In preparing these thoughts, I spent time in Bloomingdale's Men's Fragrance Department in Washington, DC, White Plains, Boca Raton, and 59th Street, New York City. The question “What’s new?” is being asked by men more and more.
Women are still the major purchasers of men’s products. The percentage varies by market, but in all markets, men are definitely interested in scent and grooming products. The days of slaRping cologne on tbe face are gone, and products are available to make men look and feel better. Men seem to like taking care of themselves. They realize that treatment products improve their skin and that hair regimens produce healthier looking hair. They like the idea that they can create moods hy wearing certain fragrances. As an exsmple, for three years I have been giving the parking attendant at my building samples of fragrance. He would thank me and that was it. This past September, he was very excited because of the reaction his girlfriend had to Obsession for Men. There’s one guy that’s convinced scent causes emotions.
Men no longer wear one scent. Most men choose at least two fragrances and many men have a wardrobe of fragrances—for business, sports and evenings. The man who wears many scents is the sophisticated customer, current in fashion, who reads New York magazine, Gentlemen’s Quarterly and Time. But men in all walks of life are willing to try.
