How Many Fragrances Should a Normal Man Have? - Page 2

4 or 5 maximum is more than sufficent....per season

No, not at all. Obsessive-compulsive dissorders are quite normal... aren't they?

One fragrance for every pair of shoes.

Well, it's as good as any other scale. I could have gone off on the whole "normal" thing.

Normal people ? just 1 man !
aqua di gio

omg i smell that stuff everywhere i go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, in the 20-something crowd and I find it commonplace--literally.



LOL! RHM, there can be more than one obsession!

Well if you think about which shirt to wear, and why and when to wear it, then your cologne should be no different. Least that's how I see it.

Normal is overrated. But I'd imagine the typical male owns no more than 3 or 4.

For your average Joe, I would think that around 12 would be normal.

I have to confess .... I was going through my stuff this morning huffing and puffing thinking to myself I dont have enough to chose from

The Well Groomed Gentleman

Perhaps the poster meant "How many should a well-groomed man own?" At a minimum, using 1 (casual/office-type) fine fragrance. Using 2 (evening/romantic & office/casual) fine fragrances is enough to be in the "well-groomed" category, by MOST people's standards. If you have seasonal weather, then the above replyer's wisdom of using 8 shows an attention to detail found in the most well-groomed gentlemen.

With the above in mind, I say, whatever works. Experiment. Don't lock yourself into any number. Broaden your horizons.

usually i'm trying to keep my collection short. Last day it reached to 12. Today i could not make a decision which one i like to wear. I want to come back to 4-5.

as many as you need/want.

i started out with one, now im on basenotes so...

personally, i say the AVERAGE guy should have 1-2 (a lighter and heavier one, be it aquatic, woody, spicy, oriental, whatever you prefer) and i think if youre going to have 2, you better make damn sure that those are THE scents for you.

i think most basenotes are people that, heres one for the psychology people, fixated on the earlier stages of fragrance developement. quite simply basenoters never have been able to find/be content with the fragrances they own, there can always be a better one

so for the average guy? 1-3

I think it's pointless trying to formulate a number of fragrances that someone, normal or not normal, should have. I think you should have as many fragrances as you feel like having. You should explore your tastes, discover what you like and what you dislike, and try to stick, maybe, with one fragrance of each type that satisfies or tastes. Maybe this will make you have 5 fragrances, or 10, or maybe even 50 fragrances.
But i should advise you to always buy something that you like, even that you already have what you think to a satisfying amount. Those days you never know what'll be discontinued ot reformulated in the future. So, if you like something, don't take the risk of waiting to buying it and discovering that it doesn't exist anymore or is not the same as it used to be.

A normal man owns as many frags as he pleases.
A mad person . . . well, who can say?

The Answer is.....

42!

hmmm... we're not going to count samples right??? I mean, anything less then a large decant shouldnt matter really.
Or multiple bottles lest something important get discontinued or reformulated while our back is turned???

I'm safe then.

I'd say that most men would have 2, or 1 and a body spray. Step up to guys working where a fragrance would be considered de riguer and it'd be 4 to 6.

I have 5 (not counting duplicates) in regular use plus another 4 that I wouldn't miss but I'll use them till they finish. I don't think its necessarily about quantity sometimes, so much as liking what you have and being able to cover most occasions with them. I mean, how many desert island fragrances threads are about this place... and we all seem to get it back to 5 or so pretty easily. THEN it gets tough.

LOL Jackie Robinson (42), Im around the Michael Jordan range (23)

Anyone should only own as many as they feel comfortable owning. Whether it be 2 to 200.

I believe that the word NORMAL is making us all feel guilty to the actual number of bottles we all have accumulated on the way.
Lets put it this way - we all agree 4-6 is a good round wardrobe!
So were going through a lot of bottles to find those very 4-6 that we eventually want.

..........

If we're talking the "average" guy I'd guess one to two, with the second seldom used. For someone who appreciates the sublimest sense there's never an end to the experiences that can be collected in memory & glass.

Not that it matters, but I'd think a normal guy wouldn't need fragrance. They just need food, shelter, ect... A normal person lacks all that is unnecessary. Just like Normal health would mean lacking any ailment. Nobody is normal when it comes to possessions, because they are unnecessary. We should use the word typical...because that describes relative to some certain standard (i.e. a social standard in a certain community/location).

ANYWAY, the typical guy probably needs 1-7 colognes. Guys who don't mind fragrance much would have 1-2, where as guys who just like variety (but aren't necessarily fragrance fanatics), could use 1 per day of the week.

I would say 5

1. For Everyday Use
2. Work
3. Special Occasion
4. Between Sheets
5. Daring

Who wants to be a normal man ?

As many as he can afford?

"Normal" I would say 3.

I am an enthusiast though, I hope to build up to about 30-40, and then narrow it down to 10.

Indeed. The last thing I aspire to is being a normal man.

For me, it's about finding a balance between a versatile, varied wardrobe and my own minimalist preferences, which allow me to keep an uncluttered house and mind while still enjoying my hobbies.

Regards,
T

"Normal" is relatively subjective. Personally, the OCD side of me wouldn't feel comfortable with less than 50 (and I can't go on without all 5 of my guitars).

im as normal as a serial killer could be.. 100 id say

I would say aint no such thing as normal , one mans passion is another mans poison .... but for the sake of argument , regular Joe maybe half a dozen , a BN'er at least 50 !!!!!

