The 12 sprays of Christmas – who suits which.

Buying a fragrance for somebody else is fraught with problems. Where do you even start? Voyage into the darkest recess of a man’s bathroom cabinet and ye shall find the fragrances that time forgot, the ill-considered Christmas presents that, after one spritz, were relegated to a lifetime of collecting dust or moonlighting as an air freshener – the inevitable fate of a well-intentioned but poorly researched gift.

Fragrance is an exceptionally personal statement and buying it requires an intimate knowledge of not just the recipient’s sense of style, but his palette as well. For example, should a man see himself as dark and mysterious, he is unlikely to respond particularly well to a light and floral fragrance. Couple that with the fact that a person’s skin chemistry can change the way a fragrance smells, and the well-intentioned act of perfume shopping can go disastrously wrong.

And so an amount of detective work is required. Some sniffing around, if you will. Everything from the spirits and wines the recipient drinks to the food he craves will tell you which of the main fragrance families to focus on: oriental, woody, fresh, floral or aquatic. His current scent, should you be able to decode it, will also give you some very useful pointers.

We have matched a broad selection of fragrances with different personality types, so that the gifting process involves less guesswork this Christmas.

This cult classic is based on a single aroma-chemical that mixes (and enhances) the wearer’s natural scent. Its adaptive quality has made it the “pheromone of the perfume world”. The minimalist molecule in question, Iso E Super, has a slight woody facet and is often used by perfumers to add a velvety texture to more complex compositions. In Molecule 01, however, it is a solo artist, and an intangibly beautiful one at that.

**CZECH & SPEAKE – Oxford & Cambridge **

A quintessentially British cologne. Named after the gentlemen’s club founded by O&C alumni at 71 Pall Mall, this is a heartfelt poem to the joys of lavender (so if he isn’t keen on florals, best not chuck him in the deep end with this cologne). However, the lavender here is decidedly masculine – dry, dark, accented with peppermint – and hogs centre stage until it eventually gives way to an oakmoss base.

**EDITIONS DE FREDERIC MALLE – Monsieur **

Patchouli gets a hard rep on account of its association with those cloying joss sticks burned by adolescents and shops hawking crystals and dreamcatchers. So be prepared to part with your prejudices. Patchouli is a complex plant and, in perfumer Mr Bruno Jovanovic’s imagining, not at all flowery and feminine. On the contrary, the patchouli that makes up 50 per cent of Monsieur is dark, broody, authoritative and mature. Just like its wearer should be. It has dark and earthy facets that appear before a boozy backdrop of vanilla, spices, rum and amber. It may not be the most groundbreaking formula, but the execution is superb, making it quite unlike any other patchouli out there.

BYREDO – Black Saffron

Don’t be misled by the name. This fragrance is more about berries, violet and leather than it is about saffron. The juice has a smooth suede-velvet texture that works well against the inherent sweetness of the berry notes. Perhaps the most obvious reference point is Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford Beauty, so if that – or, indeed, any “sweet leather” fragrance – is in his scent wardrobe, then this will be a welcome addition.

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN – Oud

The trend for oud fragrances has spawned a number of powerful, Arabian Nights-style eau de parfums renowned for being, shall we say, hefty. Mr Francis Kurkdjian has always resisted loud, literal or linear fragrances and his Oud is no exception. For once, we have an oud that is soft and subtle, warming without being suffocating or – like so many mass-market ouds – cloyingly synthetic. All the signature smoky-incense facets of oud and patchouli remain, but at no point does it become overbearing or sickly. A quiet floral oud for the man who, perhaps paradoxically, has struggled with ouds in the past.

TOM FORD BEAUTY – Black Orchid

The dessert lover will salivate over this edible blend of sweet chocolate, vanilla, amber and patchouli. Black Orchid is an intensely thick floral that bulldozes its way through your senses. One for the shamelessly sensual gent who has fully embraced his feminine side and is comfortable wearing an outspoken floral. Not for beginners.

COMME DES GARCONS PARFUMS – Wonderwood

With a name like Wonderwood, you’d expect this fragrance to be all wood, all the time. And yet it is anything but. It opens with a peppery waft of nutmeg-dusted smoke before settling into a woody base that features just a whisper of oud. The wood here is round and soft (as opposed to solid or overbearingly masculine), making it comfortable and fantastically easy to wear. CDG fragrances are often recognised for their quirk factor, but Wonderwood is the exception to the rule. It is interesting without being too challenging. A safe bet.

DIPTYQUE – Tam Dao

A beautifully smooth and creamy sandalwood scent complemented by exotic spices from the Orient (Tam Dao is a popular Vietnamese destination). NB: don’t judge this one by the top notes. The sharp, green opening soon subsides to reveal a dry, almost powdery rosewood heart before settling into the signature sandalwood accord. The serene, almost meditative, quality of this fragrance makes it ideal for hushed, peaceful personalities.

THE PERFUMER’S STORY BY AZZI GLASSER – Old Books

Old Books is a wonderfully literal – and literary – moment of nostalgia. It is “the memory of picking up that old book in grandma’s attic, and watching it fall apart”, says perfumer Ms Azzi Glasser. The feeling of aged, dusty pages is created by way of frankincense, olibanum, myrrh, elemi, cedar and patchouli. An obvious choice for bookworms in the age of Kindle.

**ODIN NEW YORK – Sunda Formula 01 **

A mature and restrained “gourmand” (meaning it contains edible scents), this starts off like a sharp glassful of Hendrick’s gin and tonic but evolves into something wonderfully warming, dry and sweet, like a lemon pie just out of the oven. The spices and heliotrope in the heart of the fragrance give way to tonka bean, sandalwood and musk. If he has a sweet tooth, but can’t handle the projection or femininity of, say, Tom Ford’s Black Orchid (see above), then this may be a good fit.

**FLORIS LONDON – No.89 **

No.89 from British perfume institution Floris has not moved with the times. And that’s no bad thing. Old-school scents have a huge amount of value in a market that largely comprises one-hit wonders. No.89, with its soapy barbershop quality, is the smell of a true gentleman, the kind who starches his napkins and can’t watch the cricket without cucumber sandwiches. It has gone down in history as the signature scent of one James Bond, but don’t let its cameo appearance in Mr Ian Fleming’s novels distract you from seeing it as it is: a beautifully traditional woody-rose scent worthy of a true dandy.

PENHALIGON’S – Bayolea

A contemporary spin on an old-fashioned bay rum formula from Penhaligon’s archives, Bayolea is green, mossy and heavy on lemongrass (as opposed to the citrus notes found in traditional variations). There is a faint soapy quality to it, but nothing that throws it into quite the same category as Floris 89 (see above). Despite its retro references, Bayolea is anything but stuffy and old fashioned. Do note, however, that an ingredient as polarising as lemongrass is going to be the deciding factor here.