| New men’s scents: what do our readers think?
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We queried osMoz readers about their favorite men’s scents. Among the most-frequently quoted names: Encre Noire by Lalique, Terre d’Hermès and Dior Homme, but also some newer scents, like Gaultier’s Fleur du Mâle by and Fahrenheit 32 by Dior. We also asked them what kinds of innovation they could imagine in upcoming men’s scents.
The 4 main ideas: bolder notes, longer-lasting scents, more unusual bottles and innovation in the support (different ways of wearing scent).
Bolder Notes
Most of the people queried are hoping for ‘innovative, surprising scents’. But there’s no consensus about men wearing notes borrowed from the feminine vocabulary. For Graziella, 32, it’s obvious: a men’s scent ‘has to smell really masculine, and shouldn’t copy women’s scents’. On the other hand, for Aurore, 22, the future of men’s scents is in florals: ‘I’d be tempted by florals, like what Jean Paul Gaultier did with Fleur du Mâle. Perhaps even more in-your-face scents (…) like floral-aldehydes. When are men going to get their Chanel N°5?’. That’s an idea that appeals to Stephanie, 31, too. She is enchanted by Viktor & Rolf men’s scent, Antidote, with at its heart a ‘huge bouquet of flowers, which is pretty rare in men’s fragrance’.
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| For others, the male-female border in fragrance should simply be abolished. Marie, 54, for examples, adores Dior Homme, which she describes as a ‘classic scent, like a Lutens: equally appropriate for men and women’.
Men, who are most directly affected by the question, don’t necessarily notice the masculine or feminine concept. They admit to enjoying wearing fragrances that flaunt a floral character, like Dior Homme and Fahrenheit 32. But what they mostly notice about them is their originality.
Aside from creativity, several people expressed a wish for fragrance designers to come up with scents that would enter into osmosis with men’s skin. Like Eric, 47, who hopes that: ’the fragrance will harmonize with who I am’ or Anne, 32, who expects ‘a man’s scent to be like his second skin: to be able to conjure up your sweetheart when you sniff his pillow (…) feel the protective and sensual evocations of his scent (…) as well as the nuances of fragility and sensitivity’. |
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Long-latingness
Eric, 40, wishes designers would propose ‘more concentrated scents’. For Elisa, 23, fragrance should ‘be noticeable all day long, but discreetly’. For Luc, 49, the fundamental criterion is ‘long-lastingness: the strength and extreme power of the essences’. Why does he appreciate Terre d’Hermès? Because it’s a ‘suave, robust and powerful’ scent. For many of the men we spoke to, their choice of fragrance depends on how long-lasting it is. Franck, 36, admits that he loves Encre Noire for ‘its power, its long-lastingness, its spicy notes. And also for its balance’.
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Bottles
How can brands innovate for new men’s scents? ‘Perhaps in terms of the bottles, which are generally pretty standardized for men: try adding shape and color. Same for the packaging,’ says Anne, 32. An idea that also finds an echo in comments from Elodie, 19, who’d like men’s scents ‘in bottles with more unusual shapes’.
New gestures
For Eric, 47, brands should be more creative about scents’ form: why not make ‘roll-on fragrances, like they have roll-on deodorants’? An idea that also inspires Elisa, 23. ‘Why not make solid fragrances for men, or scented creams?’
For others, like Franck, 36, new concepts need to be invented, like, ‘a customizable fragrance; you’d start with a base that you could personalize with scents that suited your personality’ of the moment.
Whatever the aspects, you’re all expecting a certain stature for men’s fragrances of tomorrow. Like Stéphane, 36, who confides, ‘I’m expecting something stylish, something luxurious. Not necessarily for the price, but for the style.’
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