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It is generally accepted that a modern man does not carefully monitor his perfume wardrobe: usually, what a woman has given is enough – for February 23, New Year or birthday. Perfume critic Sergei Borisov explored the meaning of real male preferences.
In general, our relationship with perfumes is somewhat reminiscent of a male passion for weapons: as a child, we ape after our fathers, then in the most desperate way we look for a superweapon that can hit any girl (read – aromas for sex), then we use random kitchen knives (read – gifted aromas ) and, finally, we find comfort in more important (read – vital) things. Nevertheless, men’s perfumery has come a long way: following the fashion for clothes, responding to changes in culture and our way of life. Some fragrances disappeared as soon as they appeared, others, on the contrary, we love and wear for decades. It seems to me that by the range of these sympathies one can quite reliably judge what of our desires is left in the past and how we, modern men, want to feel now.
look younger
No one remembers the first revolutionary “marine”, and if correctly – ozone fragrance New West For Him, Aramis (1988). The company managed to remove it from sale and re-release it in the 2009 collection The Gentleman’s Collection. But men remember, know and wear his followers – Escape for Men, Calvin Klein; Kenzo Homme, Kenzo; Cool Water, Davidoff… The sensation of the sea and the wind comes from the watermelon ketone molecule, discovered in 1966 by Pfizer. Since then, she (along with citrus fruits) has been responsible for freshness. It is freshness and lightness that men have been buying most actively for 20 years. We like to look younger, and ozone fragrances just give this feeling of youth, freedom, carelessness. In the same vein, there is a whole galaxy of fragrances marked Sport – energetic, active and … incredibly popular: Burberry Sport for Men, Challenge Re/Fresh, Lacoste; L’Homme Sport, Lanvin… They can be heard in taxis on the outskirts of the city and in the head office of a large corporation, they are worn by men of all ages, couriers, managers and company presidents. And it seems that this passion is the least hidden. (Unlike, for example, the love of sweets.)
Forbidden sweets of childhood
I believe that every man has a little boy inside, a sweet tooth, fascinated by the aromas of a confectionery counter or a chocolate factory. Perfumers provide such an opportunity to return to childhood, although not so often – Rochas Man, Amen, Thierry Mugler … And men, embarrassed, even less often demonstrate their secret desire to get there. Perfumer Pierre Guillaume (Parfumerie Generale) has taken the exploration of culinary passions further than anyone else, creating a whole series of gourmand confectionery fragrances, including Aomassai, a sweet, caramel-musky fragrance, one of the best. Still, Willy Wonka, although he is not Robin Hood or Stirlitz, but for some of us is also a kind of hero. S. B.
Desire for Purity
Next on the list of preferences are soapy fragrances, or, as perfumers call them, fougere fragrances. Tart, green, invigorating notes with a slight bitterness are refreshing, like a contrasting morning shower. Yes, men are practical: it is this feeling of cleanliness that we want to keep throughout the day, despite all the ups and downs. It is curious that the appearance of the first prototype fougere fragrance of Fougere Royale, Houbigant, in 1882 is called nothing less than the triumph of chemistry over nature. In those years, scientists synthesized new molecules one by one – for medicines, paints, aromas. One such molecule, coumarin, with a strong almond-hay smell, is used by perfumer Paul Parquet: combining it with lavender and tart oakmoss, he gets a fresh, dynamic, piquant Fougere Royale (“royal fern”). Half of all fragrances of the XNUMXth and early XNUMXst centuries are nothing more than variations on the theme of lavender and coumarin, celebrating the purity of their owner. Among them are Paco Rabanne pour Homme, and Old Spice, and Platinum Egoiste, Chanel, and Azzaro pour Homme, and dozens of other equally famous ones.
own yourself
Dry, earthy vetiver (as well as patchouli, sandalwood, cedar, pine needles and exotic oud) sound restrained, confident, calm. The laconic, gray-green woody background seems to be opposed to the floral-oriental unrestraint characteristic of women’s fragrances. Unsurprisingly, the plain-looking vetiver root is so loved by both perfumers and men. The ancient Indians knew about the soothing properties of this plant, using it as a cure for anger. Long-playing notes, which later formed a whole family of popular woody fragrances, appeared first with Carven (1957), then Givenchy (1959), after which Jean-Paul Guerlain created his classic aldehyde version of vetiver (1959). Since then, fragrances with the simple name Vetyver have appeared in Annick Goutal, Etro, Jo Malone, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier and many, many others. Courageous, strong and at the same time calm woody notes – here it is, the notorious safe harbor, a strong male shoulder and a sense of stability.
