Once reserved for children, advent calendars are now luxury purchases, with many grown-up versions filled with cheese, whisky, gin, beer, beauty and grooming products. The men’s market for advent calendars grows every year, from luxury grooming options packed with skincare and fragrances to 25 days of socks.
As ever, the lead-up to the Christmas countdown is getting earlier and earlier, and some of our favourite tried-and-tested brands have already launched advent calendars for 2025.
Whether you’re buying one for yourself or as a gift for your dad, brother, partner or friend, these advent calendars are packed with goodies, so you or your giftee will be pampered daily in the run-up to Christmas and beyond. What better treat than uncovering a new product each day in December?
While some brands aren’t running men’s calendars this year – notably, Next and Clarins – there are still plenty of brands to discover, and I’ll be updating with news as they drop.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
IndyBest is The Independent’s reviews section, where experts examine products to find the very best. We have been reviewing advent calendars for years, covering everything from the best in women’s beauty advent calendars to toy-filled advent calendars that kids will love, and the best classic chocolate advent calendars to boozy calendars showcasing gin, wine and whisky to toast the season.
Samuel Mathewson is a shopping audience editor who also writes about men’s fashion and grooming. He has been covering men’s advent calendars for the last three years and knows exactly which ones are worth your money.
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Liberty men's advent calendar 2025
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Best: Men's advent calendar for discovering niche brands
Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25 (full size 15)
Available: Now
Advent calendar highlights: Augustinus Bader the cream, Malin + Goetz recovery treatment oil, DS & Durga’s radio bombay eau de parfum
Worth: £932
Known for its mixture of well-loved brands and more niche fragrance and skincare offerings, the Liberty men’s calendar is back for 2025 with some heavy hitters. Grooming products are exceptionally good value, with notable inclusions from expensive brands like Augustinus Bader and Malin + Goetz. You’ll get a 15ml bottle of Augustinus Bader’s beloved but expensive the cream (£77, Cultbeauty.co.uk) and Malin + Goetz’s recovery treatment oil (£72, Selfridges.com), so the calendar is very good value.
However, the highlight this year is the range of fragrances on offer. You get travel-size perfumes from cult brands, offering a great way to road-test premium fragrances without spending lots of money on a full-size bottle.
It’s a great way to road-test premium fragrances without spending lots of money on a full-size bottle. For example, you get to try Escentric Molecules 01 eau de toilette (£75, Spacenk.com), DS & Durga’s radio bombay eau de parfum (£155, Cultbeauty.co.uk), and Vilhelm Parfumerie’s morning chess eau de parfum (£220, Libertylondon.com) without spending hundreds of pounds.
On top of that, this year’s Liberty calendar is great for thoughtful accessories. I loved the To My Ships perfumed ceramic tablet to keep clothes or a gym bag smelling fresh, and the Ripple mini incense cones in a comforting, festive berry scent.
Buy now £260.00, Libertylondon.co.uk
Lookfantastic grooming advent calendar
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Best: Men's advent calendar with mix of affordable and premium brands
Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25 (10 full size)
Available: Pre-order now, dispatches 23 September
Advent calendar highlights: Espa the hydrator, Vichy mineral 89 cream
Worth: Over £425
The men’s grooming advent calendar from Lookfantastic is always a solid choice and comes at a very reasonable price. This year, the calendar is £85 with a worth (according to the brand) of £425. With 10 full-size products inside, there’s a little something every day leading up to Christmas.
There are relatively budget options like shaving cream from Bulldog (£2, Boots.com) and a lip balm from Dr Pawpaw (£5, Amazon.com).
However, there are a few luxury options. There is a travel body wash from Molton Brown (full-size £26, Johnlewis.com) and ESPA’s hydrator moisturiser (£35, Espaskincare.com). The skincare is a highlight of this year, with ingredient-forward brands featured heavily, such as a travel-size of Vichy’s mineral 89 face cream (£24.50, Amazon.co.uk). If your budget doesn’t stretch to a luxury calendar, this still makes an excellent gift.
Buy now £85.00, Lookfantastic.com
Penhaligon's the advent calendar
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Best: British heritage Men's advent calendar
Number of days: 24
Number of products: 24
Available: Online and in boutiques September 1
Advent calendar highlights: Halfetti eau de parfum, maduro leaf candle
Worth: Over £600
Penhaligon’s Christmas collection is knitwear-inspired with a classic, vintage look in keeping with the brand’s heritage status. You 24 miniatures across a wide variety of products, including fragrances, candles and body care.
