Discover the best scent family for your olfactory satisfaction.

Did you know that 75 per cent of emotions are triggered by smell? Not sight. Not sound. But whatever scent your nose might be picking up. So while you might devote valuable morning time to figuring out which suit best commands authority, or which watch communicates more than just the time, it could be your choice of fragrance that really determines what others think of you. To help you find a scent that speaks to your personality, we’ve sorted MR PORTER’s exemplary collection into five de facto fragrance families, and the type of man they might complement. Consider it your on-the-nose guide to making the right impression.

Not one to colour inside the lines? Then opt for a scent that’s as boundary-pushing as you are. Bursting with sweet and floral notes, two fragrances below, from Byredo and Maison Francis Kurkdjian, are the perfect match for a man more likely to flout the rules than follow them. Their unique combinations – from black violet and saffron to bergamot and orange blossom – are intoxicatingly unconventional, demanding a confident wearer who’s not afraid to think outside the box. Wallflowers beware, these are bound to get you noticed.

For men of a more modest disposition, citrus scents are worth a spritz. Light, refreshing and pleasing to most noses, fragrances that feature lemon, orange and other citrus notes are invigorating, yet unobtrusive – the olfactory equivalent of quiet confidence. From Le Labo’s Another 13 – with crisp green citrus, apple and pear wound round a warm heart of ambrox – to Tom Daxon’s verdant Reverie – iris, rosemary and the warm hum of citrusy elemi – these are scents with a subtle charm, well suited to a man who knows his worth, but doesn’t necessarily like to shout about it.

Consider yourself a master in the art of seduction? Then why not plump for a scent that can match your pulling power? While not exactly, er, rigorous science, it has been suggested that the smell of musk – an earthy, sensual ingredient originally sourced from male musk deer – most closely resembles that of testosterone, which may act as a pheromone in humans. Which means musk-based fragrances such as Frédéric Malle’s aptly named Musc Ravageur could make for a winning aphrodisiac. Not that you particularly need one, of course. (If you’re not a fan of musk, but still want to put the moves on, try the heady floral-spiciness of Sisley - Paris’ Soir D’Orient.)

The human nose can detect up to a trillion different odours, a fact that, when it comes to selecting a signature scent, means endless novelty for some and ceaseless drudgery for others. If you’re keen to take the legwork out of finding a fragrance to suit you, lean on the classics – those tried-and-trusted combinations whose appeal time can’t erode. Take Jack Perfume’s Jack Covent Garden, for example, a timeless marriage of citrus and musk notes, or for something more intense, Tom Ford’s Oud Wood, a modern interpretation of a rich and intense scent prized since time immemorial. If it ain’t broke...

For men who owned a pair of hiking boots before they were trendy, it’s best to head outdoors for olfactory inspiration. Formulated with specific landscapes in mind, fragrances such as D.S. & Durga’s Freetrapper – which riffs on the scent of the wild trails of the US – and British perfumer Haeckels’ GPS 23’ 5”N Rose – which pays homage to a burnt-down 19th-century Margate amusement park – evoke the best of what nature has to offer. Think of these as the kind of scents Mr Bear Grylls might wear, but for drinking boulevardiers instead of yak blood.

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