Help, which scent should I choose for my aftershave, cologne, or perfume?

What should I do after shaving?

Many customers ask us: 'What should I do after shaving?' We then say: 'You don't have to do anything. Just do what feels good for you.'

What we see with our customers is that half of them use a aftershave balm after shaving. If you have dry or sensitive skin, this is more pleasant and better for your skin. The balm penetrates the skin and nourishes and soothes it.

The other half opts for an alcohol-based aftershave splash. The alcohol refreshes and revitalizes your skin. Your skin gets a little 'reset'. If you have normal to oily skin, an old-fashioned alcohol splash is super nice. After the aftershave treatment, you can of course apply a cologne or perfume. But which scent is my favorite now? And which aftershave, cologne, or perfume should I choose?

What is the difference between aftershave, cologne, and perfume?

An aftershave, cologne, and perfume contain alcohol and fragrance components. Alcohol is widely used as a solvent for the fragrance oils. An aftershave has the lowest percentage of fragrance components: 2% to 4%. It also contains nourishing and refreshing ingredients, such as glycerin, Aloe Vera extracts, and menthol. The alcohol evaporates quickly on the skin. This creates a slight tingling and refreshing feeling on the skin. The scent of an aftershave diminishes or even completely disappears after a few minutes. After the aftershave, you can optionally use a nourishing balm.

A cologne contains more fragrance components than an aftershave: 5% to 10%. A cologne will smell good for a few hours but will not last all day. Many of our customers like a scent but do not want a robust or overpowering perfume. If you don't want to walk around like a 'perfume cloud', we recommend using a cologne.

An eau de parfum has the most fragrance. It contains the most concentrated amount of fragrance components: 10% to 20%. It is usually more expensive than a cologne. A men's perfume lasts and lingers all day.

How do I use aftershave, cologne, and eau de parfum?

Because an aftershave contains so few fragrance components, you can apply it directly to the freshly shaved skin. After shaving, clean the face with cold water, put a small amount of aftershave in the palm of your hand, and splash it on the skin.

Because cologne contains more fragrance components, it is less suitable for use on freshly shaved skin. A few sprays on the wrists or the back of the neck is usually sufficient. You can also apply cologne to the body.

A few sprays or drops of perfume is more than enough. You also apply perfume to the wrists or neck. Both cologne and perfume usually come in a bottle with a sprayer.

How do I choose my favorite scent?

A lot of scents can be categorized into a so-called fragrance family. In 1983, Michael Edwards (British scent taxonomist/consultant and author) developed a scent classification for the perfume industry: the fragrance wheel.

The wheel consists of 5 different main groups and 14 subgroups. On our website, we have categorized the aftershaves, colognes, and men's perfumes based on the fragrance wheel:

1. Floral notes - floral
2. Oriental notes - oriental
3. Woody notes - woody
4. Fougère (middle) - forest-like
5. Fresh notes - fresh

The first 4 are the classic scents. The 'Fresh notes' consist of modern, bright, and fresh scents of citrus and ocean. Each fragrance family consists of 3 subgroups. The Fougère fragrance family is placed in the middle of the wheel. A Fougère scent consists of a combination of the different fragrance families on the sides of the wheel.

The fragrance wheel is, of course, useful for clearly categorizing the different scents. You will also come across it frequently on various websites. Below are some handy tips for selecting your fragrance.

You should really ask yourself: 'What do I really enjoy smelling?' This, of course, depends on your personal preference, interest, and situation.