This calendar offers a way to explore a variety of products across the brand’s collections with limited edition festive options, including Christmas candles, and fragrances of 5ml, 10ml and 30ml quantities.
For example, you’ll receive the brand’s luna soap (£28, Penhaligons.com), the halfetti eau de parfum (£110, Penhaligons.com), and a maduro leaf candle (£65, Sephora.co.uk). If you know your giftee loves Penhaligons already, this is a great way to stock up.
Buy now £425.00, Penhaligons.com
Acqua di Parma holiday 2025 advent calendar
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Best: Luxury fragrance advent calendar for men
Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25
Available: Now
Advent calendar highlights: Bosco candle, colonia eau de cologne
Worth: Not disclosed
Acqua di Parma is a mainstay for fragrance fans, leaning into citrus notes, Mediterranean flora and clean soapy scents. While the calendar costs £460, it's packed with signature scents that should last you all year, so it’s surprisingly good value.
There are 13 fragrances – mostly 12ml vials with a 20ml colonia eau de cologne – plus bodycare essentials including soap, lotion, body wash and shampoo.
There are two festive candles too. My favourite? Bosco (£76, Acquadiparma.com), with rich pine notes that feel like you’re walking through a Christmas tree farm.
On top of that, you can get some bonuses, too. If you’ve never bought from Acqua di Parma, you get a free 40ml colonia shower gel, and the £460 price tag takes you over the £180 limit for a free 5ml colonia eau de cologne.
Buy now £460.00, Acquadiparma.com
Sockshop 25 pair bamboo Christmas advent calendar
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Best: Men's advent calendar for gifting
Number of days: 25
Number of products: 25
Available: Now
Advent calendar highlights: Father Christmas socks
Worth: Not diclosed
Socks for Christmas are a bit of a cliche; they’re the gift you get someone when you don’t know what else to get them. But sometimes an on-the-nose present is exactly what’s needed. Sockshop’s calendar this year has 25 pairs of bamboo viscose blend socks suitable for feet size men’s UK 7-11.
The designs are a mixture of universal patterns that can be worn throughout wintertime, with some cheeky fun ones thrown in, like Father Christmas’ floating head. While still colourful, the designs seem more cohesive and wearable than last year’s version – you won’t be stuck with Christmas-themed socks for the rest of the year.
Buy now £59.99, Sockshop.co.uk
Molton Brown advent calendar 2025
Best: Men's advent calendar for sharing
Number of days: 24
Number of products: 24
Avaliable: Now
Advent calendar highlights: Molton Brown re-charge black pepper fragrance bauble, Molton Brown mesmerising oudh accord and gold body lotion
Worth: £332
Luxury fragrance and body care brand Molton Brown has returned with a calendar packed with bits to stock your bathroom. It’s a heavy one; all the body washes, lotions, shampoos and conditioners come in substantial 100ml bottles.
For example, you’ll get a 100ml bottle of the beloved recharge black pepper bath and shower gel (£26, Amazon.co.uk), 100ml of the mesmerising oudh accord & gold body lotion (£33, Johnlewis.com), and 100ml of the reviving rosemary conditioner (£24, Amazon.co.uk). There are many more options too, so you get a lot for the money.
Fragrances come in 7.5ml with classics like fiery pink pepper and rose dunes, a spicy, oud rose scent, plus a fragrance travel case to carry your scents with you. This unisex calendar is one for sharing with a partner or friend and a great way to try out new scents.
Buy now £230.00, Moltonbrown.co.uk
Your questions about men’s advent calendars answered
Are advent calendars worth it?
With the rising cost of living – and as consumers become more savvy with their shopping habits – I’m seeing better value advent calendars this year. Though advent calendar prices have risen, with many on sale for £5 or £10 more than last year, the total value of products in these calendars has soared, and it’s much more competitive. You tend to get three or four times the value of goods as the price you pay.
Even without that context, advent calendars for men also make a great gift, as there are up to 25 windows to open, which means a little gift every day throughout December. The likes of Liberty and Lookfantastic have a range of tested brands, so it’s a high-quality surprise every time, and you might find a new favourite.
So, yes, advent calendars make a great gift for yourself or a loved one. Calendars can be as niche as you like, with coffee, socks, gin, beer and a multitude of other fillings that can be tailored for the recipient.
Are there any men’s advent calendar deals?
Right now, there aren’t any deals, but often these calendars are so expensive that you tick over the minimum spend for some freebies anyway, as with the Acqua di Parma calendar above.
However, more men’s calendars are due to drop soon, which could launch with deals, and there may be more discounts the closer we get to Christmas.
Find the best beauty advent calendars with our definitive guide by our expert beauty writer
