Flowers, Ferns, and Fruits: A History of Men’s Fragrances

Like all aspects of culture, popular fragrance trends evolve over time. Many things bring about these changes, some sudden and catalytic, others gradual and diffuse. Changes in society, such as gender roles, religion, or shifting political borders can have an impact on norms and cultural mores. Economic fluctuations can shift status or class structure or make resources scarce or abundant. Technological and scientific breakthroughs can make new processes and ingredients available or lower the cost of manufacture. Over the last 400 years, men’s fragrances have gone through three distinct eras which were defined by specific scent accords, Citrusy and Floral in the 18th and 19th century, Woodsy and Herbal (Fougères) in the 20th century, and a collection of New Fruits in the 20th century.

The journey of modern men’s cologne begins in of all places, Cologne! In 1709, an Italian perfumer living in Cologne, Germany, named Giovanni Maria Farina introduced a citrusy, floral fragrance which he dubbed “Eau de Cologne”. Of the scent, he said “I have created a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain.” The scent was light, fresh, and citrus-forward, with a strongly floral element built around jasmine and violet. It was one of the first alcohol-based perfumes and was seen not just as a fragrance but a tonic, a hygiene product to clean the hands and body, and yes, an aftershave. It ushered in a new age in men’s fragrances.

Eau de Cologne was wildly popular and worn throughout the royal courts of Europe. Even Napoléon Bonaparte was said to carry a bottle in his boots. It influenced countless perfumes which followed, including 4711 introduced in 1792, and many modern interpretations including Acqua di Parma Colonia (1916) and Dior’s Eau Sauvage (1966). Today, Farina’s fragrance company is still in operation and the world’s oldest fragrance company. As testimony to the revolutionary power of his fragrance, all men’s perfumes are now referred to as “Colognes”.

Houbigant Perfumery in Paris 1882

It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that a new trend in men’s fragrances emerged when in 1882 a perfumer named Paul Parquet who worked at the prominent Parisian perfumery Houbigant created Fougère Royale. Fougère means “Fern” in French and Parquet created a scent which was green and forest-like by introducing two new ingredients which hadn’t been used before, coumarin and oakmoss.

Coumarin is an organic compound with a sweet, hay-like, vanilla and almond aroma. Although it occurs naturally in tonka beans and other plants, it must be synthesized and is therefore considered the first synthetic ingredient used in perfumes. Oakmoss provided a damp and earthy scent, which added richness and depth, with a distinctly green and woodsy character.

The introduction of Fougère Royale was a seminal event in the evolution of the men’s fragrances which up until that point had been dominated by Citrusy-Floral accords. Its wild popularity spawned a wave of similar scents which employed the basic architecture of lavender, coumarin (or Tonka Bean), and oakmoss, and over time collectively came to be known as Fougères. Early examples including Guerlain Jicky (1889), Penhaligon’s English Fern (1910), and Yardley English Lavender (1913).

In the 1930s, a variation of the Fougère emerged which introduced powdery and spicy notes, and possibly due to affordability and availability became known as Barbershop scents. In 1934, Caron released an early take on a Barbershop called Pour un Homme which blended vanilla with lavender and tonka bean for a powdery, clean aroma. In 1936, Dana followed with a slightly spicier take, which employed sage, carnation, geranium and vanilla. Then in 1937, the Shulton Company upped the spice quotient and released what became one of the defining scents of the Barbershop genre, Old Spice, which brought in anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, pimento, and benzoin to create an intensely masculine, fresh, bouquet. . Not long after, another iconic scent was released sometime in the 1940s by the American affiliate of Pinaud called Clubman, a mossy, powdery, vanilla Fougère which today is maybe most associated with vintage barbershop scents. Many barbershop Fougères followed, some of the most notable including Tabac (1959), Brut (1964), and Paco Rabanne Pour Homme (1973).

Fougères maintained their hold on men’s fragrances through most of the 1970s and 1980s with popular fragrances including Polo by Ralph Lauren (1978), Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche (1982), and Creed’s Green Irish Tweed (1985). It wasn’t until the 1990s, that a new trend emerged where notes of previously unused fruits began to be introduced which turned fragrances away from the intense herbal greenness of a classic Fougère, making them rounder, sweeter, and lighter. An era of New Fruit fragrances began.

Examples of the New Fruit movement include Calvin Klein’s CK One (1994) which introduced papaya and pineapple and was sweet enough to be billed as unisex. In the same year, Issey Miyake launched L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme which introduced Yuzu, another sweet and exotic fruit. In 1995, Creed’s Silver Mountain Water brought in the use of Blackcurrant, and in 1996, Armani launched the iconic Acqua di Gio which introduced lime, mandarin orange, peach, and aquatic notes. Hugo Boss harnessed Apple notes in 1998 with Hugo Boss Bottled.

The “new fruit” movement continued to gain strength through the 2000s with major hits including Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue (2001), which used mandarin orange and grapefruit, Hermes Terre d’Hermes (2006), a mainly orange accord, and Paco Rabanne 1 Million (2008), which leaned heavily on grapefruit. Then in 2010 one of the most iconic men’s fragrances of the 21st century was created, Creed Aventus, which used both blackcurrant and pineapple, becoming the benchmark for modern luxury men’s fragrances up to the current day.

Men’s fragrances will surely continue to evolve as tastes change and new trends emerge. As to what will define the next era and pick up from the Citrus-Floral scents of the 18th and 19th century, Fougères of the 20th century, and New Fruits in the 21st century, we'll just have to wait and see.