SIGNAL "ATTRACTION"
Make yourself irresistible with perfume
In human interaction, scent is one of our most important means of communication. With the right perfume as an extension of your personality and at the right time, you are ready to make an impression on your surroundings. Whether you want to signal male security or animal sensuality, you have a loyal partner in your perfume.
It may seem primitive, but sexual contact between humans is one of our strongest drives and the sense of smell is by far the most sensitive sense with which we perceive the world around us. This is self-evident in the animal world, where communication is based on scent and an inherited instinct for the most suitable reproductive partner determines selection. The perfume industry also uses scent notes to create associations and evoke emotions in both the recipient and the wearer. There are different ways to create attraction as long as you start with what you are most comfortable with.
INDICATE CLASSIC MASCULINITY
If you want to exude male confidence, sophistication and classic masculinity, there are many aces to pull out of your sleeve - or rather your perfume cabinet. Maybe you want to convey a bit of Cary Grant or James Bond. For confident elegance, Roja Elysium Pour Homme Cologne is like putting on a Rolex before you step out into the urban jungle. A fresh, classic cologne that boosts your self-esteem and gives you an aura of exclusivity. If you want to spend a little extra, choose the luxurious perfume variant with a higher concentration.
If you want to stand out with a little more old school, it's hard to avoid British Floris with classic scents like "Elite", where citrus is mixed with woody notes of patchouli and spruce as well as a spicy lavender and juniper, and "No 89" (Ian Fleming's choice of perfume for James Bond) which with its nutmeg, lavender and cedarwood gives a soapy but masculine tone as if taken from 1950. Universal retro that works even in the 2010s. Or why not a splash of gin and tonic using Pengaligon's "Juniper Sling"? If you're going for the lumberjack look or want to evoke a tweed shop in London, there's no more powerful weapon than the flagship 'Sartorial' from the same brand. It doesn't get any safer or more masculine than that.
SENSUALITY AND SEDUCTION
In the segment that more obviously exudes pure sensualism, we find fragrances that more overtly associate with gender, body scents and animal notes inspired by pheromones, the body's own scent molecules that are said to register with the recipient more or less subconsciously and signal virility and sexual attraction.
One of the most popular party fragrances is Creed's monster creation 'Aventus'. Deceptively treacherous and seductive with its initial sweet pineapple that soon collides with a smoky note and wild, raw animalic musk (originally a gland in deer that has a special animalic scent note). Less animalistic but just as 'sexy' is Aqua di Parma's 'Quercia' - dark and luxurious with a fresh, subtle citrus top that finishes with a bombastic sensual sweetness that takes up space and makes sure no one forgets you at first.
PHEROMONES AND BOLD SCENTS
If we go all in on pheromones, we end up in areas that take us into much deeper waters in an attempt to trace directly to body scents and fertilisers. The perfumes in this category - often called "skunky" or "dirty" in the international perfume world - are definitely not for everyone; it takes courage and the right skin chemistry to wear them, but if you want to make an indelible impression and exude raw animal sexuality, they are hard to beat.
The Italian company Xerjoff has taken the Oud Stars series to the next level in its use of the precious Oud resin from India, Bangladesh and the Middle East, creating controversial perfumes such as "Al-Khatt" and "Zafar" that don't exactly strike a chord, but whose complexity makes you interesting and brings out the animal in you. We are talking about stables and manure in a combination of wood and floral notes. Slightly less extreme in its animalic profile and embedded in a drydown of honey sweetness is the sister fragrance "Mamluk". However, if you want to make a big impression and go for an extremely high concentration, Xerjoff's pure oud oils are available in 10ml bottles, such as "Kampuchea Noir", with an animalic stable scent for the really daring and where one drop is enough for a whole day.
It is argued that evolution has meant that humans' ability to communicate with pheromones and body odours - unlike animals - has diminished as other forms of communication have been invented and senses such as hearing and sight have developed at a higher level. But while the work of pheromones in the subconscious is constantly debated by scientists, we know that the inherent power of perfumes to give us associations and sensations are socially powerful tools. This is true whether you choose a scent that works silently or shouts "here I am". It's more a question of who you are and what you dare!