What scents do men prefer?

[TheNiteSiren]

This is a subject that has confounded me for ages. I like to smell good but I also would like something that draws a man in. What do they prefer?

 

[suckonsimon]

My take on this, lady?

Subtle. both in its understatement and in its minimal use. As a man, I always feel that strong or bold scent on a woman is something she is doing for other women, not for the guys.

Let's face it: the guy wants the whiff of his gal to come through the whiff of what she's put on herself.

Simon

 

[MSTarot]

Well, the first big turn off is if she is walking in a puddle. Some people can not get past the idea that scent is there to enhance your normal scent... not club it to death!

After that I may be a matter of personal preference more than a gender thing. I love Chia spice, sandalwood, vanilla, maybe a bit of musk.

When we are getting ready to go out somewhere my wife sometimes puts on a perfume called Warm Vanilla Sugar. She smells like a kitchen in a bakery, all hot cinnamon rolls. Then there is a hint of maybe White Diamond behind her earrings, it blends with her hair.

She is very lucky to make it out the door without me nibbling on the side of her neck.

Me, I'm most likely wearing a cologne called Black Suede Leather. Why? Because she likes it.

MST

 

[silverwhisper]

i don't know that it's any easier to generalize about what men like in [x] than it is to do so about women, to be honest. what drives one guy out of his head may be the scent another guy's mother used to wear. i remember reading one of the anne rice erotica books and the male protagonist was rhapsodizing about chanel #5. that's the same scent my mother used to wear, so that ended the erotic mood really fast for me.

i say just wear what makes you feel confident and sexy.

ed

 

[Queen_buzz]

Men tend to be more visual so your time might be better spent on clothes. Women, on the other hand tend to be more kinesthetic and prefer scents so wear something that you enjoy but isn't overpowering.

 

[FGB]

I like Tease, Giorgio,White Shoulders and a few others.

A word of caution, Some perfumes have both range and striking power!

Giorgio leaves a scent trail in a dead air room for twenty minutes or more...so apply with restraint Please...

 

[Eilan]

My husband is more likely to comment on the smell of my shampoo.

 

[Privates1stClass]

I like to smell good but I also would like something that draws a man in. What do they prefer?

Something subtle. Perhaps just a little on your earlobes and on your boobs that he won't notice much until he gets close. Other commenters have suggested several perfumes which would be a good start.

What really draws a man in? The aroma of hot pussy. There isn't anything on earth that's sold in the perfume department that can compare to it--and it's all natural, plus it lets him know you're in the mood.

Use the perfume first, then reel him in with a whiff of aroused pussy.

 

[NippleMuncher]

Subtle. both in its understatement and in its minimal use.

Agreed, as do most of the other responders.

Word to the wise - no baby powder, no fruity, no sickeningly sweet, no heavy floral.

The use of sent should be used sparingly, not to kill everyone within a 50' radius of you.

 

[albertaboy]

I personally prefer none, a someone said above a nice smelling shampoo.

 

[GrrlFriday]

In 2008 in America, there was a trend for more women to not wear any perfume at all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/fashion/14skin.html

One of the reasons that leaps from the page at me is the idea that scents can be overpowering. A recommendation, interestingly enough, is to let your shower gel and your shampoo/conditioner do the work for you and only apply perfume on special occasions. Here, too, the guys seem to want the subtle, lightly-applied, scents, because it's more intimate.

A while ago, there was an American study which recommended pumpkin pie and lavender as scents that women should wear. That might be slightly cultural - perhaps pumpkin pie might not be so attractive for people who aren't exposed to it regularly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/fashion/skin-deep-can-a-fragrance-attract-romance.html

I think that pure lavender oil, despite a reputation for being skin-safe, can be risky as a perfume, because of its use in bathroom 'cover-up-bad-smells' products. (And, perhaps, an 'old lady' connection - though I think this is more common with rose.)

I prefer french lavender, which isn't so commonly used in bathroom products - although I'm not sure if men make that distinction. Sometimes I switch it up with a little jasmine, but generally I prefer to be unscented. (Besides the scent of what I use to wash myself with.) I would wear scent for a formal event - probably the jasmine for evening and something citrusy for day.

I can't offer any particular insight on which of my perfume practices men might prefer, sad to say.

Something that could be helpful for you, if you want to make your scent last a little longer, is to apply your scent on moisturised skin.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have always been drawn to women who wear Shalimar, but don't take a bath in it. I know...it usually goes for $300 an ounce, but as of late had been discounted heavily. Way back when I first encountered it, it was $5 for a 3 oz. bottle. It does get my old ticker pumping though.

