For Him, On Her

When Davidoff came out with Cool Water for Men in 1988 and Issey Miyake with L’Eau D’Issey in 1992, it revolutionised the olfactory industry. Establishing that a fragrance is not male or female but an experience, an emotion. Cool Water was airy, light, cool, fresh and easy on the nose and skin, an aquatic fragrance, a delicious derivative of the cologne, a potent cocktail of unlikely notes: Mint, coriander, lavender, jasmine, oakmoss, musk and sandalwood. Men loved it. Women loved it and bought it, not just for their men but for themselves, too. And even though Davidoff launched the feminine variant a decade later, the original continues to enjoy its female following. When creating L’Eau D’Issey, the brief by the Japanese designer was to create something as clear as spring water. The result was a floral aquatic scent with transparent wafts of lotus, freesia, peony, lily and carnation and a musky woody base. It still maintains a cult status 20 years after its launch as it legitimately gave an olfactory alternative to women. It was breezy, light, oceanic and woody, yet feminine. Women loved it and men loved it on women. A new oceanic family of fragrances had been created. What followed was a spate of androgynous perfumes. Scent of a…?

Feminine fragrances are no longer synonymous with floral bouquets, nor are masculine scents with the ruggedness of wood, spice and leather. The marriage between the two has led to some interesting smells. Paco Rabanne 1 Million, for instance, which playfully flouts the rules of traditional perfumery by balancing the sweet notes of rose with cinnamon, leather, white wood and amber. And Narciso Rodriguez’s fragrances for women take the traditionally male woody, musky and ambery trail. Typically, men’s fragrances fall into four categories: Eau de cologne, fougere, oriental and chypre, and most feminine fragrances were floral. The oriental warm, sweet and spicy notes of vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood have always been popular for women’s fragrances, too, like Guerlain Shalimar, YSL Opium and Dior Poison. But their warm sensuality has made them an elegant choice with slightly older women. Over the years, the non floral, non sweet, non spicy, woody, mossy chypre has become a go-to for women who love to work their individuality through their fragrances. From his dresser Spritzing on his scent is like a term of endearment. It signals to your partner just how much into him you are. And for some, it works like a security blanket, the warm, fuzzy feeling you get from memories. Like celebrity hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani. “I wear only Old Spice and Brute, as the smell reminds me of Dad,” she says. And then there are some, for who it’s not about smelling like a man at all. It’s about following your nose, breaking out of the limitations of floral combinations.

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“At our stores, we’ve found women are keener on masculine fragrances that are light fresh, aquatic, sexy, flirty and watery,” says Seema Bahety, director of marketing services at Beauty Concepts, which distributes brands like Ferragamo, Bulgari and Guess in India. “Guess Seductive Homme Blue, Bulgari AQVA Pour Homme Marine and 411 EDC are some of the most popular.” Agrees Richa Singh, business head of designer brands (Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren) at L’Oréal Luxe, India. “We have women customers who are looking for atypical fragrances that are beyond the floral and fruity feminine fragrances,” she says. “Men’s fragrances like Ralph Lauren Polo Red that have fresh and fruity top and heart notes and a woody aromatic base have a very wide female base.”

Perhaps where 212 Men fits in. Cut grass, spice leaves, gardenia petals, ginger, sandalwood, musk and incense… It’s simply sex in a bottle. Maybe it’s the lethal blend of spice and musk that women can’t help but spray a bit on themselves.

What men want Men find it sexy if a woman smells of wood, musk and spice. It could be the surprise element: When a man sees a girly girl, he expects her to smell like a bouquet of roses but when she smells of leather and spice? His senses are tickled and his curiosity heightened. She has instantly added layers to her character when her scent tells him there is more to her than meets the eye. Most men wouldn’t really register that their women are wearing masculine scents, just that they smell differently alluring, because women tend to have more acidic skin than men. So, a man who finds the fragrance manly on himself may find it seductively enticing on his woman.

Middle-of-the-road In an effort to embrace a wider customer base, middle-of-road scents in neutral packaging are being created that are a cocktail of crisp citrus, pungent spices, marine and heady florals. Introduced in 1994, CK One is fresh, floral fruity, spicy with musk accents, and a pioneer of androgynous scents. Bulgari Black, a smoky woody fragrance is urban in spirit with tea notes to balance the floral character of jasmine and bergamot. The traditionally masculine base notes of cedar and leather are softened by sandalwood, while amber, musk and vanilla give it an addictive trail. A citrus-woody fragrance that works for both genders is Tuscan Soul by Salvatore Ferragamo, which represents the Italian sensibility with notes of bergamot, tomato leaf, petit grain, magnolia blossom, orange blossom, iris flower and fig tree blended with Sicilian and Calabrian citrus accords. Hermès Un Jardin en Méditerranée, with its woody, green, fruity accords is again an exceptional unisex fragrance that conjures up a walk through a dappled Mediterranean garden.

Colognes score with their sparkling, citrusy and light notes. Earlier considered a male prerogative, today cologne is being marketed as unisex scent thanks to its universal appeal. Hermès, L’Occitane and Kiehl’s all have their variants that encourage both men and women to think out of the box and simply follow their nose.

“When I get bored with floral, fruity scents, I turn to my husband’s muskier ones. When I was younger, I’d pat on my dad’s Old Spice for an invigorating feeling. I love Azzaro Pour Homme, for its spicy, musky character.”

Vinita Rishi, Design Consultant.