A favorite fragrance that you appreciate on others but don’t wear yourself?

[Zenwannabee]

Are there fragrances you admire and appreciate on others but for whatever reason don’t wear yourself? Yes/No and why?

 

[Bavard]

Yes, almost anything marketed to women or marketed as unisex. Because I seem to prefer wearing fragrances marketed to men. But I love smelling perfumes marketed to women on women. In theory, I'm worried about my lack of adventure, but from experimenting, I have more fun wearing perfumes marketed to men.

 

[Varanis Ridari]

After experimenting with some of the old Avons and drugstore classics my mom wore, I think I prefer them in the air when she wears them.

Seeing as that's not exactly possible anymore (I live cross country), wearing them myself seems perfectly acceptable.

I also think a few fragrances I bought for male friends or roommates in the past seem better on them than me, like Eaux des Baux for example. I ended up buying myself that one and now never touch it.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Le Male comes to mind. It was a staple of club wear in the '90s, and it smelled quite nice when I got the occasional whiff of it across the room...but it's just awful on my skin.

 

[cheapimitation]

Hmm, I'm thinking maybe dark/goth incense fragrances. It's getting rarer these days, but in artsy circles in NYC several years ago I'd frequently come across people wearing the full on all black Yohji or CDG look leaving a big trail of incense perfumes. CDG Kyoto and Avignon had a moment in the early 2000-2010s where it seemed like everyone in creative circles was wearing them. The good ole days before Santal33 took over!

I always admired the aesthetic and olfactive synergy with the look but it never felt quite like "me".

I do like incense perfumes but find wearing them myself I often get bored of them. Now that I think about it, I don't actually own a full bottle of any incense focused fragrances. I do have Bois d'Ascece, but that is more campfire than incense.

 

[hednic]

There is no fragrance for me that I appreciate on other men that I wouldn't wear myself.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Boy de Chanel smells wonderful on a friend of mine and I love smelling it but I tend not to wear perfume with a geranium note.

 

[Tea_Lilly]

Sublime and 1000. Sublime - It smells so great on my MIL and not great on me. 1000 smells good on me but absolutely wonderful on her. Fragrances tend to smell differently on her than me She's a treasure of a MIL too - so lucky to have her

 

[Zenwannabee]

For me, there are a few that I truly enjoy on others, but that I feel don’t work for me. L’eau d’Issey PH is one that I can appreciate in the air and on others, but that is overwhelming for me to wear. Another is my brother’s signature, D&G Light Blue, which smells great on him, but seems out of place on me. And finally several of the newer ambroxan and Iso-Super scents, like Sauvage, Bleu de Chanel, Coach for Men, and H24, which I tend to like more on others than I do wearing them. Old penchants die hard… 🙂

 

[_Nicolas_]

Two I love that I would never wear because too feminine are Guerlain L'Heure Bleue and YSL Rive Gauche. Chanel Egoiste EDT never seems to smell quite as good on me as it smells on other guys, for some reason.

 

[Zenwannabee]

Le Male comes to mind. It was a staple of club wear in the '90s, and it smelled quite nice when I got the occasional whiff of it across the room...but it's just awful on my skin.

Le Male was one that came to mind for me as well.

 

[Zenwannabee]

Another that comes to mind is Chanel Allure PH. Although I love the Allure flankers, I’ve never been really a fan of the original. About 15+ years ago, I was in a downtown Nordstroms. I hadn’t been in a mall in a while and was feeling a bit out of place. I was near the wall of men’s cologne testers, when a homeless man came up next to me, looking in a bad way and smelling terrible. It was just the two of us in that area of the store and he was talking rather vehemently to himself. He picked up a bottle of Allure and just thoroughly doused himself with it, and then quickly moved past me as an attendant heard the commotion he was making and came over toward us. The irony as he left was that the sillage of his Allure was like a freight train, knocking everything out of place in its wake. Allure had never smelled better to me than that afternoon—and I felt like I finally understood and appreciated its scent and appeal.

 

[slpfrsly]

Ambers. Amber Absolute, Ambre Sultan. Also other orientals. Incenses, Arabie by Lutens.

In fact, orientals seem to wear much better on women in general.

