When setting out to purchase men’s cologne, you want to make sure you understand what you’re sniffing for. Once you get familiar with scent profiles, you may even be able to shop for fragrances online instead of in person. It takes some practice, but it’s worth the effort if you’re looking for an easy and quick way to enjoy a great scent that can be delivered to your door.
A men’s cologne fragrance profile is composed of fragrance notes and layers. Fragrance notes are created by the oils used in the scent. For example, sandalwood can make a cologne smell woodsy and masculine. Jasmine is a floral note that smells sweet. Other fragrance notes, like musk, give a fragrance a distinctive masculine yet fresh scent.
Three layers of notes make up a cologne for men scent profile: top, middle and base. The top notes are the initial scents, or the first impression of a fragrance. Top notes (sometimes called evaporation notes) usually wear off quickly, giving way to the middle and base notes. The middle notes are often referred to as the heart of the fragrance. Base notes are the foundation of the scent, and can remain discernible until the end of the day, when they wear off.
men’s cologne fragrances are usually categorized into four main scent families: woody, floral, amber and fresh. A scent with sandalwood, cedar and patchouli might fall into the woody category. A fragrance with jasmine, chamomile and mandarin orange might be characterized as fresh and floral.
The carrier liquid in a fragrance usually has no scent at all. It simply carries the fragrance oil onto the skin and is absorbed quickly. Alcohol, the most common carrier liquid, maintains the structure of a fragrance. Once the perfume is on the skin, it diffuses the scent and then dissipates. A few fragrances use water as a carrier liquid.
