Open in app

Sign in

Write

Sign in

The Ultimate Guide To Men’s Fragrance

Noah Papafagos
25 min readMar 15, 2021

From Egypt's ancient sands to 16th century France, the world has incorporated fragrance into daily life for thousands of years. Today, in modern times, we use fragrance more than ever before (and intentions haven't changed a bit). Candles, incense, perfumes, lotions you name it.

Women are the queens of self-care. Many men on the other hand seem to struggle with such areas. Fragrance is a big one on that list; maybe it’s due to fear of judgment or just a general lack of knowledge. Whatever the reason, ditch the concerns, cause we’re about to fix this once and for all.

Let's dive in.

What Is Fragrance?

By definition, fragrance means "A pleasant or sweet smell," while other descriptions can translate directly to "A perfume, or aftershave."

There's an art to fragrance. It's a hidden world ripe for discovery. I like to compare it to wine. Every wine has special notes and belongs to a specific family such as reds or whites, further broken down into dry and sweet, etc. You get the picture.

Fragrances are very similar. Each formulation also has special notes and belongs to a specific scent family. The only difference is you're using your nose instead of your tongue to detect them.

As you'll come to learn, a great cologne can be a powerful statement piece in your self-care arsenal. They can increase your sex appeal, make you a new friend, or even help land you a job. The possibilities are endless! Let's explore them.

Why Wear Fragrance?

“Why not?” is a better question. I don’t know about you, but when a woman wears a great perfume, it really gets me going. I'm confident anyone can find a reason to smell better. Smell irresistible for your date, get some extra attention from the ladies, stand out at the party; you can even wear a scent because it makes you feel amazing.

There are many reasons to invest in a good fragrance :

Smell Amazing

Smelling fantastic is a plus for you and everyone else around you. There's no way of getting around it; you're going to automatically become a more exciting person while wearing a great cologne.

Scientists have linked sexual attraction to how a person smells in countless studies. There’s even proof that men and women choose mates based on the natural scents of their partners. I’d love if my natural scent was Creed Aventus, that would get out of hand quickly..

Everyone perceives scents differently, leading to an endless spectrum of possibilities. Keep in mind that your fragrance won't have 100% universal appeal, but don't let that discourage you from wearing your favorite!

Increase Your Sex Appeal

Smelling sexy has virtually no downside. Though distracting people from their jobs and making men jealous their girlfriend is sniffing you like a Yankee Candle could be an issue. Let's just call that collateral damage..

Some fragrances have ingredients considered aphrodisiacs such as Lavender, Vanilla (My personal favorite for women), Jasmine, Ginger, Cinnamon, Orange, Sandalwood. Rose, Lily of the Valley, Peppermint, and more.

One ingredient that takes this statement quite literally is Hedione. This note was initially produced to replace the costly ingredient Jasmine. Studies have shown hedione activates a specific hypothalamic region in the brain that influences sexual behavior; the effects are also much more significant in women.

Keep an eye out for fragrances with this ingredient such as the 60s classic Eau Sauvage by Dior, and the olfactory king Aventus by Creed.

Elevate Your Confidence

Naturally, smelling good will lead to feeling good, and feeling good will mean a boost in your overall confidence levels.

Think about it. Confidence is considered one of the most precious building blocks of charisma. An extra shot of charm might land you that new job, or perhaps you'll hit it off with that one girl you've been eyeing at the coffee shop in town. Maybe you'll rightfully tell off that one guy that's been getting under your skin lately. Back off Jerry, I smell fantastic today.

Stand Out From The Crowd

Fragrances are subjective to each nose. They influence how you feel and how others perceive you. In other words, fragrance adds another layer to your social identity.

Take Dior's Sauvage, for example. Quite a sweet, smoky, and sexy scent. On Dior's website, it reads, "Sauvage is a creation inspired by wide-open spaces. A composition distinguished by a raw freshness, a fragrance that's both powerful and noble." For me, that hits the nail on the head when I’m wearing Sauvage. Dior chooses to perceive you as a rebellious wanderer.

Doesn't fit your persona? No problem. A scent might make you or another person feel entirely different, so just go along with the vibe you're feeling; you can always choose another fragrance if it's not your thing.

