Breathe Deep: All About Women’s Perfume

What makes women’s perfumes different from men’s fragrances (perfumes)? Besides being in different places in stores? Does it make a difference if men wear women’s perfumes and women wear men’s perfumes…oops…I mean, men’s fragrances. Actually, yes; it does make a difference if you wear women’s perfume or not.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is making a comeback after generations. Specific smells trigger powerful emotions and memories in each person. They can excite or calm. Smells were considered the way to communicate with gods and spirits. Many churches and places of worship today include burning of special sacred scents like frankincense. The prayers of the faithful were seen to ride the smoke up to God. Some Pagans, historical and modern, use carefully chosen scents to communicate with spirits and whomever they choose to influence. Sometimes they even use women’s perfume in magic spells and enchantments.

Some scents are considered masculine and some considered feminine. Some of this may be due to tradition and our noses being conditioned by Madison Avenue, but a lot of is due to the way scents react to our body’s chemistry. Men have a different body chemistry and different smell than a woman. That might not sound to politically correct, but there you have it.

Smells Like A Woman

There are tried and true ingredients that are seen again and again in women’s perfume. Floral fragrances are considered feminine. Citrus fruits are also considered feminine. Some spicy or musky scents like marjoram or benzoin are also considered feminine. The essential oils of all of these are added in different combinations to make up different women’s perfumes. Usually, though, women’s perfumes are anchored with floral scents making up the majority of the perfume formula.

Some scents are considered unisex. Vanilla is a great example, considered an aphrodisiac to both sexes. Then, there is “musk”, which was originally from the glands of the civet cat and now, thankfully, is synthesized. Frankincense also is a frequent ingredient. They often show up in both women’s perfume and men’s fragrances.

Then there are scents considered especially male. They include spicy, smoky, nutty and woody scents like patchouli, cedar wood, cypress, sandalwood and menthol. They seem to blend especially well with the (shall we say) unique smell of a man. Some men’s fragrances are even made to blend with wood smoke or cigarette smoke.
When trying on women’s perfume, just use a little dab on the underside of your wrists. Sniff the top notes of the perfume and then leave it on a while. This way you discover the perfume’s lingering and true scent.