 

[Ken_Russell]

Further adding to the great replies and wonderful scent choices mentioned so far-apart from certain feminines do not consider (with the disclaimer an/or at any risks of being wrong, at least not accurate enough) as truly unisex, can still believe that many of the fragrances do currently not wear can still be hidden gems if worn by anyone else.

Including-but without any pretense of completeness nor in any further particular order-but also not limited to: some of the Amen flankers did not explore enough, certain Chanel, Dior, TF exclusives, Joop Homme, certain Creeds that might not be either mainstream bestsellers nor incidentally personal favorites and the list might be continued in an almost limitless way.

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

An example would be something that comes off as profoundly sweet, too much to be worn on my skin but enjoyable when smelling in on others.

 

[RedRaider430]

I enjoy the smell of Chanel Sycomore, but wouldn't wear it myself (in public) because I don't think it's a fragrance that would be enjoyed by most. It's also too smoky for my liking.

 

[Hugh V.]

Trussardi Uomo (1983)
This smells very appealing on others. It's hard to describe exactly how it smells on others, as its been a while, but the effect reminded me of vintage Drakkar Noir. Fresh/musky, but also classic in 2023. On me though...very dry, and its like smelling charcoal and...I don't know. Wet dog? I was insecure like crazy wearing it out one day. The next morning though, that remnants of the drydown was this beautiful, fresh, maybe citrus-anchored scent.

Santos de Cartier
Thee "boss" scent, imo. It's one of the greats, and still an amazing, high quality scent in reformulation. But...one, I can't pull it off, as it's like me as a little kid trying to wear my dad's suit. Two, while the final stage of the scent is easier to wear than the middle, it's still a winter-scent, and I don't like wearing winter or heavy scents. I find them oppressive.

Givenchy Pi
I bought this because it smelled so good in the air from others. On me, it's like I'm being suffocated with butterscotch or something.

Kouros
A very unique and welcoming scent. It's interesting how it's so fresh, yet so strong, and heavy. I'd like to be able to wear it, but I feel like it'd be interpreted as "funky" on me, and it's too heavy.

Acqua di Gio
I don't know if this is because of reformulation or not, but I've always thought of ADG as being the best men's fragrance ever. However, when I obtained it for myself not too long ago, I quickly became annoyed by it when wearing it. The drydown felt too soft, musky, and I didn't get that refreshing vibe.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I enjoy the smell of Chanel Sycomore, but wouldn't wear it myself (in public) because I don't think it's a fragrance that would be enjoyed by most. It's also too smoky for my liking.

Understandable to me. I love Sycomore and am bewitched by the scent of vetiver and recall once following a trail of it from an unknown person in public. However for personal use it feels more comfortable subdued within a blend of other notes. Not sure why.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Trussardi Uomo (1983)
This smells very appealing on others. It's hard to describe exactly how it smells on others, as its been a while, but the effect reminded me of vintage Drakkar Noir. Fresh/musky, but also classic in 2023. On me though...very dry, and its like smelling charcoal and...I don't know. Wet dog? I was insecure like crazy wearing it out one day. The next morning though, that remnants of the drydown was this beautiful, fresh, maybe citrus-anchored scent.

Santos de Cartier
Thee "boss" scent, imo. It's one of the greats, and still an amazing, high quality scent in reformulation. But...one, I can't pull it off, as it's like me as a little kid trying to wear my dad's suit. Two, while the final stage of the scent is easier to wear than the middle, it's still a winter-scent, and I don't like wearing winter or heavy scents. I find them oppressive.

Givenchy Pi
I bought this because it smelled so good in the air from others. On me, it's like I'm being suffocated with butterscotch or something.

Kouros
A very unique and welcoming scent. It's interesting how it's so fresh, yet so strong, and heavy. I'd like to be able to wear it, but I feel like it'd be interpreted as "funky" on me, and it's too heavy.

Acqua di Gio
I don't know if this is because of reformulation or not, but I've always thought of ADG as being the best men's fragrance ever. However, when I obtained it for myself not too long ago, I quickly became annoyed by it when wearing it. The drydown felt too soft, musky, and I didn't get that refreshing vibe.

The expression “suffocated with butterscotch” already made my day—and it’s only 1:03 a.m.!