Five tips for selecting the right scent for you.

Along with style, poison of choice and sense of humour, the way we smell says a lot about us. It is also, luckily enough, an attribute we have complete control over. So rather than picking an Eau de Something at random based on a quick sniff at the counter, it’s a good idea to take the time to choose a scent that’s subtle, personal to us, and something we feel comfortable wearing.

“For most people a man’s signature scent is the smell or perfume by which he is identified, recognised and – hopefully – loved for,” says Mr James Craven, fragrance archivist at Les Senteurs, a specialist perfumery in London’s Belgravia. “It ‘fits’ him in that, while it may or may not define him, it enhances his personality and character.”

Intrigued? Here are some expert tips for sniffing out your olfactory fingerprint.

Much like a spouse, your chances of sticking with a scent are bettered by making sure to find one you like in the first place.

“Start by taking a few fragrances and spritzing each on their own individual scent strip,” says Mr Edward Bodenham, perfumery director at Floris London. “Once you’ve figured out which you like, you’ll need to see how they smell on your skin.” Mr Bodenham suggests testing no more than two scents at a time by spraying one on each wrist, then wearing them for a couple of hours to see how they develop on your skin as the heart and base notes are revealed.

It’s important, says Mr Bodenham, that you never at any stage during the scent-selection process doubt the power of your nose.

“Our sense of smell comes from the most primitive part of our brain,” he says. “The responses it prompts are instinctive, so you will just know which scent is the right one.” So: go with your gut instint and avoid being swayed by sophisticated packaging, or what your friends are investing in.

Still struggling to whittle down your selection? Then have a think about what you’d like your scent to say about you. As well as personal taste, factoring in how you’d like to be perceived is a good way to home in on the John Hancock of your fragrance drawer.

“Are you sporty and athletic? Then look for fragrances with zingy freshness,” says Ms Karen Gilbert, fragrance expert and author of Perfume: The Art And Craft Of Fragrance. “Are you an outdoor adventurer? Consider more woody green fragrances. If you are a creative individualist, then go for something a bit more mysterious and edgy with unusual ingredients.”

No scent, no matter how well it suits you, should be worn all day, every day. However, in order for a fragrance to become your “signature”, you’ll need to wear it often enough that the perfume begins to become associated with the person.

To that end, Ms Gilbert suggests looking for something that you could easily wear daily, but don’t necessarily have to. “Having a signature scent doesn’t mean you can never wear another fragrance again, but it should be something versatile that you can wear often enough that people get to know you for it,” she says.

Given that this is a set of rules for finding a unique, personal fragrance, it may seem counterintuitive to claim that no fragrance is forever. But, according to Mr Craven, the bell can toll for even the most seemingly timeless of scents.

“Because everything from our skin to our personality changes all the time, so too does scent and our perception of it,” he says. “So be aware of the fact that, sooner or later, you’ll probably feel in need of a complete change.” After all, even the most stylish gentleman needs a spot of reinvention now and then.

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