I’ve recently been looking to improve my style and with that, I’ve been getting into fragrance. This post aims to compile key information everyone looking to get into fragrance should know about. Being male myself the guide mostly covers cologne from that perspective in terms of specific products, personal experience, and general outlook but I feel as a lot of the general information here can be applied to anyone.
Welcome to the beginner’s guide to fragrance.
Introduction
Since this post aims to provide a comprehensive view it will start by defining some common terms and explaining basic concepts in fragrance. I will then move on to talk about sampling fragrances, building a collection, popular brands, and finally further exploration.
Fragrances are an amazing addition for anyone looking to improve their style. For me, using fragrance always takes me into an entirely different place depending on the scent. Whether you are looking to increase style, attraction, or just explore this interesting aspect of fashion this post will be an amazing start.
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Terms & Concepts
Terms
- Projection – The range of how far your fragrance reaches away from your body.
- Sillage – Trail of fragrance scent that you/your fragrance leaves as you walk around.
- Niche – Company that only focused on fragrance.
- Designer – Company that sells fragrances but also other designer goods.
- Longevity/Performance – How long your fragrance lasts before needing to reapply.
- Layering – Multiple fragrances at once.
- Dry Down – Later stage of wear – the fragrance may smell slightly different as it fully dries on the skin.
Strength
Different types of fragrances have different strength levels and therefore last for different amounts of time. Strength level is related to the amount of actual fragrance oil in the final fragrance. The strength can still vary by brand so confirm before buying.
Here are some rough estimations of oil percentages and hours of wear provided. Remember though, brands themselves will still vary between longevity, projection, strength, etc.
- Eau de Cologne (EDC): 2% – 4% oil, 1-2 hours of wear
- Eau de Toilette (EDT): 5% – 15% oil, 3-4 hours of wear
- Eau de Parfum (EDP): 15% – 20% oil, 4-5 hours of wear
- Parfum: 20% – 40% oil, 6-8 hours of wear
Sampling Fragrance
Now that you have learned a bit about fragrance as a whole you probably want to start trying out some different fragrances. There are two main ways to do this and I will explain each. To start though, you should learn the basics of how to sample fragrance.
Skin
Many people choose to sample fragrance by smelling the bottle or a paper that has been sprayed. This isn’t optimal in my opinion because the fragrance will 100% smell differently when on the skin itself. Did you know your skin specifically breaks down fragrance and that this may slightly alter the smell? Things like temperature also play a role in how a fragrance may project.
Timing
If you choose to test fragrance samples at a shopping center consider taking time in between to give your nose a rest. For me, after 3 or 4 fragrances my nose is already getting pretty tired. My reviews drastically change based on this so trust me, take your time before committing to such expensive products.
Shopping Centers
If you’ve ever been to large shopping centers you have probably passed through (and smelled) an area showcasing fragrances. These places will usually allow you to test or sample some fragrances in hopes that you purchase one. This can be a free way of experimenting with various scents.
Sampling Websites
The option I use is something called a sample company. These are companies that rebottle popular fragrances into smaller bottles for testing. They will then ship you these samples.
For example, the website I used, microperfumes.com (I am not sponsored – many websites offer this service) sells a .75 ml bottle of Aventus Creed for $8 (a full bottle is around $390). For this website, their average price seems to be around $3 – $7 for the sample sizes. I was able to test around 30 fragrances for the price of one designer fragrance.
I would 100% recommend this option because when you test fragrances you want to get the full experience in regards to letting it dry on your skin over time as well as not feeling pressure to buy a bottle in person afterward. You can also take your time and let your nose rest for as long as you want with this method.
With the 30 fragrances I purchased, I would say I love 10 of them, was neutral on 10, and didn’t like the other 10. Doing this allows you to develop a sense of what you like and in combination with some of the resources I’ll provide later on in the post you’ll be able to see exactly what notes make up the specific fragrance you’re testing at the time.
