Which scent is loved by Europe and hated in America or vice versa

??? I'm confused...

In France, 1 Million is loved. It's absolutely the only frag I smell on men.

Women always smell good, i never know what they're wearing tho.

I can't see any objective way to determine this with any degree of certainty.

In Europe the most loved is JPG Le Male
In the USA it is ADG

Read a few of the Fifi Perfume Awards things from Europe and the States and find out for yourself all you'll get here, at best, is enough misinformation, cliched prejudice and provocation to start WWIII.

Europe loves Le Male.............................................. ............ I dont like it lol.

I don't know if one can generalize, but I think in the US people tend to gravitate towards cleaner stuff on average - more aquatic-ozonic. Though they are very popular in Europe too.

TdH, incidentally, seems more common in Europe than it is here. Same for Le Male, as pointed out.

cacio

Top 10 perfumes that women appreciate as best for themselves (France 2012):

1.Dior J'adore
2.Dior Miss Dior (Cherie)
3.Chanel No.5
4.Nina Ricci Nina (apple bottle, modern juice)
5.Kenzo Flower
6.Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne
7.Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire
8.Lancome Tresor
9.Lolita Lempicka Lolita (original)
10.Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps

Top 10 perfumes that men appreciate as best to gift to women (France 2012):

1. Chanel No.5
2.Dior J'Adore
3.Guerlain Shalimar
4.Lancome Tresor
5.Dior Miss Dior (Cherie)
6.Chanel Coco
7.Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
8.Dior Pure Poison
9.Kenzo Flower
10.Thierry Mugler Angel

Top 10 fragrances that men appreciate as best for themselves (France 2012):

1.Hugo Boss Boss
2.Hugo Boss Hugo
3.Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
4.Dior Eau Sauvage
5.Azzaro pour Homme
6.Calvin Klein CK One
7.Armani Aqua di Gio
8.Dior Farhenheit
9.Hugo Boss Boss Signature
10.Chanel Allure Homme Sport

Top 10 fragrances that women appreciate as best to gift to men (France 2012):

1.Hugo Boss Boss
2.Dior Eau Sauvage
3. Chanel Allure Homme
4.Armani Aqua di Gio
5.Chanel Allure (the women's Eau de toilette, please note)
6.Dior Homme
7.Hugo Boss Hugo
8.Azzaro pour Homme
9.Chanel Allure Homme Sport
10.Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male

Not only the females, I put it on just an hour ago and now I'm regretting that decision. Can't wait to sell this off or swap

Same with Asians, more like the subcontinent, they tend to like loud frags in the middle east, it's like Asia is up for more sweet or aromatic scents

I hate making generalizations, however over here in Europe I think we appreciate and love the skanky stuff more. This observation is purely down to the fact that I once unfortunately made the mistake of watching some of the countless misguided YouTube reviews in the main from North Americans coming out swinging about clean this and soapy that.

And you're saying this from personal experience on your travels, I take it?

No way! Here in my country girls and women go die for TDH!

American's love Fierce!

And why not? Nice scent!

Egoiste - Europe
Egoiste platinum - USA

;-)

As a side note, when people say asia they usually refer to the far east. It would be better to use that term.

...says who...?

This question cannot be answered: one cannot talk in these generalities

.........................

Very interesting thread! I guess there are some cultural differences, yes. But is there so much of them that you could generalize? I don't know.

Could it be, that in America, say US, people are not so fond of so called "perfumey", typical "very French" scents that sometimes are animalic, have civet note? Just a thought.

Edit: I've noticed some scents are quite liked in US but not in Europe. Examples: Aramis JHL. Polo Green.

Why can't you talk in generalities? Most lions are yellow. That's a generalization, because there are a few white ones. But that doesn't change the fact that most lions are yellow. Political correctness is getting in the way of clear thinking.

In the case of perfume, any difference is probably slight. Best way to investigate would probably be to compare top selling lists from various countries.

if you all were really serious you would have to set this up more objectively. Those from the USA/Canada, those from European Countries, and those from Asia. Then list your country, and what your fav. Non-niche scent is, most hated scent is, and what you smell most on others in your area. I think the niche market transcends area, so it would need to be dept. store. I think like backwards baseball caps and music styles, fads in fragrances start in one place, and move around. What was the rage in California 2 years ago, becomes the rage in New York last year, and is the rage in Europe this year. Or, like the Beatles, Starts in England and moves outward...

In your example, the question is not of generalization at all. Sorry, but it has nothing to do with generalization. The yellow color of lions is a type of property, a character of species and white lion is a genetic variation,albino.

Interesting take on the question:

http://akafkaesquelife.wordpress.com...ling-perfumes/

- - - Updated - - -


Of course it's a property of lions, but it's nevertheless a generalization to say that lions have that property because it's not shared by all members of the class. You are confusing the act of generalizing with what is being generalized.

