Uncommon Scents

Years Ago, manufacturers of men's toiletries dealt with the American male's aversion to cologne by diluting it and calling it after-shave. Today, American men are spending $600,000,000 a year on fragrance alone. Regardless of whether you're just getting into colognes or have been splashing the scented stuff on for years, you should know that all fragrances are derived from three sources: animal (secretions of the male musk deer, the Canadian beaver and the civet cat, for example), botanical (flowers, fruits, roots and herbs) and man-made substances (synthetic oils called aldehydes that mimic nature or have their own scent). Colognes may contain any of these substances in as many as 200 combinations. It takes an expert, however, to balance the formula. Master perfumers are called noses in the trade. They learn to distinguish among thousands of scents while serving long apprenticeships at perfume houses. When a manufacturer or a designer wants to develop a new fragrance, he provides the nose with a profile or a basic description of the scent he wants to create. The process of developing a new cologne is time-consuming and costly; therefore, the formula is carefully guarded.

A cologne develops during a four-hour cycle following application. The first notes are zingy but short-lived. They evaporate to reveal the longer-lasting middle notes that are the cologne's signature. These notes last several hours and the better the cologne, the longer they stick around. Toward the end of the cycle, the bottom notes dominate. These are the longest-lasting elements of the cologne. They're called fixatives and they combine with the skin's chemistry to produce a fusion of fragrance that is the wearer's own.

To determine whether or not a cologne suits you--experiment. Don't smell the cologne in the bottle. Apply a different scent to each arm, allow it to dry and then sniff. Test your reaction during the cologne's four-hour cycle; but since the sense of smell is most acute in the afternoon, plan to experiment at the end of the day.

Colognes are intensified by heat and humidity. The chypre, woody-leather and spicy scents, dominated as they are by animal ingredients and the more pungent botanical essences, tend to have a seductive, lulling effect. They are best worn at night or during the daytime in the winter. Sharp citrus or green colognes have an invigorating tonic effect. Wear these when it's warm.

The way a cologne smells is also affected by skin type: Colognes smell different on dark, oily skin than they do on fair, dry skin. Fragrance is also affected by diet, nicotine and the environment. For example, a cologne may smell stronger in clean country air than it will in polluted city air.

Colognes are not the only scented men's toiletries. Soaps, shaving creams, moisturizers and deodorants all may contain some fragrance. Make sure they support your cologne--not sabotage it--either by using unscented products or by using those that are scented with your cologne.

Don't settle for just one fragrance. Not only are some more suitable for evening than morning, town than country, but manufacturers are constantly developing new products. The newest colognes are more concentrated and longer-lasting than ever before, with an essential oil content of ten to twelve percent, compared with six to eight percent in the colognes of yesteryear. Many of the newer products are synthetic and combine diverse scents such as citrus and leather. Such complex fragrances demand experimentation. Cologne can and should support a man's style. The imagination used in dressing should complement that used in selecting and wearing cologne.

Green Colognes

These fragrances bring to mind clean, woodsy, invigorating and mossy smells. They're bright, sharp and suitable for both summer and winter wear.

Aqua di Selva (Victor)

Devin Light Sporting Cologne (Aramis)

Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel (Jacqueline Cochran)

Halston 1--12 (Halston)

Sargasso (Perfumer's Workshop)

Citrus Colognes

One of the traditional men's scents, citrus fragrances are made of lemons, oranges, limes and other refreshing fruits. They're usually (but not always) light and better suited to summer or warmer climates.

Aston (De Markoff)

Chaps (Ralph Lauren)

Courrèges Homme (Courrèges)

Eau de Guerlain (Guerlain)

Eau Sauvage Pour Homme (Dior)

English Leather (Mem)

4711 (Colonia)

Signor (Victor)

Spicy Colognes

Usually complex in make-up, these masculine scents combine everything from cloves to lavender in varying strengths. Musk is often a key component of spicy colognes. All are suitable to both summer and winter use.

British Sterling (Speidel)

Chanel for Men (Chanel)

Derrick (Orlane)

Equipage (Hermès)

Givenchy Gentleman Eau de Toilette (Givenchy)

Ho Hang (Balenciaga)

Jovan Musk Oil for Men (Jovan)

Lagerfeld (Parfums Lagerfeld)

Lamborghini No. 6 (Parfums Lamborghini)

Male Factor (Max Factor)

Mennen Millionaire (Mennen)

Monsieur Jovan (Jovan)

Musk (Yardley of London)

Musk Monsieur (Houbigant)

Old Spice (Shulton)

Pierre Cardin (Jacqueline Cochran)

Fougere Colognes

Aggressive combinations of citrus, greens and herbal scents, these colognes are darker and more mysterious than others. They're best worn in the winter or at night.

Azzaro Pour Homme (Loris Azzaro)

Bogart (Jacques Bogart)

Brut (Fabergé)

Canoe (Dana)

Colorado Sage (Jess Bell)

Jade East (Songo of Maine)

John Weitz (J. W. Toiletries)

Macho (Fabergé)

Paco Rabanne (Paco Rabanne Parfums)

Revillon Pour Homme (Alfin Fragrances)

Sport Scent for Men (Jovan)

Chypre Colognes

Containing ingredients such as oak moss, these scents have a citrus top note and a mossy base. They're rich yet not overbearing and are good for winter days or summer nights.

Aramis Super (Aramis)

Chaz (Revlon)

Denim (Lever Bros.)

Eau Cendrée (Jacomo)

Gucci Pour Homme (Gucci)

Halston Z-14 (Halston)

Monsieur Houbigant (Houbigant)

YSL (Yves Saint Laurent)

Woody-leather colognes

The darkest and richest of men's scents, woody leathers are often mixed with tobacco in a deep, Oriental base, frequently with patchouli, sandalwood and musks. They're best worn sparingly or during the winter.

Blend 30 (Dunhill)

Foulard (Perfumer's Workshop)

Kanon (Scannon)

Lanvin for Men (Lanvin Parfums)

Leather (Yardley of London)

900 Herbal (Aramis)

Oleg Cassini for Men (Jovan)

Patou Pour Homme (Jean Patou)

Polo (Ralph Lauren)

Royal Copenhagen (Swank)

Ted Lapidus (Speidel)

Van Cleef & Arpels (Van Cleef)

Just as American men discovered the romance and sophistication of a refined taste in fine wines, we have abandoned the taboos against colognes and are now developing a heightened scents sense. Our reward: refreshing ourselves and those closest to us with products of this ancient art of sensuous attraction.