Scent of a man

Diesel eau de toilette. Photo / Babiche Martens

Men's colognes, once so reassuringly straightforward are now almost as multi-faceted as women's.

Historically men wore still popular aromas of crisp lavender, citrus and wood, followed by headier, spicy mixes. The fresh, airy, sometimes green unisex scents of Calvin Klein and Issey Miyake dominated from the 1980s. Jean-Paul Gaultier played with floral notes and in the last few years we've been back in warm, amber territory.

It's a merry-go-round, with every known ingredient now finding its way into bottles, the newest of which for men are fruity and food-influenced notes (the so-called gourmand category redolent of chocolate, vanilla, praline, and more). Statement scents such as Juicy Couture's Dirty English contain bold touches of leather.

The men's market is "very scattered," says Smith & Caughey's fragrance manager, Liz Pink, when I ask about any strong trends or preferences among her customers.

She says no one style of fragrance dominates, compared with women's more definite taste and trends.

Big sellers at the store now are warm modern classics: Gucci by Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana's The One, Versace Pour Homme and YSL L'Homme and L'Homme Nuit.

More mature men tend to stick with what they know, says Pink, with younger men noticeably brand conscious, seeing scent as a fashion commodity and a style statement. Advertising and bottle design are also influences on their purchase choice.

"Men are becoming a little more open to trying new things," she says.

Father's Day doesn't deliver retailers anywhere near the same fragrance spike as Mother's Day, but it's a good time to go shopping, because value-added gift sets abound.

We sample a few of the newer scents you'll find in store, all 2009 releases in New Zealand.

1. Calvin Klein Eternity for Men Summer 100ml edt $109

A limited edition retooling of Eternity for summer 2009, this is quite different from the 2008 version. Appealingly crisp and warm (top notes of gin, lime and bergamot, followed by pepper and herbaceous notes, then woods), but lacks staying power.

The pitch: The uplifting vibrancy of a summer's day.
The verdict: Well worth a holiday fling, but not a keeper.

2. Givenchy Play Intense 100ml edt $152

The heritage French brand uses a casually elegant Justin Timberlake as its "face" and this will be its biggest launch for some time. The bottle will appeal to the iPod generation and the range includes body products. Available in two strengths, Play is fresh and mixes citrus with woods, while the Intense version is more distinctive, being warm and sexy.