#amanda grace

Part of me will always be stuck in that apartment

So you may be asking yourself, “What? Fragrances aren’t gendered!” and I do and don’t agree with you. I understand I’m walking a fine line here, so I will explain as clearly as I can. Within this article, I will define sex as one’s birth genitalia/hormones released, and gender as one’s identity and/or presentation.

With one’s sex often comes a natural scent, and the pheromones and hormones released tend to lean one way or another depending on such a sex. There’s no definitive scent per person, and everyone has their own scent, but in general, AFAB people tend to have lighter, sweeter scents, and AMAB people tend to have heavier, muskier scents. Hence, the general association with different genders for different fragrances. However, that does not mean that men cannot wear floral fragrances, that women cannot wear woodsy colognes, or that nonbinary folk cannot wear scents at all. Everyone presents themselves differently and that’s perfectly valid!

Why is cologne considered a men’s fragrance while perfume is saved for women?

Well, it’s another simple thing of body chemistry. Classically, AMAB people (and AFAB people on testosterone) produce more sebum (oil) due to androgen also being produced in higher quantities. Because of the higher oil quantities on their skin, the oil from the fragrances will blend and act almost as a scent diffuser and make the fragrances stronger. However, AFAB people (or AMAB people on testosterone/androgen suppressors) have drier skin, and it soaks up the oils within the fragrance, and because of this, the scent from the oil fades much faster.

Now, onto the difference between perfume and cologne.

Many people believe that perfume is for women and cologne is for men.  This actually isn’t true! The difference between perfume and cologne is the concentration of oils within the fragrance, affecting how strong the scent is and how long it will last for on one’s skin.

Perfume (extrait de parfum) - this is 20%-30% fragrance oil, easily the most expensive type of fragrance and likely the most well-known type. It has the highest concentration of oils, lasts the longest, and smells the strongest.

Eau de parfum - this is 15%-20% fragrance oil, what most things advertised as perfume will be.

Eau de toilette - this is 5%-15% fragrance oil, most commonly used for men’s fragrances.

Eau de cologne - this is 2%-4% fragrance oil, most commonly used for men’s fragrances.

Eau fraiche - this is 1%-3% fragrance oil, very cheap and most commonly seen in dollar store fragrances.

Anyone can wear any scents they want, but for me personally, as an AFAB person without any HRT, I enjoy wearing EDTs in classically “manly” scents (#notsponsored but I use Dollar Shave Club’s Blueprint series, 102 and 201 are my favorites). With some people who are suffering from gender dysphoria, wearing scents of the gender you wish to present as can help a great deal!

Feel free to correct any inaccuracies or add to this post.

Stay gallant, gents.

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace