When we men decide to marinade ourselves in unguents and scent, we are expected to take the art director’s chair, decode confusing messages, take an olfactory world tour — Sicilian bergamot, British leather, amber from the North Sea, Australian sandalwood, Argentinian maté — or even call our sexuality into question. We have to take sides. Am I a rugged, outdoorsy Ewan sort or a slick, urban type like Matthew?
— From How fragrances are advertised to men, in the UK Times Online.
I hope we have reached the point in time in North America when a woman wearing a men’s fragrance does not merit lengthy discussion. About a third of my collection is intended for men and many of the notes I often enjoy are associated primarily with masculine or unisex perfumery: lavender, bergamot, lime, cedar, ginger and shrubby notes like lentisc. I find I choose my masculine favorites on days when I want to leave my olfactory “signature”, when wearing a brisk cologne or some deep, musky woods is a way of asserting my individuality. Below are the five I have painfully selected as my recommendations for women — boy, this was hard!
And, in the spirit of the Prix Eau Faux, I have attempted to do a little mimicry of my own. I have written each of my reviews today as if I were a different member of the perfume blogging community. Having quickly discovered that this was very difficult, I beg your indulgence — and the forgiveness of reviewers I have lovingly imitated…
Those obsessed with fragrance are familiar with the particular stare some sales assistants give anyone who displays a suspicious enthusiasm for and knowledge of perfumery. “It is made entirely from organic essential oils,” the sales representative might say, and when you reply: “Even the civet?” there is a look of flustered irritation. If you are a woman, the look implies you have taken too seriously the bothersome duty of pampering and perfuming your flesh. But if you are a man, things are much, much worse — you are unnatural.
North Americans have come only recently to the idea that men should smell like anything more than an honest day’s work, or, God willing, soap. Once it was decided that something more was needed, we encouraged young men to smell fresh and elemental, like rocks, wood, mountain air and sea spray. Older gentlemen were allowed to get away with the smell of proper, civilized luxuries…
Indeed, far from downplaying their feminine side, some of the new men's colognes flaunt it. Promotional materials for Viktor & Rolf's Antidote, which is made with jasmine, call it a "dandy fragrance" for men who appreciate fine tailoring and sartorial wit. The name of Jean Paul Gaultier's new cologne includes the French word for flower: It's called Fleur du Male.
— from The scent of a woman, sold to men, in today's Spokesman Review.
Much of the surge in men’s fragrances has been driven by Acqua di Gio, a 10-year-old Armani cologne that was the top-selling fragrance for eight months in 2006. One clue to its success was that Acqua di Gio seemed to be more popular than other colognes among women, who buy more than half of all cologne as gifts.
— from The Scent of a Man, Bought by a Woman, in today's New York Times.