A Guide to Fragrance – The Man’s Guide to Understanding Your Scent

Guys…we already know what you’re thinking.

Why do you need a guide to applying your fragrance? It’s easy, right. You just spray it one a couple of places and you’re good to go. It doesn’t need to get any more complex than that!

Well, let us ask you a few questions…

Have you ever gotten partway through the day, only to find that you just can’t smell your fragrance anymore?

Are you going through bottles of cologne and aftershave like they’re going out of fashion?

Don’t you want to know how to apply your fragrance the right way, so that it lasts longer and has the effect you actually want from it?

This guide’s going to dive deep into how men should apply their fragrances. Trust us, you’ll learn a thing or two that you never knew before.

Know Your Fragrance Types

This is an important one because each fragrance type has a different composition. Some of them are intended to last longer than others, which means they have higher concentrations of perfume oils. If you’re finding your fragrance isn’t lasting that long, it may be because you’re using the wrong type.

There are five types that you need to know about:

1. Eau Fraiche – This is a fragrance that’s been diluted to the point where there’s very little perfume oil in it. Expect a concentration of between 1% and 3%. This one tends to last less than an hour, so it’s best used as a booster for a stronger fragrance.
2. Cologne – This is the oldest term used for a men’s fragrance. It’s also often one of the weaker forms of perfume. Expect a perfume oil concentration of between 2% and 4%. A cologne typically lasts for about two hours.
3. Toilette – The next step up from an eau de cologne is an eau de toilette. This is one of the most common fragrance types and it will usually have a concentration of between 5% and 15%. Yes, they really do vary that much. Typically, you’re looking at between three and five hours of scent from this one.
4. Perfume – You may associate the word “perfume” with women’s fragrances, but it’s actually genderless. Even so, you don’t often see it on men’s fragrances. This lasts longer than an eau de toilette, with up to 8 hours of coverage. That’s because it has a perfume oil concentration of up to 20%.
5. Parfum – Such a minor change in spelling denotes a pretty huge change in fragrance. A parfum has up to a 30% concentration of perfume oils. That means it’s the longest-lasting of the five, with some offering a fragrance for up to 24 hours.

Why do you need to know these types?

Think about it like this. Let’s say you’re going to work and you want to smell nice. A cologne will do the job for the morning but it’s worn off by lunch. You need a perfume in this scenario.

Of course, you also don’t want to go wasting a parfum when you just want a quick boost for an hour or two.

Basically, knowing the types of fragrance can help you to save money and ensure you’re using the right one for the job.

Applying Your Fragrance

This is where the “I just have to spray” mindset needs to end. Applying your fragrance is actually a little more involved than you might think.

There are five steps to getting this right so that the fragrance lasts for as long as possible.

1. Take a shower before you apply the fragrance. However, do not apply when your skins still wet. Doing that allows the fragrance to get caught in the water so that it gets guided away from your body. Shower, dry yourself, and then apply your scent.
2. Hold the bottle about three to six inches away from yourself. If you hold it further away, the fragrance will dissipate into the air. However, bringing it closer gives you a concentrated blast in one area, instead of the spread that you’re looking for.
3. Apply the fragrance to what we call the “heated” areas of your body. These are the areas where your blood flow is at its strongest. They include your neck, chest, and wrists. The reason you want heat is that it helps to diffuse the fragrance, thus achieving a better spread.
4. Don’t overspray. It can feel tempting to bathe yourself in your fragrance, especially if you find that it doesn’t last long. But that’s why you need to know your types. As long as you have the right type of fragrance, you won’t need to over-apply. A quick spray is more than enough.
5. Finally, consider the type of fragrance you used. You may need to reapply at various points during the day if you’re using a cologne.

We’re betting that’s a little more involved than your usual fragrance routine!

The Quick Tips

Let’s round things off with some quick-fire tips:

• The cheaper the fragrance, the less likely it is to last for as long as you expect it to. Perfume oils are fairly expensive, so a cheap fragrance will never contain a high concentration.
• Don’t spray the fragrance on your clothes. A fragrance is at its best when it has the chance to mingle with your natural body oils. When you spray it on your clothes, you’re not getting the scent that the designers intended for you to get.
• Don’t rub. Yes, it seems like the natural thing to do as a way to spread the fragrance. But in reality, your rubbing simply weakens the fragrance’s main notes, which means it doesn’t last as long.
• Less is always more. You can always add an extra dash if you haven’t quite used enough. But if you use too much, you’re going to overpower everybody in the room when you make your entrance.

And that about covers it for the men’s guide to applying fragrances. All that’s left now is to actually buy the right fragrance for you. The good news is that Elite Perfumery has a huge collection, so why not take a few minutes to browse our catalogue?