The 10 Things Every Man Needs to Know About Fragrance
One of the most common misconceptions about men’s fragrances is that they must be big and bold — “formidable scents” in the immortal words of Ron Burgundy. A cologne rich in leather, tobacco, oak and musk is all well and good, but a more delicate aroma can just as easily exude masculinity.
Acqua di Parma is a case in point. When the iconic Colonia was developed in 1916, it was literally a breath of fresh air in the world of fragrance. At the time, most colognes were heavy and cloying. This new scent, created in the town of Parma for Italian nobleman Carlo Magani, was as crisp and spirited as the Mediterranean sea breeze, as zesty as an Amalfi lemon twist in an Alessandro Palazzi martini.
A winning blend of citrus, bergamot, lavender, rosemary, vetiver, verbena and sandalwood, Acqua di Parma Colonia became a local favourite in Italy during the Jazz Age. But when La Dolce Vita arrived in the 1950s — and along with it, Hollywood celebrities and the international jetset — this fragrance took wing, finding fans across the globe. Still, it remained very much a ‘cult’ hit, popular only among those in the know: Cary Grant, Roberto Rossellini, cats of that character.
In the early ’90s, a fantastically tasteful trio of Italian entrepreneurs — Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo; Diego Della Valle, the proprietor and founder of Tod’s and Hogan; and Paolo Borgomanero, a major shareholder La Perla — all of whom were lifelong fans of Acqua di Parma, purchased the company and set out to give it a new lease of life.
So successful were they that in 2001, the fragrance house was acquired by luxury leviathan LVMH, and subsequently expanded into a prominent international brand — still proudly 100 percent made in Italy.
Here, Alex Goddard, who professionally extolls the virtues of Acqua di Parma in the United Kingdom, explains the most important things every man needs to know about fragrance, referencing Colonia and some of Acqua di Parma’s newer scents along the way.
10. “You should cultivate a signature scent. Your fragrance can be seen as an extension of your personality. The question you should ask yourself is: what do you want your fragrance to say about you? A fragrance is so much more than just a collection of carefully-selected raw materials — any fragrance is created to express or represent an idea, concept, feeling or mood. For example, the classic Colonia expresses a timeless feeling of effortless style.”
9. “Have a fragrance for different moods or occasions. A fragrance can make you feel a certain way and enhance your mood — it can elevate your confidence. Different smells also have different emotional associations for all of us and are always tied to memories, good or bad. This obviously extends to fragrance: any scent might evoke a certain memory or emotion. Two contrasting Acqua di Parma fragrances that would suit very different moods are the brand new Colonia Futura, a refreshing and uplifting scent and the bestselling Oud, which is sensual and captivating.”
8. “Don’t let other people pick your fragrance for you. The majority of men are probably not wearing the right scent. So many men still rely on other people to buy their fragrance for them or simply repurchase one they have been wearing for many years. The right scent should really be one that you love the scent of, that speaks to you or you have a positive association with.”
7. “Let your nose guide you. We so often buy fragrances for all the wrong reasons: brand name or image, colour of the juice, bottle design, advertising campaign. If you are buying a designer fragrance purely as a status symbol then it doesn’t matter — you are buying into the image of the fragrance rather than the fragrance itself. By all means, select a brand that shares your values and that you trust, but wear a fragrance that you love.”
6. “Do your research, figure out what you like and don’t like by trying different types of scent. Ask for a consultation – any Acqua di Parma fragrance expert would be able to talk you through our fragrance collections and this will begin to give you an idea of what you do and don’t like. Try a new fragrance properly: take time to pick a fragrance. It is never enough to try just two or three — a luxury fragrance is not an inexpensive purchase, therefore we should invest the same time we might do when searching for other valuable items.”
5. “Remember: Different scents for different gents. You need to wear it to know if you will like it. Fragrances smell differently on everybody — we each have different levels of heat, moisture and oils in our skin, which will affect the scent and the way it develops. Spray it on your skin from six inches away, to allow the alcohol to begin to evaporate and the raw materials to disperse. Allow the fragrance to dry on the skin to allow it to develop — if you smell it immediately, all you will smell is the alcohol.”
4. “Don’t be distracted by longevity. Different fragrance strengths are designed to last for different periods of time. An Eau de Cologne or Eau de Toilette is a bright, fresh fragrance that is easy to wear — the raw materials used to create this scent will naturally last a shorter period of time so you will top up the fragrance throughout the day. If you like more intense fragrances (for example, something woody) then you are more likely to be buying an Eau de Parfum strength, which has a higher concentration of raw materials and will last longer. It comes down to the raw materials themselves, which itself comes down to what you like the scent of. In a nutshell, what aromas you like will ultimately define how long your fragrance will last.”
The original art deco Acqua di Parma bottle. This timeless fragrance remains 100% made in Italy, just as it was a century ago.
3. “Men’s fragrances are often still called aftershave — this is absolutely misleading. Originally, men applied fragrance from a splash bottle after they’d shaved. All fragrance uses alcohol for the diffusion and preservation of the raw materials, and the splash feeling was restorative post-shaving. Many men’s fragrances still exist in the after-shave splash format (for example, Acqua di Parma Colonia), with additional post-shaving benefits, but these days most men prefer to wear their fragrance using a vaporiser — this is a fragrance, not an aftershave. An aftershave product is designed specifically as after-shave treatment: not just in the splash format, but you can also get aftershave products in the form of an emulsion or a balm, designed with greater treatment benefits such as for sensitive skins, or to treat in-grown hairs, irritations and redness.”
2. “Fragrance is not gender-specific. People label certain types of fragrances (florals, for instance) as male or female, largely due to association. The things that most often make us associate a specific gender with a fragrance are the packaging, colour, brand or image. Try to buy based on your taste. Buy with your nose — certain types of fragrance are sometimes more popular with one gender or another, but never exclusively so. Men should not worry about wearing something ‘feminine’. If you like it, wear it — let it say about you what you want it to say. At Acqua di Parma, none of our fragrances are associated with a specific gender. Two great examples of Acqua di Parma fragrances that are very popular with both men and women are Fico di Amalfi, a revitalising scent of figs and citrus freshness, and Bergamotto di Calabria, a bright, exhilarating fragrance celebrating the citrus scent of bergamot.”
1. “Change your scent with the seasons. Many people prefer a brighter, fresher scent in spring and summer as they are easier to wear. Conversely, they enjoy something more intense in the winter months. The intense scents of our Signature collection are perfect autumn/inter scents — they contrast beautifully with bright, easy-to-wear freshness of our Blu Mediterraneo collection.”
Have a nose around our list of the Top 10 Greatest Classic Men’s Scents of All Time
Main image: Marble portrait of a man, Roman, circa 100 AD, from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All other images courtesy of Acqua di Parma.