Feel Good, And Make Others Feel Good Too!

Fragrance is a mysterious land of possibilities, and it can be a very powerful experience. Of all of our five senses, smell has the strongest link to emotions and memories.

Sometimes after a long day, I come home, shower, throw on some Ermenegildo Zegna Uomo, and enjoy the lovely symphony of Lilacs, Cucumber, Cedarwood and Vetiver that follows suit. Quite a relaxing scent in my opinion.

Fragrance can enhance moods and change our behaviors. Scientifically speaking, smells are processed through our olfactory bulb and can trigger intense emotions or even detailed past memories. Fragrances like essential oils are even used for their therapeutic benefits.

My grandmother passed away years ago, and I still have her perfume in a small bottle. I feel her warm embrace in my arms with just one little sniff. Can you remember a time when a scent has triggered a powerful, vivid memory?

Fragrance Families and Notes

There are four prominent scent families. These families are Fresh, Floral, Oriental, and Woody. There are also 14 subfamilies, which are blended versions of each of the four families.

Fresh

Fresh is a popular scent family among men. Fresh scents are bright and clean. They consist of citrus, herbs and can be reminiscent of the ocean.

Often, fresh scents are paired with spices to create a bold contrast. Fresh fragrances are typically worn earlier in the day and at the office (More on choosing fragrances for your environmental setting/season later on in the article).

Subfamilies:

Aromatic — Clean fragrances that embody fresh herbs, lavender or wood.

Citrus — Fragrances with zesty notes of lemon, mandarin, or bergamot.

Water — Aquatic fragrances with sea spray, ocean, or rain notes.

Green — These fragrances smell of fresh-cut grass, green leaves, or crisp air.

Notes:

  • Basil
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Thyme
  • Lavender
  • Mandarin
  • Lemon
  • Neroli
  • Grapefruit
  • Bergamot
  • Sea Spray
  • Rain
  • Oceanic
  • Ozone
  • Fresh Air
  • Fresh Cut Grass
  • Green Leaves

Best Fresh Men’s Fragrances :

Floral

Now stay with me here. Floral is a very popular scent family with women, but it’s also used for men’s fragrance. Floral scents consist of flowers, sweets, fruits, and subtle spice notes. Don’t overlook this category just because you think it’s too girly; some of the best fragrances for men are sweet, fruity, and floral.

Subfamilies :

Fruity — Fragrances that incorporate sweet edible fruits like pear, apple, or pineapple.

Floral — Fresh, flowery fragrances with strong floral notes like rose, orchid, or lily.

Soft Floral — Powdery sweet perfumes with soft floral notes such as violet or Jasmine.

Floral Oriental — Floral fragrances with subtle notes of spice such as nutmeg or star anise.

Notes :

  • Apple
  • Apricot
  • Pear
  • Pineapple
  • Watermelon
  • Violet
  • Rose
  • Lilac
  • Orange Blossom
  • Iris
  • Orris
  • Saffron
  • Hibiscus
  • Lotus
  • Jasmine
  • Lily
  • Carnation
  • Nutmeg
  • Star Anise

Best Men’s Floral Fragrances :

(Don’t miss out on these just because you have some weird hang-up with flowers. They’re unique, sexy fragrances that will make you stand out from the crowd. Not to mention women will love them and want to have them for themselves!

Oriental

Oriental is a seductive and exotic category of scents. Oriental fragrances consist of incense, rich herbs, delicate flowers, lavish spices, and dry powdery woods/resins. Oriental fragrances are frequently blended with saccharine notes of amber or vanilla to offset the potent spices and herbs.

Subfamilies :

Soft Oriental — Soft, floral fragrances that mildly exude warm notes of amber and spices such as cinnamon or incense.

Oriental — Warm, sweet, traditional notes such as vanilla, cinnamon, and musk dominate these fragrances.

Woody Oriental — Earthy fragrances with notes of patchouli, or sandalwood blend with sweet notes of amber and spice.

