Older men select stronger scents
Unisex fragrances appeal to younger men, while over sixties opt for musk
New research shows that a man’s choice of fragrance alters dramatically with advancing years, with men in their sixties selecting the strongest scents. UK department chain Debenhams interviewed 1,000 men about their fragrance buying habits between October and November 2011 and discovered that as their sense of smell weakened with age, the more likely men were to prefer traditionally masculine options, such as Aramis or Davidoff.
According to Debenhams, fresh, unisex fragrances appeal to men in their teens and early twenties, and this age group is also motivated by factors including bottle design and celebrity association. Young men are also more likely (63%) to have a ‘fragrance wardrobe’ of five or more scents, with men citing ‘mood’, ‘occasion’ and ‘trend’ as reasons for experimentation.
However, many switch to spicy, musky fragrances as they reach their forties and fifties and are likely to spend more but buy less, investing in premium brands like Chanel, Tom Ford and Bvlgari. Older men are also more likely to be influenced by the women in their life with 71% saying that their wife or girlfriend has a say in the way they smell.
While today’s man begins to use cologne from 14, 77% of those interviewed in the 60-plus demographic only began wearing aftershave from thirty years of age. In addition, those born before 1951 claimed to reapply fragrance and average of three times a day – more than any other age group.