Lots of samples to know the world around us. And I'm happy with my about 12 bottles. Especially that I have my signature among them.

we are not normals , we´re BNs

Before I joined BN in January, I was "normal" in regards to frags. I had 2 or 3... Since joining BN, after being turned on by some Creed Original Vetiver I still feel very new to it all, but definitely no longer "normal" - I have 13 (unlucky for some!) which I can see rising more in the coming weeks / months as I keep reading reviews and the forums about so many wonderful smells out there...

THANK YOU ALL BASENOTERS FOR MAKING ME ABNORMAL!!! hahah!!

I was told that a rotation of 7 was minimum when I was growing up. Mainly because diversity is the spice of life. Furthermore, depending on where you live, and the seasonal extremes you're subject to, you may need different scents for different times of the year.

at a certain point you have to ask yourself if you'll empty all your bottles before you dead

Upwards of 100. That way he won't get bored.

Arbitrary private definitions of words has nothing to do with "socratic discussion" - it just hinders discussions.

1 or none

4

Any more than that, and you're suspect!

Nothing about me or my life has ever been considered 'normal'... so why should I start now?

Actually, 42 is the answer to the ultimate question.

That's right, a fragrance junky AND a nerd. Combine that with my love of death metal, foul stand-up, and Kevin Smith movies, and I become female repellent.


Good point. I'm a damned weirdo in everything I do. I guess I should just learn to accept it.

But, to answer the original queston, the answer is probably 2 with a mini gift set and an axe (lynx) or 2.

No clue...all I know is that I want more than I have now...not sure if that's normal...

"Normal"- I love that word. Trying to define it is like trying to explain the concept of "infinity" to a 5 year old. I tried today and failed.

As many as a normal man would have.

1, at the most 3

One.

Hi Vulcan,

That's a good question. I'm sure you could find an old gentleman's guide to grooming that would state something like "One for every occasion" or four- one for every season.

I believe it's how many you want. I like to collect and I like to think I can have something for almost any occasion- weddings, special occasions, movies, quiet Sunday afternoons, rainy days- you get the picture. Find what's good for you my friend- and ENJOY!!!!

I hate it when the truth hits me right in the face. No death metal for me, but I do love Led Zeppelin. I even do open mic standup - you'd think it would help with the ladies...nope.

Oh, as far as a normal (aka average) guy's frag - just 1. Shoes - 2.

I agree that hoping to be "normal" is like striving for mediocrity. why bother?

my favorite response, though, is our basenoter who wants to know how many bottles an extraordinary man should own!

"One fragrance for every pair of shoes." Bravo.

Twice as many as he has owl's heads mounted on his walls.

385. No more. No less.

I think an appreciation for fragrance grows with time. My mother, from whom I inherited my nose (aside: my father has very poor taste in fragrance and is best described as a snobby scent bigot who claims many things are like bug spray), has easily 80+ fragrances of an eclectic taste. There are things I didn't like ten years ago that I now love, likewise, there are scents that have lost their luster to me, but I still appreciate the craft that went into them.

So when you ask what a normal man would need, I wonder at which age? Normal is only appropriate in context of age, society, etc. It's a horrible word, and best left to statisticians!

In my opinion, I would recommend a safe but respectable fragrance for work (i.e. something appropriate for the job you do and your co-workers), a fragrance for the evening, and a fragrance for special occasions that is by its very nature, a special fragrance.

When I wake up and consider what fragrance I will wear for the day, the first thing I consider is what I plan to do that day and who I plan to meet. I truly believe that one should tailor what they wear for what they plan on doing.

Many people here do that without thinking: "The weather is warm and humid, I can't wear this one because it'll be too cloying" or "it's flu season and John at the office is sick, maybe I should wear something close to the skin and mild".

Fragrance is situational and quite dependent on the circumstance. I don't really believe 100% in the concept of a normal life, let alone a fragrance that is good for every occasion.

Fragrance is another arrow in the quiver of a well-equipped gentleman and is the icing on the cake for breaking this detestable thing called normalcy.


I wouldn't say that any fragrance enthusiast is 'sick' at all; rather, I'd say they get 'it'. Smelling good (and bad) things is one of the pleasures of life. Our discourse here on the subtleties and varieties of scent is, in my honest opinion, a noble pursuit. It's very much a study in personality.

i'm surprised many of you absolutely love that many to own full bottles of them.

Was I normal a year ago when I had none? And abnormal now that I have 32?

Maybe....


I think 7 could cover most bases and keep a guy smelling new and different without throwing him into the 'obsessive' category with the rest of us. 7 well planned out frags.

I think that normal people usually have their signatures and dont need more than 5.

1 daily hot weather
1 daily cold weather
1 dates/evening hot weather
1 dates/evening cold weather
1 formal

LMAO. Yes, this is everything what NORMAL MAN needs in wardrobe.

"Normal" guys around here don't even wear fragrances.

They smell of aftershave after shaving and put deodorant under their armpits. Wearing a fragrance is a conscious choice and a fashion statement, unlike putting on shoes and a pair of pants, which is something you must have to avoid getting hurt/arrested.

If they ever receive an Eau de Toilette, it's a gift from their GF who thinks "It'll smell nice on you." That's why Xmas time is so full of gift boxes with edt, aftershave, and shower gel. Once the bottle is empty, you wait until the next holiday season.

Answer: However many that man desires.