Older men can wear heavier, bolder boutique fragrances that younger men can’t. Photo from Corbis
One of the great advantages of being an older, more experienced and more confident guy (apart from being able to tell people where to go when they make ridiculous requests of you) is that you can carry off many fragrances a man half your age simply can’t.
Liberated from the tyranny of peer pressure, immune to flashy celebrity ad campaigns and with the taste (and, with any luck, the money) to appreciate the finer things in life, you’re free to experiment with some of the world’s most sophisticated fragrances.
“It’s great to be a bit older, fragrance wise, because you know what suits you and your imagination is much broader,” says James Craven, perfume archivist at Les Senteurs, London’s oldest independent perfumery.
“Best of all, the term ‘What will people think?’ no longer applies!”
All of this means that you’re free to experiment with fragrance in a way you might have been afraid to 20 years ago. “The main difference is that as you get a bit older you know how to wear scent with insouciance,” says Craven.
“A heavy, heady fragrance no longer sits oddly on you, overpowering your character and diminishing your personality. You’ll also have the assurance, the physical presence and the savoir faire to carry off a more sophisticated scent.”
So, from timeless classics to complex, boutique fragrances and even the odd women’s perfume (come on, you can do it!) here are eight grown-up scents worth splashing out on.
Geranium Pour Monsieur by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, £110 for 50ml eau de parfum
“The younger fragrance fan may well be baffled by the construction of this glorious fragrance,” says Craven. “It’s fresh, full-bodied, clean and reviving but most emphatically not just another leafy, ‘green’ cologne.” Instead, it’s both icy fresh and sensual, spicy and warm. “It’s as poised and urbane as Cary Grant,” he says.
Aramis Classic, £42 for 70ml eau de toilette
This timeless, ferociously masculine blend of bergamot, clary sage and sandalwood is mossy, leathery and long lasting, and celebrates its 50th year this year (how’s that for staying power?).
“It is refined, timeless and uncompromising,” says perfumer and fragrance historian Roja Dove, who points out that many brands have tried to emulate its effortless and enduring style – and failed.
Acqua di Parma is a classic scent dating back to 1916
Acqua di Parma Colonia, £77 for 100ml eau de cologne
Feeling your age? Then opt for a fragrance that’s older than you are; a lot older.
Yep, this classic Italian fragrance from Acqua di Parma dates back to 1916 but hasn’t aged a day.
Citrusy, herby and floral, it’s everything a traditional cologne should be but is much more thanks to the addition of warm sandalwood and earthy patchouli.
Excellent for the daytime – or for work – but just sexy enough for the evening too.
Roja Parfums Vetiver Extrait, £275 for 50ml
As you get older your skin becomes drier as sebum production slows down.
Since fragrance tends to last longer on oiler skin this means it might be worth opting for a scent with a little more staying power and few have the stamina of this earthy, smoky and spicy boutique fragrance from acclaimed British perfumer Roja Dove.
Light My Fire by Kilian, £175 for 50ml eau de parfum
Dispensing with top notes (the light, often citrusy ones that give fragrances their opening zing) this fragrance is built around the smell of cigars but not in an crude, obvious way.
“It’s not a Churchill kind of scent,” says Craven, reassuringly. “It’s far subtler and sexier than that thanks to almondy notes of heliotrope and creamy tonka bean.”
Green Irish Tweed by Creed, £95 for 30ml eau de toilette
Green Irish Tweed – Creed’s best selling fragrance and one reputedly worn by everyone from Prince Charles to Pierce Brosnan – is a fantastically grown-up fragrance.
Green, floral and woody, it packs the kind of punch only a confident man (or one from British – or Hollywood – royalty) can carry off.
Czech & Speake No 88, £85 for 100ml cologne spray
This long-lasting fragrance, hailing from the bombastic Eighties, marries barbershop freshness and masculine notes off sandalwood and vetiver with intense floral ones of rose and frangipani.
It may not be for the fainthearted but if you’re looking for something that’s big and ballsy and isn’t available on the high street it’s definitely worth knocking at the door of No 88.
Jicky by Guerlain, £210 for 30ml eau de parfum
Jicky, launched in 1889, and said to be a favourite of Sean Connery, began life as a fragrance too challenging for women: its marriage of fresh and intensely musky and sexy notes was revolutionary and scandalous at the time, as was the use of synthetic notes alongside natural ones.
It’s now primarily thought of as a women’s perfume but remains a favourite of perfumistas everywhere – male and female. If you want to come across as a fragrance connoisseur this is the fragrance to wear.
Related articles
• How to be hotter than ever
• Top 10 fragrances for women
• See all our beauty articles