 

[Tigersman]

Too much

I can not stand it when a woman smells like she has taken a bath in perfume or cologne. A true lady applies just a dab here and there where usually only her lover will be able to detect when he gets close. I have forced to either change seats or get off elevators as the perfume was so strong it was hurting my nose. I have often wondered if the woman wearing too much perfume was trying to hide the fact she had not bathed or on her period.

 

[Kalamain]

Like most people have said... If you are going to wear a perfume keep it light. I like to smell YOU not whats in a bottle.

My one exception is shampoo.
I love some shampoo smells. If the lady has a lot of hair it can really enhance her scent.

 

[Green_Jack]

It's the combination of the woman and the scent. What works for one might not work for another. For me, it's got to be somewhat intimate. I remember when Giorgio first came out and women splashed it on by the gallon. The message it broadcast was "Follow me to the restroom and fuck my brains out." But it was indiscriminate-- a message sent to anyone and everyone. Tacky.

When I'm slow dancing with a woman and the smell of her rises between us, just a hint of perfume to enhance it, knocks me out every time, if it's a good combination of her and the scent.

 

[Mr_Wallace]

Scents

Hello.

I have to say there is nothing sexier than when a girl walks by you and you can smell her as she walks past. If it's her shampoo or perfume she is wearing that is so incredibly hot and makes me do a double take more so than her looks. Obviously it is all up to the guy and his preference but I enjoy when my girl will spray herself with some body spray before bed. My favorite is nior tease by Victoria secret. It was discontinued for a while but I saw it in the stores not too long ago.

Now just need some special lady to buy some for me to wear....

Mr. Wallace.

 

[simplegirl]

If I wear any at all, I'll go light and "earthy", so light musk, sandalwood, vanilla, dragon's blood, along those lines. Although most of the time, I'll allow my soap and deodorant to be my perfume.

I make my own soap and I have to say I make oakmoss or sandalwood for the hubby. The smell of the curing soap makes me cream my panties, it's sooo decadent. A great cologne for him is Jacomo de Jacomo Rouge. That stuff makes me drool (lightly applied of course).

And for the love of God, lay off the Axe. Geez, I swear people spray it, inhale it, bathe in it, etc... It knocks me on my ass every time and not in a good way.

 

[jehoram]

This is a subject that has confounded me for ages. I like to smell good but I also would like something that draws a man in. What do they prefer?

Baking bread.

But seriously, I'm not attracted by most perfume. In fact, it triggers sneezing fits more often than not. But what always works for me is the slightest trace of musk. If it's coupled with the oldest scent known ... which women get by dipping their finger into their pussies and then dabbing it behind their ear ... then I'm their slave.

 

[Cumference]

Just a hint of perfume. Something new to discover when I get close.

Please abstain from large scale chemical warfare


In the morning when I ride my bicycle to work, there are some women so heavily doused, that the can be smelled 50-100m behind them.
That is disgusting.


But smells link to memories, and what memories are associated with "sexy" is never easy to say.



I need to get Lady C something that smells like "detcord in a meadow".

 

[sunandshadow]

Rose oil is the scent I've worn that got the most positive comments from males.

 

[feverplanet]

Men's senses seem so dull compared to women's that it's sometimes hard to tell what "just a touch" of perfume really is...

 

[LithiumKiss]

Perfume can be over-applied because you can't smell a scent that you wear regularly. Your nose just tunes it out. So people put too much on because it doesn't smell potent to them.

Personally I can't handle anything too light or floral. I'm prone to allergies, so strong scents just napalm my sinuses and cause sneezing fits. I regularly move right across train platforms and cafes to avoid people wearing too much scent and just as often it's the men.

Scents I go for and that I wear are subtle earthy/musky tones. With any quality perfume the best advice is to spray it in front of you and then walk into the mist. With modern spray bottles it's often impossible to be moderate, because the bloody things are designed to over-dispense so you run through the bottle faster. Better to find an atomiser that sprays lightly and then decant your perfume into that. Plus it's handy for bags/travel etc.

 

[Ramone45]

My woman uses Chanel #5. She read once that a drop should be applied to her inner thighs and that the fragrance should rise up from there. To me, that is very sexy.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

It's funny, but there is no perfume scent that really stands out for me. I can more easily name scents I hate than ones I like. (Opium is the worst--it smells like big spray to me. Also, anything with a powder smell is an instant boner killer). Of all the perfumes my wife has worn over the years, probably the only one that I respond to is Gio, but that's not an overwhelming favorite.

A lot of women from the islands where lotions made from coconut oil, and when I find myself next to one on the train or in an elevator it always makes me smile. I'm probably just recalling women from my youth, but I enjoy the scent. Also, standing behind a woman with a head of freshly shampooed hair can be a real turn on. I don't know if it is any particular brand that does it for me or just the fresh clean aroma in general. It is more powerful, I think, when the top of the woman's head is right at my nose level and she has long silky hair.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I love good scents but so few women have any of it.