Choosing A Cologne: Tips For A Perfect Gift

Choosing a cologne for your boyfriend can be a tricky task, but it's not impossible. It's important to know his personality—is he bold and energetic, calm and laid-back, or fun and celebrity-loving? You could also take inspiration from his current scent—is it woody or citrusy? It's also a good idea to pick something you like, as you'll be smelling it too. If you're still unsure, opt for a cologne with marine notes, which tend to be universally loved.

Know his personality

Choosing a cologne for your boyfriend can be tricky, but it helps to know his personality. Ask yourself: is he bold and energetic, or calm and laid-back? Is he fun and celebrity-loving, or classic and masculine? Is he outdoorsy and a guy's guy, or happy and quirky?

If your boyfriend is bold and energetic, consider a spicy fragrance such as Lacoste for Men, which combines ginger, black pepper, cardamom, and iced tea. If he's more calm and laid-back, try a mix of bergamot, pineapple, juniper berry, blackcurrant, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, moss, and musk, like Bond No. 9 The Scent of Peace. For the boyfriend who is fun and celebrity-loving, a mix of grapefruit, ginger, cardamom, vetiver, pink pepper, lavender, violet leaf, amber, myrrh, teak wood, and bourbon vanilla might be a good fit.

If your boyfriend is classic and masculine, a blend of birch, lavender, lemon leaves, cardamom, jasmine, African violet, musk, and sandalwood, like Boss Bottled Night, could be a good option. If he's more outdoorsy and a guy's guy, try a masculine blend like Polo Eau de Toilette, which combines basil, chamomile, tobacco, patchouli, and oak moss. For the boyfriend who is happy and quirky, a citrus-y scent like Clinique Happy might be a good choice.

In addition to these colour-coded personality types, there are several other categories of male colognes that might help you choose the right scent for your boyfriend:

• Vintage colognes suit an old-school gentleman. These colognes tend to have a slight scent of alcohol and a dominant fragrance that is sweet or spicy, such as Old Spice Aftershave.
• Leather-scented colognes are for the man who knows what he wants and is determined to achieve it. These colognes combine the overpowering scent of leather with other oils to create a subtle aroma, such as Tom Ford Tuscan Leather.
• Oriental colognes suit the intense yet relaxed, easy-going man. These colognes feature warm and sensual tones, with amber as the base fragrance combined with musk, spices, woody fragrances, vanilla, and a fruity-floral combination. Try Opium by Yves Saint Laurent for Men.
• Musk-based colognes are for the lady-killer. These colognes have a rich and full-bodied scent that is sensuous and strong, leaving a lasting impression, such as Burberry 'Touch' Eau de Toilette Spray for Men.
• Woody colognes are for the man who is comfortable in his confidence. These colognes feature a variety of wood scents, including sandalwood, cedar, oakmoss, and rosewood, such as Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood Eau de Parfum Spray.
• Fresh scents are for the adventure lover. These colognes tend to include the fragrance of ocean breezes and have a modern, clean-cut finish, like Kenzo Pour Homme.
• Fruity-floral scents are for the modern guy with his eye on the future. These colognes combine subtle floral fragrances, such as ylang-ylang and jasmine, with fruity scents, typically featuring citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and mandarins. Try Amouage Lyric Men's Eau de Parfum Spray.

Take inspiration from his current scent

When choosing a cologne for your boyfriend, it's important to know him well. His personality will play a big part in the type of fragrance he will like. Is he bold and energetic? Calm and laid-back? Fun and celebrity-loving? Classic and masculine? Outdoorsy? Or perhaps he's happy, quirky, and always smiling? Knowing the answer to these questions will help guide your choice.

If you want to play it safe, choosing a cologne that is similar to his current one is a good idea. Find out what he already wears and likes wearing. Is it a woody scent or a citrus scent? Once you know this, you can look for other colognes with similar notes. For example, if he usually wears a woody scent, you could try something with notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, or vetiver. If he prefers a citrus scent, look for colognes with notes of bergamot, grapefruit, or mandarin.

Another way to take inspiration from his current scent is to consider the fragrance family. Is it a fresh aquatic scent, an earthy and woody scent, or a warm and spicy scent? Fragrance families can give you a good starting point when looking for a new cologne. You could also consider the seasonality of the fragrance. Different notes are more suitable for different times of the year. For example, warming tobacco, leather, and spice notes are perfect for winter, while green and aquatic notes are ideal for summer.

You could also ask him directly what scent he is wearing and do some research to find similar fragrances. Many websites offer fragrance finders that can recommend similar fragrances based on the fragrance family or specific notes. This way, you can be sure that you are choosing something he is likely to enjoy.