Notes :

  • Jasmine
  • Lotus
  • Lily
  • Jade
  • Carnation
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • Musk
  • Amber
  • Nutmeg
  • Star Anise
  • Patchouli
  • Sandalwood
  • Tobacco
  • Incense
  • Cedar
  • Birch

Best Men’s Oriental Fragrances :

Woody

Woody is a warm, coniferous group of scents. Earthy, smoky woods accompany notes of incense and leather. Woody fragrances provide solid base profiles to many popular fragrances and are often paired with citrus or floral notes.

Subfamilies :

Woods — Bold, aromatic fragrances with notes like sandalwood and cedar.

Mossy Woods — Sweet, earthy notes such as vetiver and oakmoss.

Dry Woods — Smoldering, smoky scents like leather or birch tar.

Notes :

  • Sandalwood
  • Patchouli
  • Incense
  • Cypress
  • Cedar
  • Mahogany
  • Birch
  • Rosewood
  • Spruce
  • Vetiver
  • Oakmoss
  • Bark
  • Moss
  • Fir
  • Leather
  • Birch Tar

Best Men’s Woody Fragrances :

The Anatomy Of Notes

Most fragrances consist of 3 individual layers, each with its own note profile. Your scent will evolve as each layer evaporates, smelling slightly different on the skin as time progresses. Each layer evaporates linearly. Top notes first, then the Middle notes, and finally the Base notes.

Top Notes

Top notes are the scents you smell immediately after applying a fragrance. Common top notes include Citrus, Fruits, Light Florals, and Aquatic scents. The top layer can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours on the skin.

Middle Notes

Also referred to as Heart notes, middle notes start to develop after the top notes clear and can even blend together. Common middle notes include heavy florals like Jasmine, green scents like Rosewood or Lemongrass, Fruits, or spices like Black Pepper. The middle layer can last from 3 to 5 hours on the skin.

Base Notes

Base notes are the fundamental layer of a fragrance and the last to develop. Base notes are bold and determine the overall lasting power of a fragrance. Common base notes include rich spices like Vanilla or Ginger, earthy greens such as Vetiver, or rich woods like Cedar or Incense. The base layer can last as long as 5 to 10 hours on the skin.

Fragrance Concentrations

Here’s where fragrance can get a little tricky. Fragrance is a generic unisex term used to describe perfumes/colognes. We use these two general terms most when describing men’s or women’s fragrance. Perfume for women, and Cologne for men.

If you’ve ever shopped for fragrances, you’ll remember the onslaught of strange phrases that come up along the way. Eau de toilette? Parfum? What in the hell does that mean?

These terms are associated with the concentration of the fragrance. They’re indicators of the percentage of oils used in the product. Occasionally, these differing terms can even change the DNA of the fragrance like with Dior’s Sauvage. The notes are actually different in each variation, but this isn’t common. Notes usually stay consistent between the varying concentrations.

Let’s take a look:

Eau Fraiche — The weakest form of fragrance containing around 1 to 3% perfume oil in alcohol and water. These fragrances typically last an hour or so.

Eau de Cologne (Cologne) — Cologne is the oldest known term for perfume. Cologne is a popular American phrase used to describe masculine scents and typically contains around 2–4% perfume oil. These fragrances last about 2 to 3 hours.

Eau de Toilette — A light formulation composed of 5–15% perfume oil diffused in alcohol. These fragrances last about 3 hours.

Eau de Parfum (Perfume) — A unisex term used to describe both men’s and women’s fragrances. It contains about 15–20% perfume oil and lasts about 5 to 8 hours.

Parfum — An alteration of the Latin phrase per fumum, meaning “through smoke.” These formulations are the most concentrated and usually come with a high price tag. Parfum is composed of 20–30% perfume oil and can last up to 24 hours on the skin.

(Note: Some fragrances will last longer than others and vice versa. The concentrations vary from company to company. For example, Versace fragrances tend to have impressive longevity and performance. Some of their Eau de Toilettes could easily go head to head with other EDP’s and Parfums.)

Fragrance and Environment

Have you ever been around someone who just didn’t smell appropriately for the setting they were in?

For example, a migraine-inducing floral perfume at work, or a nauseatingly sweet fragrance in the blistering heat. Maybe even the suffocation of an innocent bakery kitchen at the hands of Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather (That one’s on me). Environment plays a huge role in choosing a fragrance. Know your surroundings, or risk offending a lot of people.