Final Thoughts on Sampling
This is not only a useful way to start building a collection of things you actually like as a beginner but you can also test something before you buy it in the future. I was surprised – a lot of brands people rave about I was not interested in at all. I was actively disgusted by some.
Fragrance is so personal that I feel blind buying something new is almost crazy (barring a few exceptions).
Building a Collection
Now that you’ve sampled what you like you can start to form a collection of fragrances. Your collection will likely consist of fragrances used in situations you will often be in. For example, if you have an office job you may consider a lighter, fresh EDT strength fragrance for daily use. If you want to go clubbing you may select an EDP strength fragrance that projects a sexy or fun vibe.
Some people also classify fragrances into different seasons. This does make sense as you probably wouldn’t wear a heavy fragrance in the middle of a hot summer and vice versa for a fresher lighter fragrance in a cold winter. As I mentioned, temperature impacts fragrance. Hot weather (therefore hot skin) may increase projection, longevity, etc. There are no set rules but this is something to consider before applying a certain fragrance.
Just to throw out examples Versace Eros (EDP) might be seen in a club setting (you’ve likely smelled it) while Bleu De Chanel (EDP) may be used in an office setting. Again, there are no hard rules but something like Versace Eros may not be appreciated in an enclosed office space.
Popular Brands
I would suggest watching specific videos on this topic to figure out what brands you may be interested in. It’s hard to review fragrances without smelling them yourself but video reviews may provide a general idea of what to look for based on certain situations.
I love Jeremy Fragrance’s older content, just sort his videos by most popular. Most of the videos will still apply even today when looking for options.
Applying fragrance
When it comes to applying fragrance this is going to be different depending on personal preference, brand of fragrance, strength, etc. To go back to our office example you could likely get away with more sprays of a fresh EDT fragrance compared to a heavy-hitting club fragrance.
I will again shout out Jeremy Fragrance here, he did a great video on this topic.
In general, 2-5 sprays seem to be a good middle ground for most fragrances. I’ve gotten compliments with just 2 sprays of an EDT strength fragrance and I generally tend to lean towards 2 sprays to the neck/chest area like the video with Jeremy shows.
I’m assuming you don’t want to be the person with an overwhelming scent where people are fighting for air so err on the side of caution.
Storage
In terms of storing fragrances, you just want to make sure they are kept out of direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, humidity, etc. Treat them like any other high-end product (they are). This helps to keep the fragrance in quality condition and ensure that it doesn’t break down for example.
Further Exploration
With this, you have an amazing base of knowledge on fragrance. If you want to get into the hobby itself you can check out smaller niche fragrance houses or even try layering different fragrances (generally not a good idea unless you know what you want to do).
Remember there aren’t any rules with this stuff – if you like a fragrance but it isn’t specifically marketed to you still feel free to try it. If you want to wear a heavier fragrance in the summer or in the office and feel like it would work, go for it.
I’ll now link some resources that will help you in furthering your understanding of the subject or help you with advice, learning notes, etc.
- Fragrantica.com – This website allows users to submit general reviews of fragrances. It also is a database featuring likely every fragrance you could ever want to know about. It tells you the notes involved, the season the fragrance is mainly used, and so on. Great resource overall.
- Jeremy Fragrance – Hours upon hours of quality content. If you’ve thought about a situation where you would need a fragrance this guy has probably done a video about it. Again, great resource overall.
- Microperfumes – I’m not sponsored by this company at all but if you do want to sample products I’ve used them before and they had good service. Other companies that do the same thing will likely give the same service. The only thing I would say is MP didn’t have all of the fragrances I wanted to try – you may need to use multiple sites to get everything you want which is annoying.
Conclusion
Overall though, I hope this post helped you to learn about the amazing world of fragrance. It’s an aspect of style and fashion that can enhance your life in a big way and I would 100% recommend at least using some kind of signature light scent that you enjoy every day.