How can one possibly generalise? - even in the U.K., for example, I own scents which might raise eyebrows in polite, rural areas that pass perfectly well in London

Even the best sourced surveys of this sort depend on random respondents and have no scientific base.

But an interesting thought Attila & interesting article PWJ

You are all overgeneralizing. But that is how we find patterns. It just needs to be a larger sample, b/c overgeneralizing by looking at ones own small piece of the world is inaccurate

Generalization means that one sees or forms an conclusion or opinion a group of same content based on a very small sample and that's why it is usually seen "negative". In your example, the yellow lions are a very big sample. That's why your example is not generalization. I don't want to argue or debate with you, though. Partly because you have an linguistic advantage on your side, and secondly because we are missing the point of this thread.

I agree, no need to argue. We have different definitions of generalization. I don't think it has anything to do with sample size, I think it has to do with making universal statements that may not be true for specific instances.

As for the subject of the thread, I think there might be a slightly higher preference for subtle, fresh fragrances in the US but I think the difference is so slight it would be difficult to verify.

I see your point PWJ and i agree.
Btw, thanks for your link! Very interesting.

Just checked a couple of TOP lists from where i live, our biggest warehouse:

1. Armani: Black Code
2. Boss: Hugo Boss
3. Escada: Magnetism
4. Carolina Herrera: Chic
5. Dior: Higher Energy

then another list, by a quite big online store:

1. Hugo Boss - Nr 1
2. Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male
3. Hugo Boss - Dark Blue
4. Hugo Boss - Hugo
5. Calvin Klein - Crave

A large Dutch deparment store male top 10 male scents:

1.Gucci Guilty Pour Homme
2.Paco Rabanne One Million
3.Dolce & Gabbana The One for Men
4.Armani Acqua Di Gio
5.Dsquared2 He Wood
6.Diesel Only The Brave
7.Armani Diamonds For Men
8.Bvlgari Men
9.Bvlgari BLV
10.Gucci Guilty Intense Pour Homme


Sephora.nl

1. Paco Rabanne 1 Million
2. CHANEL Bleu de Chanel
3. Armani Code
4. Armani Aqua di Giò
5. Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male


Douglas.nl

1.Paco Rabanne One Million
2.Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
3.Hugo Boss Boss Bottled
4.Davidoff Cool Water
5.Armani Aqua di Giò
6.Guess Seductive Homme Blue
7.Calvin Klein CK One
8.Chanel Bleu de Chanel
9.Burberry Brit For Men
10.Police To Be

So, around 1/4 of the worlds population? Sounds legit.

From my limited experience I have encountered neither love nor hate for TdH here in Tokyo, but I don't think that my survey has been large enough to be statistically significant for Tokyo, let alone the whole of Japan. On men here I most commonly smell aquatics, even in the middle of winter.

I think the days of this stereotype, that the French like skanky stuff, is over. Look at the mens scent lists in Plurans post. The French market is probably the European market least likely to be swayed by fads, trends and international marketing campaigns, the French typically buy French. The only thing in either of the lists that is any way animalic is Azzaro PH, which has been a perennial best seller in France. The only other "classic" in that list is Eau Sauvage, and I can imagine there are a couple of generations of men in France who have only one bottle of fragrance, are not going to change, and its Eau Sauvage.

Half of the list are modern weak fresh scents that would not look out of place on a US bestseller list.

What is more interesting is what is not in that list. Habit Rouge, which was still on the best seller list 5 years ago, is gone. In fact, no men's Guerlain at all. No Kouros (but it hasn't been in the top ten in France for a long time). No Declaration. Even Terre d'Hermes has seemingly fallen out of favour.

The French market still went as mad for 1 Million as everywhere else did when it came out, although it seems the trend was short lived there, unlike in the rest of Europe where it continues to sell well and invade your personal space on an all too frequent basis. Also, you cannot base what is popular on what you smell coming off passers by on the street. Most scents are so subtle that you won't pick them up as someone walks by, which kind of skews this method of gauging popularity to sillage monsters.

This concept that all men in France go around stinking of Yatagan is frankly flawed. There may be an older generation that are sticking to the fragrances of their youth (when their American contemporaries were using Drugstore frags from Shulton and Faberge), but everyone else is buying into the fresh aquatics or woody ambers as much as anywhere else.

This thread is the epitome of dysfunction.

Basenotes looks like the magazine section at a gas station whereas before it was like a national library.

Also, Asia starts from Turkey and ends towards Japan. Even in china itself different geographic locations have different tastes.

I don't think you can really catagorise hundreds of millions of people like that...

