Most men want to smell great! After all, this is what attracts a possible mate. Thank goodness for the countless fragrances, body sprays, colognes, and deodorants available in the market, the task of keeping one’s self smelling good is so much easier.
There are thousands of men’s fragrances already available in the market and hundreds of new ones are added each year, according to industry estimates. These scents come in variety of forms and spectrum of prices depending on the concentration of fragrance oils used. The higher the concentration of aromatic oil in a fragrance, the longer it lasts and the more expensive it gets.
You see, collecting fragrance oils requires a great deal of raw materials to produce a small amount of product. To give you an idea, it takes about 250 pounds of flowers to make a single ounce of pure rose oil. These oils are then blended with alcohol, water or carrier oils to create a wide range of scented products.
Fragrances are categorized according to the concentration of aromatic oil they contain. For instance, a product labeled as a perfume or eau de parfum contains between 20 and 30 percent fragrance oil which explains its longevity and steep price. Less expensive than a perfum, eau de toilette is made from at least 10 percent oil (EDTs usually contain about 15 to 18 percent fragrance). On the other hand, Eau de Cologne contains about 3 to 8 percent oil carried in a higher volume of perfumer’s alcohol and water. The least expensive of the lot is body spray which has about 2 to 3 percent fragrance oil.
An expensive perfume does not guarantee that you will smell good. Remember, your skin can alter the smell to some degree and applying too much of a strong scent can be off-putting so others. Therefore, it’s imperative to apply a scent in accordance to its potency as well as the occasion it is being worn for.
Perfumes are potent and powerful. Their scents can radiate for a yard or more around the wearer. These attributes may be alluring for an evening of dancing, but they can be distracting in a small office or during a wine-tasting party. Use perfume sparingly and in moderate amounts to avoid invading others’ personal space.
Colognes are “lighter” versions of perfumes making them ideal for wearing on occasions that call for fragrance that stays close to the skin such as small offices, airplane cabins, and car trips with company. They are also preferable over perfumes during a dinner date or occasions where food will be served as they will not overpower the savory scents of the food. A good cologne such as TPCK Dime uses aged alcohol as carrier for essential oils and other ingredients.
The fragrance of body sprays is typically fairly mild and can be applied more liberally than its more concentrated counterparts. As its scent fades much faster than perfumes and colognes, body sprays can be reapplied as the need arises.
Whether you prefer perfume, cologne or inexpensive drugstore body spray, the key to make it work for you is to determine which fragrance reacts well with your skin. Also, avoid overdoing it to avoid the same negative reaction with the ladies, or boys, as body odor does.