Exotic and sensual
Men’s oriental fragrances are inferior in popularity to woody and fresh, but still interest in them does not fade away. The sweet, powdery, slightly resinous trail of Habit Rouge, the iconic oriental fragrance of the House of Guerlain, immediately stands out against the background of typically masculine chypres, fougères, and vetivers. Like a Hindu in a turban among the employees of the City of London. Or, as if on the wall of a European sports complex, there was suddenly a thirty-meter epic Ramakien from the gallery of the Royal Palace in Bangkok. With him you feel like a character from Pygmalion: Habit Rouge sets posture and pronunciation, insists on talc instead of deodorant and requires a scarf around his neck … His rich pedigree can be traced back to Josephine’s boudoirs, and his ancestors – Mouchoir de Monsieur, Shalimar and Vol de Nuit – follow every step. Opium pour homme, Yves Saint Laurent, and a whole range of fragrances by perfumer Serge Lutens play on the same field. The latter made the Moroccan fairy tale his hallmark (it is best to start acquaintance with Ambre Sultan and La Myrrhe).
Just vivacity
Colognes are the original, the first thing that men’s perfumery is associated with. Although in their pure form they are no longer as popular as before: they managed to become boring. A simple alcohol mixture of oils from citrus plants and Provence herbs appeared in the 1966th century and was considered a panacea. It was even dripped onto sugar and used internally for melancholy and for good spirits. And then they wiped themselves with it, refreshed themselves (my father, for example, washed his face with cologne after shaving). But the vivacity and energy of the first colognes were fleeting: Napoleon literally poured liters of citrus mixture on himself – but it still evaporated. The problem was solved by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska, who created the legendary Eau Sauvage, Christian Dior in XNUMX. He introduced jasmine and oakmoss into the formula: the cologne, without losing its freshness, purity and vigor, acquired the necessary durability. It is still worn by both men and women in the original version (a new one came out a year ago – Eau Sauvage Extreme). A simple and understandable olfactive idea – lasting freshness – does not require, as Rudnitska himself believed, no more decorations. Classic colognes can also be found at Chanel (Eau de Cologne), Guerlain (Eau de Guerlain), Hermes (Eau d’Orange Verte). And fresh, energetic notes of lemon, bergamot and other citrus fruits are found in every second men’s fragrance.
In tune with women’s desires
For most fragrances, we can confidently determine their “gender”. But women often try on masculine fragrances, and someone even prefers them to traditionally feminine fragrances – floral, sweet or powdery compositions. Why is this happening? Many perfumers, such as Serge Lutens, believe that fragrance has no gender. And the division into women’s and men’s perfumes is just a tribute to tradition or a marketing ploy. The main thing is that the composition itself should be pleasant, give pleasure, be in tune with inner desires. “Perhaps the point is,” reflects Jacques Polge, perfumer at Chanel, “that perfume has ceased to serve only temptation, as it once did. Now it is important for women to feel more free, to try new combinations, to seek harmony for themselves.”
Maria Bogdankevich
Emphasized character
At the word “chypre” we recall Soviet hairdressers and grandfather’s simple bottle. Although the best chypres of the 1000th century, which became synonymous with the word “character”, passed by the Soviet people, but were originally created for ladies at all. Among them – XNUMX, Jean Patou; Azuree, Estee Lauder. The fashion for the aromas of Cyprus arose in the XNUMXth century. An indispensable component of the French Eau de Chypre was the sticky resin of the rocky rose (rockrose), which was combed from the hair of Cypriot goats. Bergamot, jasmine, cistus, oakmoss are the main components of chypre. The fragrance seems to follow the path of sunlight: through the crowns of trees to flowers and wet undergrowth and last year’s leaves. Jacques Guerlain added gamma-undecalactone, an invention of the Russian chemists Zhukov and Shestakov, to this “skeleton” smelling of jam from ripe peaches, and the fruit chypre Mitsouko, Guerlain was obtained. Its mysterious aroma of smoked fruit was addressed to women, but already Guerlain’s contemporaries (for example, Charlie Chaplin or Sergei Diaghilev) wore it, realizing that fragrances do not have a gender. The contemporary fragrance Diaghilev Roja Dove was created last year by perfume professor Roger Dove for the exhibition Diaghilev and the Golden Age of Russian Ballet at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Other great masculine chypres are the perfect Chanel pour Monsieur, the floral Boucheron pour homme, the green Polo Ralph Lauren, the aromatic Yatagan de Caron and the oriental Amouage Gold Man.
Still gentlemen?
In 1924, Coty perfumers, Francois Coty himself and Vincent Ruber, created a one-of-a-kind leather floral chypre accented with resinous amber Knize Ten. “I would take him to a desert island, as a man uses fragrances not to charm women, but to maintain his own morale,” confessed Janos Bekessy, a brilliant journalist in post-war West Germany. Today this theme is continued by Aramis for Men, a Fleur de Peau, Keiko Mecheri; XJ 17-17 Homme, XerJoff; 1740 Marquis de Sade, Histoires de Parfums, and others. It would seem that the gentlemen are returning … But the wonderful contrast between flowers and tar, in fact, remains of little demand. Tar came out of the stables and barracks, becoming a brilliant regular in the living rooms and hiding his military pressure, determination, bearing under his tuxedo. But most men today still advocate thoughtless freshness, fashionable carelessness. And they want to see the skin (not rough, but soft) only in the car interior …