe and generic, a crowd-pleasing blue scent for people who would rather blend in than stand out. It has a loyal following all the same, and a 4.07 rating from 1,086 votes. If reliable freshness is the whole brief, it does exactly that.
Two more Legend names turn up in searches. Legend Intense (Eau de Parfum, 2013, Pescheux) was fruitier and bolder than the original and is rated 4.26, though the verdict says it has been discontinued. Legend Elixir (Parfum, 2026, Guillaume Flavigny and Maisondieu) is the newest, spicy, powdery and vanilla-rich and aimed at cool evenings. It has only 32 votes so far, so early opinion is thin.
The older Montblanc classics
These date from 2003 to 2014, and the verdicts on them are mixed.
Individuel - Eau de Toilette
Lavender, cinnamon, pineapple and juniper over orange blossom, violet and jasmine, on raspberry, vanilla, sandalwood and dark chocolate. Pierre Bourdon, 2003.
Our verdict calls it divisive: a clean, fruity vibe to some, synthetic, cloying or dated to others, with the dryer-sheet comparison coming up often. It is still the second-biggest community in the brand, 8,309 votes at a 4.00 rating, and wearers lean long lasting (1,911 of 4,956 votes against 645 weak).
Starwalker - Eau de Toilette
Bamboo, bergamot and mandarin over musk, sandalwood and cedar, on ginger, nutmeg and amber. Michel Almairac, 2005.
Wearers love the bamboo freshness and complain about performance. The votes agree: 1,465 of 4,155 say weak or very weak, and only 390 say long lasting. A pleasant, clean scent rated 4.18, with weak staying power.
Emblem - Eau de Toilette
Clary sage, grapefruit and cardamom over violet leaf and cinnamon, on tonka bean. Sonia Constant and Pescheux, 2014.
A friendly, spicy-fresh scent that starts arguments, rated 3.93 from 1,720 votes. Some rave about its mass appeal, others find it safe and unremarkable. Emblem Intense (Eau de Parfum, same year) adds suede and rose, and wearers split on that one too, between strong performance and generic and fleeting.
One darker bottle
Black Meisterstuck - Eau de Parfum
Incense over amber and vetiver. Jordi Fernández, 2024.
The highest rating in the range, 4.45, though from a smaller group of 625 voters. The verdict calls it a dark horse: a sophisticated, wearable incense that is a little niche and at times churchy, with mature ambery depth that does not overwhelm a room. Votes lean strongly long lasting (287 of 387, against 7 weak).
Two to try before you buy
Patchouli Ink (Eau de Parfum, 2024) is dark and creamy to some wearers and sour or metallic to others, and the verdict says plainly that it is not a safe blind buy. Star Oud (Eau de Parfum, 2025) is a smoky oud that the verdict says you will either adore or find repulsive.
Where to start
For most people, the Explorer Eau de Parfum. For a fresher, lighter Montblanc, Legend Spirit. For a Legend that lasts longer, the Eau de Parfum over the toilette. With the older bottles, sniff before you buy, because the verdicts on them disagree with each other.
