5 Fragrance Etiquette Rules For Gentlemen
Choking on a scent has never been preferable to anyone, let alone one’s potential employer or date, but if you think that’s the only fragrance faux pas, you’d be wrong.
Photography by @artworth_brothers
The human body can detect up to 10,000 unique scents, and many etiquette questions arise from this when it comes to those scents, not only whether they are plain delightful or plain disgusting. Particularly with a gentleman's choice of fragrance, I often get asked what the right amount is to wear, when to wear certain scents, and so on.
In usual digestible fashion, I’ve listed five fragrance etiquette rules for gentlemen that I sure hope enough people catch a whiff of to ensure we eliminate any of those fragrance faux pas.
Why We Wear Fragrances
Scents, fragrances, and perfumes have a huge impact on the way we feel, the olfactory system is the most closely linked to memory. How we feel, what we remember, and who we want to be are all affected by what we smell and how we smell to others. The beauty of fragrances is that we can directly control that.
Unlike tailoring, where budget hugely determines quality and longevity, fragrances are priced very competitively, and it’s rare that spending £300 or more on a bottle is going to guarantee you a nicer and longer-lasting scent. You can have almost all of the right fragrances for every occasion and need for less than £100. It’s all about which one you choose and why.
Make a considered choice
As much as gentlemanly fragrances are simply about smelling nice and at your best, you should still consider the common factors that make choosing one's scent the right choice or the wrong choice. The right fragrance is the one that is chosen considerably and this depends on the following:
- What you like
- Your mood
- Where you are going / purpose of the outing
- How much fragrance to spray
- Where to spray your fragrance
Here are the five fragrance etiquette rules for gentlemen in a little more detail.
Rule 1: Wear what you like
If hot, sweet, and sticky isn't for you, then don't wear it. A fragrance should feel like an extension of your personality and preferences rather than something to clash with them. If your entire character is about being fresh, and uplifting, then wear something that you feel enhances that. Just because other people might love something in particular at the moment is no reason for you to buy it if you don’t like it.
Rule 2: Play to your mood
The name of the game with fragrances is to feel like the confident, sexy, masculine, debonaire, and charming gentleman you really are. If you feel like something spicy and woody, despite it being a warm summer's evening (where I'd usually recommend something stable and fresh), then go ahead. Just be cautious about how many sprays (we’ll get to that in a second).
I think the wonderment of the fragrance world is that there is so much variety that only sticking to one signature scent (though no bad start to your collection) can be a bit boring sometimes.
Rule 3: Purpose
The fundamental deciding factor, like with your choice of clothing, is the purpose for which you wear it. You wouldn't wear black-tie to a coffee catch up or first date, so why would you cake yourself in a musky scent for something like a job interview? That's not to say that there are clear rules here, but there are some general guidelines.
Each fragrance has its own level of sillage, which is the heaviness or lightness of the trail that remains from the scent as you move through the air. Therefore, the sillage (and strength) of the fragrance can positively or negatively impact your encounters.
Fragrance Event Guide
Job Interview / Formal Dinners
Little to no fragrance at all
(0-1 spray)
Semi Formal Events
Nothing too invasive
(2-3 sprays)
Casual / All day
Whatever you feel like most
(3-5 sprays)
Rule 4: Spray the right amount
What is the right amount? The one clear answer we can dare write down here is simply – not too much. We all know what too much is. It's the amount when sitting near somebody (on a train or in the car) feels choking.
Don't worry about not being able to smell your own scent after a couple of hours, your nose is just used to it. It's not a warrant to spray more. It's like when you cannot smell your own home, but when a visitor enters they comment on how lovely the house smells.
In general, you should never need more than five sprays of a good fragrance. It’s like having a great physique under your clothing that nobody can really identify until it’s revealed. If you can smell somebody without being in their intimate space, the chances are that it is too much.
Rule 5: Spray the pulse points, not your clothes
I can live with the idea of spraying a fragrance on my clothes sometimes, but it's generally not the best thing. It will make the scent last bit longer, but that means it will stick to your coat and jackets longer too. Do you really want that for next time?
Always spray (spraying closely, not from a large distance) the neck two or three times, and one on each wrist, and never rub them together (this breaks down the molecules in the liquid).
