BEST SUMMER COLOGNE
How does one create the best summer cologne? The key is evoking memory. The olfactory system – our sense of smell – is the one most connected to memories. Scents keep memories anchored to moods, times, and places. Maybe the smell of the pages of a book reminds you of your hometown library, or pine needles bring you back to a favorite skiing trip.
The best summer cologne for you will depend on the kind of man you want people to see you as. Are you in control, mysterious, calm and collected, or some combination of the three? Your unique aroma imprints itself in the minds of the people you talk to. Smelling it again will remind them of you. It’s an excellent way to make sure you remain a topic of conversation.
The first cologne
“Cologne” gets its name from the city of Cologne, in modern-day Germany. In 1709, the Italian perfumer Giovanni Maria Farina developed the best summer cologne of his day. It had the scent of cool morning air and citrus. Farina was living in Cologne at the time, and thus named his invention “Eau de Cologne” (meaning “Water of Cologne” in French). Members of the aristocracy across Europe were enthusiastic customers.
The original Eau de Cologne had a base of 70-80% ethanol; as a result, it was not only a good-smelling fragrance, but could also be consumed as a spirit. The citrus extracts were touted as a natural flea repellent – a good selling point in an age when people still worried about the plague.
Scents and memories
Scents are heavily tied to memories of experiences. More so than the 4 other senses, scents can trigger strong, emotionally-evocative memories. In particular, scents associated with places and experiences in childhood are tied strongly to these memories. Fragrances that are more novel will forge stronger bonds with a memory. Smelling this aroma again can bring back memories of fond moments in your life even years later.
The reason for the sense of smell’s ability to evoke strong emotions is possibly due to the olfactory system’s location in the brain. The regions controlling the olfactory and limbic systems are right next to each other in the brain. With the limbic system nearby, the ease with which our olfactory processes can access the amygdala and hippocampus likely explains why odors are tied so strongly to memories.
Women and the olfactory system
One of the biggest turnoffs for women is smelling bad. Conversely, a good scent is something they appreciate, that lingers in the mind long after you’ve left. It is generally accepted that women, on the whole, tend to have keener senses of smell than men.
A 2014 Brazilian university study found a possible explanation for this discrepancy between the sexes. They found that women tended to have a higher density of brain cells in a region of the brain called the “olfactory bulb”. On average, the women they studied had 43-50% higher brain cell density in the olfactory bulb than the men.
Memorable men’s fragrances
Victory International USA partners with internationally recognized brands to manufacture and distribute high-end, luxurious fragrances. The global fragrance industry is worth a collective $50 billion dollars. With so many companies competing to create the best summer cologne, you want to know that your company’s fragrance will get first onto store shelves, and then into the hands of customers. Victory International USA has working relationships with over 40,000 retail doors and distribution touchpoints in the United States alone, and still more overseas.
Contact us through our website, or call 1 (848) 888-3786 for more information.