What would you say is the least masculine smelling cologne that is made for men?

Up until the turn of the century (the 20th, that is, and the introduction of Blenheim Bouquet) most men's scents were floral and did not smell like what we expect from a modern fragrance for a man.

Of all the scents that are available today, what are the least manly smelling?

Are there still that many floral scents for men out there?

Trumpers Ajaccio Violets (1995) one note - violets! i gave a bottle to my aunt, thought i hadn't given it enough of a chance and tried it again when i saw a bottle discounted... alas i cannot take to it. My 8 year old niece sprays it on her wrists when she visits!

My vote goes to Creed's Tabarome.

LOL........thought the title said most masculine smelling........

In last place for masculine* smelling colognes:

Joop!



*masculine is not clearly defined and people's opinions may vary, I just think this stuff smells like women's perfume

i agree with ookla, joop is very light and fruity.

I think some of the gourmands rank up there as well (the most famous of which is probably A-Men). For me Hanae Mori EdT is in my "stable," but I find it really sweet now ... and, therefore, the least manly fragrance I own.

The funny thing is that at least some of the ladies seem to like it when the men wear the sweeter stuff. Some guys on basenotes apparently wear Tom Ford Black Orchid which -- I think -- is targeted to women. Of course, there could be multiple explanations for that.

Ookla The Mok said:

In last place for masculine* smelling colognes:

Joop!



*masculine is not clearly defined and people's opinions may vary, I just think this stuff smells like women's perfume

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Not familiar with this scent. Just the name sounds like my mirror on the wall would say its the least masculine smelling scent of them all.

scoopster said:

Not familiar with this scent. Just the name sounds like my mirror on the wall would say its the least masculine smelling scent of them all.

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The worst part is the people who tell you that it is properly pronounced "yope".

I nominate Lucky No. 6 as the least masculine scent.

read the part in the title that features the word "least" folks.

Trumper's Lavender

Iquitos.
PI.
Weekend.
Rochas Man, Santana, anything just as sweet.
Fleur du(e) Male or something like that.
Dior Homme
Chic and some variants of 212.
Paris Hilton and Old Spice smooth blast for that matter.
Brit
Penhaligon's HB

IMO opinion vanilla and powder makes scent smell girly even more than Florals. When a flower is mixed with woods, citrus or other green notes it does not appear to be that feminine (think AdP, Rose 31, Grey Flannel).
And of course women like men wearing colognes that smell a bit feminine... it 'shows' confidence and some of the sweeter edts have certain snuggability.
Other quality (I do not like them all, but they are well constructed) floral fragrances for men.
C&S88
Penhaligon's Castile
Domenico Caraceni
Narciso Rodriguez
Montale Aoud Black, White, red and all the roses.
Givenchy Insensé
Egoiste

All of the revolting mass market "mens" fragrances that mell heavily of fruit and vanillin. Horrible substances to be sure. The "oceanic" and metallic smelling modern fragrances don't smell girly, just revolting. I'd rather wear lavendar water than any of these.

If you look at the French Niche Perfumeries, such as L'Artisan, Diptyque, Serge Lutens and Montale, you will notice that most of their fragrances are labelled as unisex and are enjoyed by both many men and women. The English (Floris,Penhaligon, Pecksniff) seem to distinguish more between the sexes.

Overall, however, I feel that a fragrance should suit the person and it doesn't really matter how it has been labelled as long as it works for you. I have a female colleague at work who bathes in Acqua di Parma and it smells wonderful on her. I have also known women to wear Guerlain Vetiver and YSL Opium for Men and yet they smell really good. There is nothing wrong with this and it in no way resembles transvestitism.

Hell, there are many men on this very board who like to wear Elizabethan Rose and Lavandula. I myself love Tom Ford''s Black Orchid and have gotten many compliments with it. I actually feel it is probably more of a masculine fragrance, more even than Tom Ford for Men. I know of a lot of men who wear Guerlain's Shalimar and Mitsuoko and I can see how it may work.

As to answer the question 'least masculine smelling cologne' I would think it has to be Fleur de Male. I cannot believe how such a feminine, floral and sickly sweet cologne can be marketed for men, yet still there are many who enjoy it.

Victoria's Secret Very Sexy for Men - About the only fragrance that my girlfriend absolutely loves and I absolutely abhor. Bad stuff, IMO. Smells like candied fruit and sour apples. Horrible.

Reaction by Kenneth Cole - Has a strong melon note, so it gives it a fruity aspect that I believe is somewhat feminine. I haven't worn it in a while but when I did, it was a HUGE compliment getter.

Elizabeth Arden Sandalwood - Quite unisex IMO, smells great on women and my girlfriend stole my bottle.

I LOVE me some Penhaligon's Elisabethan Rose. I just might one day splurge for a full bottle. Not even feminine at all, IMO. There are much more feminine scents out there.

the_prince said:

As to answer the question 'least masculine smelling cologne' I would think it has to be Fleur de Male. I cannot believe how such a feminine, floral and sickly sweet cologne can be marketed for men, yet still there are many who enjoy it.

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I forgot about this one ... I agree, Fleur de Male is about as "foo-foo" as you can get.

Anything by Calvin Klein or Vera Wang!

the_prince said:

Overall, however, I feel that a fragrance should suit the person and it doesn't really matter how it has been labelled as long as it works for you.

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+1

You shouldn't dismiss any scent based on its labelling.

I'm not normally into colognes, EdTs and such, but the least masculine EdT I've encountered recently would have to be Trumper's Ajaccio Violets.

I suppose "for men" scents includes all types of men, so there must be a market for it. Personally, I don't like to smell like my grandmother...

Hammam Bouquet