New Spice

While Old Spice is a great, classic scent for a man, if you’re interested in expanding your horizons into the world of cologne, you definitely have options. In fact, there are so many selections, the world of fragrance can seem daunting. It doesn’t have to be. We spoke to Sue Phillips, fragrance authority and CEO of Scenterprises and Sue Phillips Fragrance, to learn more about men’s cologne and how to find your best scent.

What Is Cologne?

There’s actually no real difference in the ingredients of perfume and cologne. They’re set apart by their concentration of ingredients to alcohol. Colognes are the lightest version of fragrance, around 2 to 4%, Phillips says, to perfume’s 30%. But cologne, derived from the city in Germany where monks made scent formulations, is “the lightest and the oldest term for perfume often used for masculine scents,” Phillips says. It’s really just linguistics – cologne became associated with men and perfume for women, but the world is changing. “More and more men are saying, ‘I want my own perfume,’ meaning they want a lovely fragrance, not necessarily a fragrance that’s very strong,” she says.

What Scents Are Available?

The best place to start when choosing a fragrance is to understand your olfactory family of choice, Phillips says. Scents are divided into categories like fresh, floral, woodsy and spicy. Phillips says men’s colognes are usually in the fresh category, which includes notes of light citrus, including lemons, bergamot, neroli and vetiver. But outdoor, woodsy-inspired colognes are also popular with notes like sandalwood, cedar, birch and even some lavender; as are spicy notes like amber, vanilla and some musks. Phllips notes American men tend to sidestep florals, but there are beautiful men’s fragrances with floral notes as well.

How Do I Start?

Phillips recommends taking an online quiz to see what scents might appeal to you, though you can also go to a department store and test some out as well. Some stores even have fragrance consultants to help you. The other option is to create your own scent. Either way, Phillips says, you want to find something that’s unique to you, that’s not just something everybody else wears — because frankly, what’s on trend might not suit you as well as something you choose yourself.