Mens Fragrances

We’ll write another post on women’s fragrances at some point, but today we’re focusing on the dudes. The women’s fragrance market is much larger, more developed, and global annual revenue dwarves that of men’s fragrances. But men’s fragrances is growing by the year, and for a sector that is often overlooked, if you had a nice bottle of cologne in your bathroom every day, wouldn’t you naturally splash it on?

The problem is most men don’t have a bottle of anything at the sink. For some reason, many men are content with deodorant and leaving the house smelling like soap and shampoo. But fragrant scents for both men and women have been around since the Mesopotamia days of the 2nd millennium BC. During an archeological excavation on the island of Cyprus, a giant factory of sorts was un-earthed revealing what many believe was a perfume manufacturing plant. This alone was 4,000 years ago so we know that at a commercial level, folks were into scents.

In 1709 in the city of Cologne, Germany, Giovanni Maria Farina (an Italian expat) created a scent that he eventually said was in honor of his new, adopted home city. The fragrance ended up being fresh and light, as opposed to the generally heavy and overpowering scents of the time. His fragrance was an immediate hit and sales understandably boomed.

Today men have a host of smells and brands to choose from. Yet, choosing the right one for you is far from easy. The first thing to do is identifying your favorite scent. This could be anything from your daily shampoo, or even the smell of a fabric conditioner your Mom used when you were a kid. These fragrances are part of your “olfactory bulb,” and the 450 receptors that tap into your brain’s smell center. Because of this, certain scents will actually make you feel happier or more empowered.

Next is understanding the difference between Eau de Perfume (EDP), Eau de Toilette (EDT) and cologne. EDP is the most expensive of the three, principally because the scent can last up to 8 hours and the concentration of fragrance compounds reach the 20% range. If you’re seeking something with a deep and rich smell, EDP is it. EDT contains less fragrance compounds (a maximum of 15%) and lasts roughly 4 hours. This is good for everyday use, but if you want to maintain the scent all day you’ll need to keep a bottle handy with you. And lastly, cologne is known as a “splash product.” Fragrance compounds won’t exceed 5% and the effects last only 2 hours.

Some popular men’s fragrance brands are Dior Homme EDT, Gentleman Givenchy EDT, CREED Aventus EDP, Hugo Boss BOSS Bottled EDT, Baie 19 EDP, Guerlain L’Homme Ideal EDP, and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male EDT. There are many more where these came from, but these are all great picks that won’t break your bank to smell good.