Earlier this year, office attendance in the UK hit numbers not seen since the pandemic. But the way we work has changed. Communal and open-plan is now the default and hot-desking sits you next to a different teammate every morning. Meanwhile, more of us are attempting to squeeze workouts into our day, whether that’s a cycle commute or a lunchtime gym session.
Which all creates a pertinent new grooming dilemma – how to smell fragrant and authoritative without leaving a cloying and overpowering aroma in your wake?
Getting in the right headspace
“Scent is one of the quickest ways to shift how you feel, it shapes mood and memory instantly,” says Yasmin Sewell, who launched her fragrance brand, Vyrao in 2021. Vyrao was one of the earliest in a new wave of what’s known as “functional fragrances”; scents specifically formulated to enhance different emotions, from happiness to relaxation to self-esteem.
“Each of our fragrances is created to elevate your mood and shift how you feel, with each scent evoking a different positive emotion,” Sewell continues. “So it comes down to what energy you want to bring to work and what your day demands of you, how you want to feel and project yourself.”
In her collection, she cites The Sixth with its notes of apple, peppermint, and rosemary for mindfulness and Mamajamu with its notes of pink pepper, cardamom, and saffron for relaxation.
“I really like fragrances which invoke a sense of cold, rushing air,” says Brighton-based nose and founder of the Perfume Making Company, Joseph Bauermeister, when I ask him what sort of fragrance he thinks works best in an office. He recommends keeping an eye out for formulas that include energising notes like fresh ginger and pink peppercorns, grounding notes like rosemary and lavender, and stimulating bitter green notes such as angelica root, galbanum and vetiver.
So what’s the best strategy to find something that is interesting enough to get compliments but subtle enough to not offend? “It doesn’t have to be a boring smell, but just one where you can picture a lot of people enjoying it,” says Bauermeister. He recommends lavender that people will associate with fresh laundry or even coffee notes (who doesn’t like a coffee break at work, right?).
What to spritz after a workout
It’s not just about the scent you choose to spray on, but how you spray it that can affect those around you. The scent you wear tends to be amplified by your body heat as warmer skin will speed up its evaporation, but it can also affect notes within a scent disproportionally. Generally, heavier base notes will be affected more by your body heat than lighter top ones, meaning those top notes will burn through far quicker and amplify those stronger notes in your scent that might be more divisive with your colleagues.
Sweat also alters your skin pH slightly and adds moisture, which can make a scent feel sharper or even unpleasant. In short, don’t apply your fragrance immediately after your morning gym session or bike commute. After that, Bauermeister recommends light, fresh citrusy and ozonic fragrances for a post-gym pick-me-up, like Davidoff’s energising classic Cool Water.
How much is too much?
As for how much to spray, there’s no real way to tell whether you’ve gone overboard until (God forbid) a colleague tells you. The best strategy is to take things slow. First, remember that eau de parfum or extraits de parfum are more concentrated than an eau de toilette, so you’ll need fewer sprays of the former to get the same olfactive effect – start with a couple of squirts and go from there. If in doubt, Bauermeister recommends spritzing your scent on a piece of clothing then coming back to it a day later – that way you’ll experience exactly what it’s like for everybody else.
Where to spritz
Usually we apply scent to our pulse points (inside wrists, neck, even biceps) where blood vessels are closest to the surface and the increased heat here helps the fragrance to bloom. For work, consider the opposite. Bauermeister recommends applying scent to the outside of your wrists or the back of your neck – cooler areas that will ensure the release is slower and steadier through the day, and therefore make for a more subtle experience for those around you.
“A crazy choice could be to apply scent to your ankles. I’ve heard people recommend that before,” says Bauermeister. Just be prepared to justify your feet on the desk to your colleagues.
Seven office-friendly men’s fragrances
1. Eau de Boujee – Verdant
Verdant, £160 at Eau de Boujee
With splashes of juicy cactus, bitter tomato vine and a mineralic stone note, Verdant is aromatic and refreshing – a perfect vegetal fragrance for the concrete jungle.
2. Jo Malone London – Sea Salt & Bergamot
Sea Salt & Bergamot, £125 at Jo Malone
Salty and citrusy, this blend of bergamot, driftwood and immortelle (which smells similar to sun-baked grass) is a comforting reminder of bracing summers at the British seaside.
3. Davidoff – Cool Water
Davidoff Cool Water, £37.50 at Boots
Inspired by the freshness of the sea, this classic fragrance combines coriander, mint, lavender and amber to create a scent which is refreshing and energising.
4. Diptyque – L’eau Papier
L’eau Papier, £145 at Diptyque
Blonde woods, powdery-floral mimosa and starchy rice steam combine to create an undulating, subtle scent that smells like skin perfected.
5. Perfumer H – Soap
Soap, £190 at Perfumer H
Smells like you’ve just opened the washing machine, but with a cool, crisp edge thanks to notes of cardamom pods, crushed black peppercorns and orange flower.
6. Acqua di Parma – Buongiorno
Buongiorno, £222 at Acqua di Parma
Opening with an energising hit of peppermint, lavender, lemon, rosemary and basil leaf, this is an invigorating cologne that’ll set you up, as the name suggests, for a good day.
7. Loewe – Iris Root
Iris Root, £365 at Loewe
A fragrance focused near-singularly on showcasing the buttery-yet-chalky quality of iris root, this scent has a gentle earthiness and clarity that is as understated as it is intriguing.