fragrances at the office
How to choose the right perfume to wear at work
Written by Glenn Lauritz Andersson & Denis Vasilije, fragrance experts
Wearing perfume when you work in an office – which for many people today means an open-plan workspace and attending meetings – can be divisive and is not always entirely straightforward. There are certain things to consider if you don't want to become a pariah among your colleagues. So here are a few tips to help you avoid involuntary isolation in the workplace.
Summary
- Be considerate at the office: choose fragrances thoughtfully and take your colleagues' sensitivities and allergies into account.
- Prioritise office-friendly profiles: citrus, clean and “soapy” notes and light woods rather than heavy oud, patchouli, smoke and gourmand fragrances.
- Express your personality without overwhelming others: choose elegant, discreet or lightly spiced interpretations at an appropriate strength.
Some workplaces have an outright ban on wearing perfume – hospitals and certain institutions, for example – but in most cases it is perfectly fine to wear your favourite fragrance, provided you do so responsibly and with some awareness of the situation.
An office is a workplace where you interact and spend time with other people, which means you need to be considerate of your colleagues and choose your perfume accordingly. You may even have colleagues who are allergic or simply very sensitive to fragrance, or perhaps you don't quite share the same idea of what constitutes a great-smelling perfume.
So how should you approach it? Here are a few guidelines:
Choose perfumes that aren't overly experimental in style but preferably have a certain elegance to their fragrance profile. Citrus, woods and fresh soapy or powdery accents are all good options. If you want something spicy, choose a fragrance that won't suffocate everyone around you – although that certainly doesn't mean it has to be boring or lacking in personality.
In other words, leave overpowering oud fragrances with animalic hints of cow manure and strong oriental spices, along with gourmands and hydrogen-bomb creations packed with smoke, tar, petrol and heavy leather, safely at home in the fragrance wardrobe. The open-plan office is hardly the right setting for challenging and creative scent trails. Nobody is going to thank you for your experimental enthusiasm – quite the opposite.
Citrus
Citrus fragrances are a safe bet at work, and there are plenty of different interpretations to choose from, whether you prefer something classically retro like Nightfall from Benjamin Barber or something more exotic like Gong from Floraiku. Either way, hardly anyone around you is likely to object. And the freshness comes as a bonus.
Fresh & discreet
If you want to make sure your fragrance doesn't bother anyone around you, opt for very fresh or discreet alternatives such as Widian's summery Rose Arabia Ginger or the classically fresh creations from German fragrance house Birkholz. Fresh, light and almost summery notes can also be found in Lophiel's Sablo, while anyone looking for something more elegant and dressed-up can hardly go wrong with Pour Homme from Italian designer house Brunello Cucinelli.
Woods
If you're one of those who prefer woody accords, there's almost no limit to what you can find on the market, but you still need to make sure your choice suits the environment. Heavy oud or patchouli can be divisive, so look for dry, cleaner woods such as sandalwood and cedar, which can be found in fragrances including Dusita's Erawan and Santal Austral from Matiere Premiere.
For those who want something more complex and exotic, Floraiku's black and red collections offer plenty of exciting alternatives (their Between Two Trees and Sleeping on the Roof can also be layered with the house's other fragrances).
Clean & soapy
Sometimes smelling clean and freshly washed is simply a winning move – and it's a growing trend. If you're aiming for something a little more office-oriented or sophisticated business class, Fragrance du Bois London Spice with its aquatic notes and lavender is an obvious winner – while anyone in a senior role with the budget for the more luxurious end of the soapy spectrum will find Heritage from the same house an absolute gem.
If you'd rather go all in on soap and laundry-detergent vibes, you can never go wrong with Aura II from QOT. It's impossible to feel any cleaner than this – we promise.
Say it with spices!
And now we come to the slightly more characterful and spicy department. These are fragrances that express a little more personality while still retaining that office-friendly feel. If you want to play it a little “safe” while still feeling well-dressed and confident, Benjamin Barber's Saffron & Leather Intense is always the ultimate choice.
Those who would rather make a distinctly masculine “statement” might opt for Francesca Bianchi's more daring and niche Etruscan Water, which, despite its twist of aromatic spices, still takes its inspiration from a vintage-style cologne ideal.