In conclusion, taking inspiration from your boyfriend's current scent is a great way to narrow down your options when choosing a new cologne for him. Consider the notes, the fragrance family, and the seasonality of his current cologne, and look for similar fragrances that match his personality and preferences.

Pick something you like too

When choosing a cologne for your boyfriend, it's important to pick something that you like, too. After all, it's likely that he's trying to attract you, so your opinion matters! If you don't like the scent, don't buy it for him. Opt for something that he'll enjoy wearing and that you'll enjoy smelling.

To find a cologne you both like, you could go to a department store or pharmacy together and try out some fragrances. Places like Macy's, Sephora, and Walgreens have a wide variety of colognes to choose from, and the staff can often be helpful in making a decision. You could also ask your boyfriend what scent he already wears and buy him a new bottle of that. If you want to surprise him, you could try to subtly find out what cologne he uses or take a look at the fragrances he already owns.

If you're looking for a versatile cologne that can be worn during the day and night, there are several options to consider. Some popular choices include Nautica (original), Chanel Allure, Armani Code Sport, and YSL Pour Homme. You can also find good options at Bath and Body Works, such as their Ocean scent for men. If you're looking for something a little more affordable, "I AM KING" by Sean John is available at Walmart for a lower price.

When choosing a cologne, it's also important to consider your boyfriend's personality and the impression he wants to make. If he's bold and energetic, you might opt for a spicy fragrance. If he's calm and laid-back, a mix of bergamot, pineapple, and musk might be more suitable. Ultimately, the best cologne for your boyfriend is one that you both enjoy and that aligns with his unique personality and style.

Understand fragrance families and their seasonality

Perfumes are categorized into fragrance families based on their dominant characteristics. These families are further divided into sub-families or sub-groups. The four major fragrance families are Oriental, Floral, Woody, and Fresh.

The Oriental family features rich spices such as vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and resins like myrrh, incense, and amber. These perfumes are often sweet, dense, and sensual, making them ideal for romantic nights out during the colder seasons.

Floral perfumes are one of the most popular scent families, especially among women. They can be made from single flower notes or a combination of many flowers, creating soft, captivating, or dense and complex scents. While they lean more towards the feminine side, men can also wear floral fragrances, such as Dior Homme.

The Woody family, which leans more towards men, features warm and rich compositions with notes reminiscent of forests, sawdust, and earthy smells. These perfumes are often long-lasting and can be blended for various seasons. Examples include Christian Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum.

The Fresh family is the most crowd-pleasing and gender-neutral, with affordable and accessible perfumes that have been dominating the market since the early '90s. This family includes a variety of sub-categories, such as Citrus, Fruity, Green, and Water. Fresh perfumes typically feature a mix of sparkling fruits, aromatic herbs, lighter woods, and musks. An example of a popular fresh perfume is Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum.

While some fragrances work well year-round, it's worth noting that certain notes are more suited to specific seasons. For example, warming tobacco, leather, and spice notes are perfect for winter, while green and aquatic notes are ideal for summer. Similarly, patchouli, musk, and vanilla notes are excellent for fall, and floral or citrus notes suit the spring season.

To understand fragrance seasonality better, you can refer to Michael Edwards' Fragrance Wheel or his Fragrances of the World website, which offers an online fragrance finder that recommends similar fragrances based on their families.

Try before you buy

When choosing a cologne for your boyfriend, it's important to try before you buy. Department stores are great for this purpose, but it's important not to buy until you're ready. The maximum number of scents to try at once is four, but if you're just starting out, it's recommended to only try two (one on each arm).

Spray one scent on each wrist (and each inner elbow if you're trying four). Avoid the cards department stores provide to smell the colognes, as they only let you smell the top notes and not how it smells on you. Between smelling each cologne, refresh your palate with something strong like coffee or tea.

Walk around the department store and smell the fragrances at various intervals, taking notes on your phone or in a journal about which you like and why.

If you're shopping online, many brands are happy to include a sampler of the product you purchased, so you don't have to unwrap the actual fragrance until you know you like it. Other brands offer discovery sets, providing a voucher that can be used towards a full-size bottle purchase, so you can try the cologne at your own pace before committing.

Subscription sample companies like LuxSB and Scentbird will send you a different scent in a large enough sample to last a month or so. Some people like the chance to switch up their scent each month, while others just want to play the field before committing. Other sites, like LuckyScent, will even sell individual samples of niche/boutique scents, making it easy to make an informed decision.

If you're going to commit to something and pay a substantial amount of money for it, then you need to know that it's a winner.

Frequently asked questions