I had a manager at an old job. She smelled of the most wonderful flowers when she came to work. You could smell her perfume everywhere, and even though it was lovely, it was also really distracting and not the correct setting for such a flower-bomb frag.

A few employee and customer complaints later, she was told to remove it. Pity, but it had to be done. She replaced it with a light, powdery fresh floral scent, perfect for the workplace. I wish I would have asked her what that first one was, cause damn!

In this section, we’ll break down the most common environments, and I’ll provide you with some great fragrances for each one.

At The Office

The workplace is the trickiest environment to wear fragrance. Wear something too intense, and risk annoying everyone around you for the entire day. Concentrating on your job while your olfactory senses are being absolutely assaulted is not on anyone’s to-do list.

Don’t be like me and saturate the employee bathroom with spicy Versace Homme, no good. I’m a multiple offender as you can see.

In the office setting, lean towards fresh or mildly spicy scents that aren’t too strong or offensive, and don’t overapply.

Best Office Fragrances For Men

On A Date

You’ve got a date, fantastic! You want to look your best, and of course, smell your best. Women pay attention to a lot of little details about men that we don’t even realize. Nails, hair, eyebrows, facial hair, and the way we smell are prime examples.

Dates tend to be in the evening, so assuming that setting, ditch the squeaky clean scents for the playfully seductive, exotic spicy ones. Again don’t overapply, especially since dates can get pretty intimate.

Best Date Fragrances For Men

At The Club

And so we’ve arrived at the club; an absolute fragrance-free for all. A lot is going on at the club, so this is when you wear something strong and loud that makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Performance is vital for club frags, and it’s hard to stand out when you’re wearing something bland or timid. Opt for loud, playful, heavy projecting sweets, bold spices, and fresh fruity scents that are as potent as humanly possible. Apply at will!

Best Club Fragrances For Men

Daytime Vs. Evening Fragrances

Most fragrances can be broken down into two main categories, Daytime and Evening. If you take anything away from this article, buy one daytime fragrance and one evening fragrance for your collection. These two categories cover lots of ground and are essential factors to consider while choosing a cologne for a specific environment or occasion.

Daytime fragrances and Evening fragrances could contain just about any note from any category. Only take this as a general rule of thumb when trying to decide if a cologne should be worn for Day or Night.

The main differentiating factor is that daytime colognes rely more heavily on notes from Fresh and Floral categories, and evening colognes rely more heavily on notes from Oriental and Woody categories.

(Here’s an easy fragrance formula to follow when you’re having a hard time figuring out what to buy, or what to wear for a specific event or time of year. The two linear paths indicate how each of the four major fragrance categories relate to time, weather, and occasion.)

Day — Warm Weather— Spring/Summer = Fresh/Floral Fragrances

Evening — Cold Weather— Fall/Winter = Woody/Oriental Fragrances

Let’s break the two categories down, so you have a general idea of how to distinguish them from each other.

Daytime Fragrances

Daytime colognes tend to be more dependent on light, delicate top notes and crisp middle notes, focusing less on heavy base notes. For this same reason, daytime fragrances don’t last as long since top, and middle notes evaporate quicker than base notes.

Daytime Note Main Categories

  • Fresh
  • Floral

Daytime Note Sub-Categories

  • Green
  • Water
  • Citrus
  • Floral Oriental
  • Soft Floral
  • Floral
  • Fruity

Common Daytime Notes

  • Lemon
  • Bergamot
  • Mandarin
  • Basil
  • Sage
  • Black Pepper
  • Oceanic
  • Violet
  • Neroli
  • Lavender
  • Cedar
  • Amber
  • Vetiver
  • Sandalwood
  • Tonka Bean

Best Men’s Daytime Fragrances

Evening Fragrances

Evening colognes tend to be more dependent on dark, rich, spicy middle and base notes, taking focus away from the light and airy top notes. This often makes night fragrances smell “heavier” because the base notes are often much more prominent.