In my opinion, most of the best-selling and best-loved frags actually seem far more to coincide, rather than diverge, on both sides of the Atlantic.

It does depend where in the UK you go shopping as to what is a bestseller:

Boots (a pharmacy chain). Their top 20 is dominated by frags that they sell cheaply and are on almost permanent money off offers:

Versace Blue Jeans
Burberry Weekend
Cool Water
CK One
Hugo Boss Red
Paco Rabanne XS
Le Male
1 Million
Joop Homme
Spicebomb
Boss Soul
Armani Diamonds
Davidoff Adventure
Givenchy Gentleman
Polo Sport
Joop Go
Kouros
Fahrenheit
L'Eau D'Issey PH
Only The Brave Tattoo

Debenhams (Mainstream Department Store). Still a lot of discounted entries:

Paul Smith London
Paco Rabanne XS
Tommy Eau de Prep
Armani Code
Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet
Dior Homme
Paco Rabanne PH
Iceberg Twice
Hugo Boss Red
1 Million
Clinique Happy
Boss Bottled
Burberry for Men (the "old" London)
Burberry Weekend
Cool Water
Jaguar Classic
Armani Diamonds
Marc Jacobs Men
Puma Green
Boss Orange

John Lewis (Department Store, likes to think it is upmarket, but is still mainstream):

Spicebomb
Grey Vetiver
1 Million
JPG Le Male
AdP Colonia Intensa
AdP Colonia
Tom Ford Noir
Armani Code
Molton Brown Black Pepper EDT
JPG Le Beau Male
Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin
Tom Ford for Men
CK One
Vera Wang for Men
AdP Colonia Essenza
Boss Bottled
Prada Luna Rossa
Hugo Boss Red
Paco Rabanne XS
Acqua di Gio (yes, it shows up finally!)

I'd agree with this. Also Armani Code and 1 Million are zealously accepted/worn here.

I think the North Americans probably fueled the "fresh, clean, aqua" trend that is now increasingly the rage all over the world. But this did not start with perfumes. It started with laundry, cleaning and home/room scents. Proctor & Gamble and the other conglomerates have been capitalizing on the American cultural norm that unclean=socially unacceptable. Now our laundry has been supercharged with extra long lasting scent (and Febreeze for emergencies). We are sold bath products to fuel the expected norm that at least one shower a day is expected (I actually take two -- one after exercise). Our personal spaces are also scented with plug-in scents that now favor the smell of glaciers and the outdoors, whatever that smells like.

I think perfumers probably saw a trend away from perfumes after the powerhouse 70s and 80s and married the concept of "clean" with personal perfumery and they boosted the market. There are so many clean scents around today that could have been dryer sheets, body soap, or air fresheners. Now they are Nautica EDTs. ;-)

The heavier scents of the recent past are now relegated to "smells like old people" by some fragrance fans because they say something beyond "clean."

This has been especially true among a lot of guys in my area, the majority of which will wear scent only on a date.

Now this trend has spread to Europe. Look at the number of American conglomerates now customizing ad campaigns for these same products for the UK market in particular.

Like everything else, this will eventually burn out and we'll move on to the next big thing.

As for Asia, particularly in Japan, subtlety seems to be the driver. It would be offensive for many to have their scent invade another person's personal space. I don't know if this is true in other Asian cultures, however.

Well I can't really comment on the Europe VS America thing, but in terms of the OP, I can say that in general, people in asia (in general) don't like anything musky, dirty, spicy or sweet. They prefer clean and airy, or musky-clean, over the aforementioned.

(I'm speaking from experience having traveled and smelled what people are wearing in Japan, Korea and Thailand). I smelled the uber-fresh Bulgari pour Homme and well-behaved Chloe (for women) more often than any other fragrances while living in Japan.

On the other hand, I remember some of my Japanese friends raiding my fragrances and commenting that the musky, powdery and sweet Dior Homme was "super sexy" while the dry-cleaned Bleu de Chanel was just "nice."

Who knows...

For many people in The West, one of those precious, rare pleasures is the "new car smell", especially if it has leather seats. I love the smell of good leather. It is nosefood of the highest calibre. I have heard that car companies deliberately de-frag their leather for the Japanese market. If this is true it is one specific instance of a significant difference (within the tiny scope of this forum). Look at the Durian. Loved by many in Thailand, considered disgusting by many elsewhere. I doubt "Essence du Durian" would work anywhere. I recently had a conversation with an American colleague who considers a VX Toureg "Compact"- we were discussing the different stylistic norms vis a vis EU/US. He told me many people he knows consider Europeans to be effeminite. I laughed and told him many people I know consider Americans to be ludicrously macho. There was absolutely no nastiness in this exchange since neither of us have anything to prove. There is absolutely no point in any forum member leaping to the aid of either party- it was a personal exchange. There is a difference between cultures. It's just a question of determining whether and how this affects general purchasing trends. And that can only be found from the figures.

