The scent of a man

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: Colognes, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, after-shave, perfume, sprays… a few things that can be easily found in a man’s wardrobe. Please note that we are not just talking about the metrosexuals here. We are talking about the average urban male who is not just conscious about the way he looks, but also about the way he smells. “There are a lot of grooming products for men in the market today. And perfumes are an indispensable part of grooming. Today, men are expected to be better groomed… and why not… they have all the right to be,” Yatan Ahluwalia of Y&E Style Media says emphatically. Not many would opt to disagree with him — it is definitely a feel-good factor that men want for their own selves.

Few would think that men want to smell good to attract women. We can safely excuse the creative brains that have been exploiting the philosophy endlessly for advertisements. Though there is no denying that the sense of smell is certainly a key causative factor in determining the chemistry between two people. When Boston-based internet-dating site ScientificMatch.com founder, Eric Holzle wanted to test this hypothesis, he decided to take the genetic route. Give him a cheque for $1,995 and a swab taken from the inside of your cheek to find you a scientific match. Holzle is drawing on a decade-old research by Claus Wedekind who found that women sniff out mates with genes for immunity that differ from their own. An interesting way to find biological compatibility?

So, don’t miss the olfactory cues and wear the right ‘spirit’. “Nearly 60% of the perfume market in India is hogged by women. Men’s education probably started in the post Old Spice era …after the 80s,” says Sanjeev Nayyar, vice president, Alcome perfumes. Fragrance consultant Danny Ventura has no reason to disagree with him. “Men are definitely not the majority of the lot. But now they too want to smell and feel good… they are demanding fragrances to define their individuality,” he says. Instrumental in the success of renowned brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake, and Narciso Rodriguez lines of fragrances and body products, Ventura is very optimistic about the Indian market. “Out of India’s 250 million strong Indian middle class, only 30 million use fragrances. The scope of the market, therefore, is big,” he says.