Evening Note Main Categories

  • Oriental
  • Woody

Evening Note Sub-Categories

  • Soft Oriental
  • Oriental
  • Woody Oriental
  • Woods
  • Mossy Woods
  • Dry Wood
  • Aromatic

Common Evening Notes

  • Bergamot
  • Lemon
  • Grapefruit
  • Lavender
  • Iris
  • Cardamom
  • Nutmeg
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • Incense
  • Musk
  • Cedar
  • Amber
  • Tonka Bean
  • Leather

Best Men’s Evening Fragrances

Seasonal Fragrances

Just as there are colognes for Day and Night, fragrances can further be broken down into seasonal categories. Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer all have scents that work best for the specific time of year.

Fall Fragrances

Fall is the transitioning season period between warm weather and cold weather, or summer to winter. Fall fragrances lean more towards spicy, sweet, smoky, and warm, with some fresh fruity top notes mixed in.

Choose fragrances that are moderately heavy to combat the chilly bite in the air. For warmer days, feel free to go more towards the fresh side.

Fall Fragrance Profile

  • Warm
  • Moderately Spicy
  • Moderately Woody
  • Moderately Heavy
  • Slightly Fresh

Common Fall Notes

  • Bergamot
  • Grapefruit
  • Jasmine
  • Vetiver
  • Amber
  • Sandalwood
  • Leather
  • Musk
  • Tonka Bean
  • Cedar

Best Fall Fragrances For Men

Winter Fragrances

Winter fragrances fall solely into the cold weather category, meaning that lighter, fresher colognes won’t do you any good in this kind of environment. This is because cold air suppresses a fragrance’s sillage/performance and is also why we wear cologne on the body’s heat zones (More on how to apply a fragrance in the future sections).

A good winter scent is heavy, spicy, sweet, warm, and concentrated, making up for the air’s lack of heat circulation.

Winter Fragrance Profile

  • Warm
  • Spicy
  • Sweet
  • Woody
  • Heavy

Common Winter Notes

  • Cinnamon
  • Patchouli
  • Sage
  • Nutmeg
  • Ginger
  • Tonka Bean
  • Chocolate
  • Vanilla
  • Amber
  • Sweet Fruits

Best Winter Fragrances For Men

Spring Fragrances

Spring is the time of year where the temperature starts to rise and when all of the vegetation comes back to life. It’s the transitioning period between cold weather and warm weather.

Spring fragrances lean more towards fresh, floral, green summer scents and include winter elements like subtle notes of warm spice. The springtime can be a bit chilly, depending on where you live.

Spring Fragrance Profile

  • Fresh
  • Floral
  • Moderately Light
  • Slightly Woody
  • Slightly Spicy

Common Spring Notes

  • Bergamot
  • Lemon
  • Orange Blossom
  • Neroli
  • Jasmine
  • Rose
  • Iris
  • Peppercorn
  • Sandalwood
  • Cedar

Best Spring Fragrances For Men

Summer Fragrances

Summer is solely a warm-weather season. It’s also when the weather is at peak warmth. Remember that a fragrance will be at its maximum potency in the heat (The highest chance of offending other people around you).

Ditch the bold, heavy spices and sweets to make way for fresh, airy, citrusy aquatic fragrances.

Summer Fragrance Profile

  • Fresh
  • Floral
  • Light
  • Slightly Woody
  • Slightly Spicy

Common Summer Notes

  • Bergamot
  • Lemon
  • Grapefruit
  • Pineapple
  • Melon
  • Neroli
  • Sea Notes
  • Vetiver
  • Oakmoss
  • Cedar

Best Summer Fragrances For Men

All-Season Fragrances

If you’re the type of guy who’s just looking for something he can wear all year round, at any time of the day, in virtually any setting, you’ve come to the right section. The fragrances listed below are some of the most versatile fragrances around, with DNAs that work excellently in all scenarios. Just mind how much you apply!

Best All-Season Fragrances For Men

My Personal Collection

These fragrances are pulled from my personal collection and deliver some of the best bang for your buck. I’ve been complimented on each and every one of these colognes at some point in time.

The quality of these fragrances don’t get much better for the price tag. Most are under $100 for a full sized bottle, and the ones that aren’t, you’d be more than satisfied to purchase for the higher price.