I think with Asian cultures people draw a lof of their experiences form the major cities (which makes sense as they would wear more fragrance on average) and population density is so high there that anything beyond "subtle" scents can quickly overpower a whole crowd, especially if multiple people are wearing projection bombs in close proximity.

In Japan and Korea this would be an issue which the wearer would take in to a/c. In China they would care far more about making sure that the scent they were projecting cost a lot of money.

This is true. I asked the sales persons at a local Douglas here in France and they all agreed 1 Million is the best seller at the moment. They also told me that XS Black was extremely popular and Dior Homme.
With women Angel is still a best seller and Alien.
Estée Lauder's women's fragrances are I believe bestsellers in the USA, but in Europe they are not so popular.

This thread is all over the place..quite literally!

I only have anecdotal evidence so the thing I smell most on blokes in the UK is:

One million
Hugo Boss Bottled & Hugo
Le Male

I smell all kinds of unidentifiable stuff on women!

I have no idea what Americans like!

I remember KOUROS by Yves Saint Laurent was one of the most adored perfume in Europe.... and then had to discover it was "horrible!", "indecent!" , "disgusting!", in USA!

I can name a few scents that are popular on both sides of the pond: for example, YSL L'Homme, JPG Le Male, and (of course) Acqua di Gio constantly rank high on best-seller lists in both Europe and the US.

In addition to the aforementioned Polo (original) and JHL being more popular in the US than Europe, I can also name Aramis and Obsession for Men as being more popular in their homeland. The reverse is true for Azzaro Chrome, which sells far better in the US than in its European home (with Euro-folks tending to prefer original Azzaro Pour Homme). Also, for fresh scents, Americans tend to prefer aquatics to the dry citrus scents like Armani Eau Pour Homme and Eau Sauvage that are favored in Europe.

Both sides do like woody orientals, albeit the Europeans like stuff like Boss Bottled, Dior Homme, and 1 Million (the latter two also do fairly well at Sephora's 700+ US stores) while Americans tend to like the aforementioned Obsession, Polo Black, and Allure Homme (and derivatives). And like I mentioned earlier, Le Male is on both American and European top-10 lists. So we do have something in common.

Personal experience

.............................

Agree with this whole heartedly. Whenever I wear scents with powder, rose, or older Guerlains she says it "smells old lady".

LOL, Yet it is still better than the forums on Fragrantica!!!

Hehe

It seems to me the most heavily advertised and marketed fragrances in that country makes the top list.

The whole question of fragrance, and art in general is subjective. None of this is based on science. We all have our own ideas and share them here. That's what this forum is for.

It appears that certain popular fragrances are now universal. Those in their teens and twenties seem to like fresh aquatics and sweet vanilla fragrances for clubbing. ADG, CW, La Nuit , Le Male, Armani Code, 1 Million.

It's clear this is the case, Weylin. I feel many people are simply unaware that alternatives exist. Let's face it, a staggeringly huge proportion of people in the world make little effort to find out about what they're buying, whether it be fragrance or anything else for that matter. A few months ago a friend of mine was considering getting a suit made to measure, so I asked him what style he wanted. "I want to look good," he said. Yep, that narrows it down! We Googled various high profile men (Tom Cruise etc) and TBH, most of them had ill-fitting jackets. Everytime my friend pointed out a particular look I'd point out the fact that the waist was too narrow, a shoulder dropped etc. After 30 mins he told me he'd never thought about these aspects of clothing before and now considered himself too ignorant to buy one without myself in attedance. 50 years ago this was common knowldege, as was the fact that one always brushes felt anti-clockwise etc. Now you're effectively "in costume" with a real hat on.

...it looks like a national library...!

bashing another site makes this site look bad.

I'd probably go with the stinky vs cleaner/fresher thing, yellow teeth vs obsessing over bleaching them, too much wine vs Xanax addiction, etc.

According to the North American girlfriend, Fahrenheit Absolute is not sold overseas as in Europe we enjoy scents that smell like poo.

I don't think the sense of smell is any more subjective then when we talk about colours:-) this is what perfume
rs are trying to sell you:-) ...that all is relative...so nothing absolute, no absolutes in perfumes lol

The three most worn fragrances here in Sweden (by men) is the following ones;
JPG - Le Male
Paco Rabanne - One Milion
Armani - Code

The girls love these fragrances on guys. I personally don't care for any of them! If I were forced to choose one of these, it would been Code. Never in my life will I ever wear Le Male!

Hate to tell ya, but I think what your girlfriend is smelling is Euro guys without *any* scent on....