All of these picks are winners in my eyes, offering a unique and high-quality experience. If you decide you trust me by now, go and pick one of these gems up for yourself.

(Note: I’m not sponsored by any company I’ve recommended to you in this article. This article is genuine personal experience alongside many hours of additional research!)

Best Fragrances From My Personal Collection

How And Where To Shop For Fragrance

You’re ready to embark on the search for your signature scent, congrats! This section talks about how/where to purchase a fragrance.

Only you know what you’ll like, so put faith in your nose; it’s your greatest ally! There are multiple avenues to buy or sample fragrances from, and some don’t even require you to leave your home:

Department Stores

At places like Sephora or Macy’s, in-store testing is an easy way to sample multiple fragrances. When testing scents, try not to exceed two at a time. You only have so much room on your body, and you risk exhausting your olfactory senses when you’re smelling too many scents at once.

The best part about department store sampling is that it’s completely free, so there’s no risk for you. The only downside here is that you won’t have the time to take the fragrance through its entire life cycle of notes as you could at home unless you’re planning on sticking around for a while.

Be careful not to fall for top notes and vice versa. I’ve purchased cologne, sprayed it on, and taken it back within 10 minutes because I didn’t like the top note profile, only to find myself an hour later saying, “Shoot, I actually really like the smell of this now.” Forgive me, Dunhill Icon. I never even gave you a chance.

Online Stores

Online shopping is the easiest way to shop for a fragrance, but this is when you have to commit to the buy, and most often, online retailers only sell full-sized products.

If you shop online, make sure to do thorough research on the fragrance you’re interested in purchasing. Some retailers offer sample sizes alongside full-sized products such as FragranceX. Other companies offer sample sizes as well, so take a look around.

Online Sample Stores

Sample stores are one of my go-to’s for trying new fragrances. Online sampling is your best bet, it’s the cheapest option, and you have the most freedom for minimal commitment.

Sites like Amazon, eBay, or individual companies like FragrancesLine sell affordable samples so you can test four to five fragrances for around the same cost of a full-sized bottle.

If you’re really smart, go directly to a company’s website and look for sample sets. Or search up your desired brand alongside the keyword “giftset”. Allsaints and Amouage are a couple that have great sample sized sets.

Fragrance Subscription Services

Another unique, fun way to sample fragrances is monthly subscription services.

Companies like Scentbird or Scentbox offer 1–2 sample-sized fragrance products of your choice a month for a set cost of around $15. This is a good option for people who don’t have much time on their hands but still want to test lots of colognes on autopilot.

I’ve personally used both services and can say that they both opened me up to a lot of cool fragrances, like Dior’s extremely popular scent Sauvage.

How To Test A Fragrance

You’ve found a scent that you’re interested in trying out. Awesome! But now what should you do? Unless you’re keen on blind buying an entire bottle, which is generally a bad idea, it’s important to test a fragrance to ensure that it’s something you’d actually wear.

How to test a fragrance :

  1. Choose a day where you have some downtime in an environment that isn’t polluted by a myriad of smells. Your home would work best.
  2. Lookup a website like Fragrantica and search up your fragrance. It will provide you with its full note profile and help you identify the fragrance’s top, middle, and base notes. Sometimes knowing what you’re going to be smelling will change your opinion of the scent.
  3. Spray the desired fragrance on both wrists; one good spray per arm is plenty. Wrists are a good starting point just in case you have a bad reaction to the formula. Only spray the fragrance on your body. Your natural scent needs to mix with the cologne for you to properly analyze it, and a piece of paper just won’t accomplish that goal.
  4. Take a good whiff and decide how you like the fragrance’s top notes. Smell your wrists every 10–15 minutes to identify changes (when the fragrance’s middle notes start to present themselves).
  5. Take notice of the sillage, how the scent wafts around you in the air, and decide if the fragrance is to your desired strength. Some fragrances can only perform as close to skin scents and are not very noticeable to others around you.
  6. After about 30 minutes to an hour, when you start to identify that the top notes have mostly evaporated and the middle notes are now present, form your opinion of them. The heart notes are the make or break layers of a fragrance, so your opinion really counts here.
  7. When around 2–3 hours have passed, check for more changes in the fragrance and identify if the base notes have started to make their way up. Once you’ve decided the base notes have fully presented themselves, form your opinion of them.
  8. Finalize your opinion of the fragrance, considering the top, middle, and base notes. Rate the sillage, longevity, overall performance, when/where you could wear the cologne, and for what occasions. Feel free to ask others for their opinions as well. I also recommend testing out a fragrance at least 2–3 times; you may just change your mind the second or third time around!

How And Where To Apply A Fragrance

Fragrance application can be a bit complex, but it shouldn’t be. There are tried and true rules to follow that will seldom lead you astray:

Less Is More — Start light, with 1–2 sprays on your chest, neck, or arms, holding the bottle 3–6 inches from your body. The WORST thing you could possibly do with a cologne is to overapply and offend everyone that comes near you. Cologne is meant to be an intriguing statement piece, not a bio-weapon. You can always put on a little more if needed. The amount you can wear will differ depending on which fragrance you choose.

Spray On Skin Not Clothing — When you spray cologne on your skin, you’re allowing its DNA to mix with your own chemistry. Fragrances change when they combine with your body’s natural oils. Spraying cologne on clothing inhibits this process and prevents the scent from going through its full note cycle. You also risk stains on your shirt!

Spray Directly On Your Body — The old “Spray and walk through it” routine is great. Great if you wanna waste half your bottle! Most of the cologne won’t even stick to your body. Half just ends up on the floor and your clothes. The real key is spraying cologne directly onto your body’s heat zones so that it radiates off your body along with the heat, creating a lovely sillage.

Apply To Heat Zones — Your body’s heat zones include the neck, chest, shoulders, inner elbows, forearms, and wrists. These are the best application zones for a cologne. Ideally, you’ll want to pick a maximum of 2 areas to start, ensuring that these chosen areas are also exposed to the air. Heat zone application is crucial for maximum performance, especially in cold weather. The general lack of heat circulation in the air suppresses the cologne’s ability to perform at its best.

Don’t Kill The Note — A common misconception about cologne is that rubbing the spray into your skin will somehow “activate” the note profile. In reality, this is altering your fragrance’s molecular structure, weakening and damaging the notes. Heat is the only way to activate the evaporation of note layers.

How To Store Your Fragrance

While fragrances don’t usually have an expiration date, there is a list of dos and don’ts that can really help you prolong the deterioration of your cherished products. They won’t last forever, and it’ll do you a lot of good to follow these tips :

Sunlight Is Thy Enemy — Sunlight can damage the molecular structure of your fragrance. This is especially true if the product comes in a clear bottle. Choose to store your bottle in a cool, dark area to preserve its potency. The easiest solution to this problem is to store the bottle in the box that it came in.

Choose A Temperature Stable Area — Extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, can damage your fragrance’s longevity. Choose a location of storage that isn’t subject to temperature shifts. Humid environments like your bathroom are also a no-go. A cool, dry closet or a dresser in your room may be your best bets. Use a bedroom dehumidifier for optimal storage of your products.

Keep Fragrance In Original Containers — Transferring your fragrances to other containers can expose them to excess oxygen, potentially damaging the entire batch. Keep products in their original boxes, with the cap always on. If you’d like to take your cologne around with you, invest in a glass travel spray, so you can safely decant small batches for travel.

Conclusion

Women continue to navigate the waters of self care with ease, leaving most men up the river without a paddle. Well well, look who just found their paddle, and a yacht to go along with?

You’re now equipped with the tools you need to confidently wade through the ocean that is men’s fragrance. All that’s left is to pick out a scent and put your newfound knowledge to the test.

Best of luck, gentlemen. Time to give the ladies a run for their money!

Fragrance
Self Care
Cosmetics
Lifestyle
Men

--

--

Noah Papafagos

Written by Noah Papafagos

7 Followers

I'm a lifestyle content writer/copywriter who loves health, fitness, philosophy and nature. I enjoy writing about anything that makes the world a better place!

Help

Status

About

Careers

Blog

Privacy

Terms

Text to speech

Teams