There is something about a sexy female fragrance that can get a guy’s imagination working overtime.

Studies have shown that, in the animal kingdom, pheromones play a huge role in controlling all aspects of social behaviour, including mating. Recent studies have now shown that pheromones play a similar role in human attraction as well.

Generations’ star Connie Ferguson, who recently launched a perfume brand, True Self, says a good perfume adds the finishing touch to what a woman is wearing.

“A perfume enhances a woman’s presence and is the fastest and simplest way to let a personality speak – without saying a word.”

She says that perfumes are meant to match personality, season, occasion, mood, age and time of day.

“When choosing a perfume make sure that it complements your personality. You must also take into account the climate of the particular place. A fragrance that suits summer may not really suit winter.

“The right fragrance of a perfume should also suit the occasions you are going to use it for. For example, a strong fragrance might not really suit that important board meeting.”

Ferguson adds that perfume mixes with your own personal scent and smells different on different people, “so never assume that a perfume that smells great on a friend will smell good on you. Body chemistry plays a huge role in how the perfume smells on you”.

“If your perfume seems to fade quickly, don’t compensate by putting more on. If the scent works with your body it should smell nice through all its stages and stay on without much application.”

How to choose a perfume

Businesswoman and TV personality Uyanda Mbuli, who recently launched a clothing line and whose own perfume brand, Fabulous, will be launched upon completion, advises people to always try a perfume out on their skin before buying it.
How to test a perfume

“When testing a perfume, spray it on the vein of your wrist where the skin is warm, as this will diffuse the scent. Do not spray on more than two perfumes as your nose will start to get confused and you will end up smelling like a perfume factory. Don’t sniff the perfume immediately after you spray it. If it has alcohol in it this will assault your senses.”

According to Mbuli, there are three stages to putting on perfume:

Step 1: Begin in the bath by using your favourite bath bar or bath shower gel/body wash.

Step 2: After you have finished bathing and drying off – rub on the body lotion or body moisturiser of the same fragrance.

Step 3: Finally you add your perfume, perfume spray, or eau de toilette spray.

Putting on perfume

Perfume specialist Rodney Devinish says when spraying a perfume put it on your pulse points, which include your wrists, crook of your arm, nape of the neck, the hairline, ankle, or décolletage.

“Spray from at least 20cm away and be careful to protect light coloured clothing as well as gold and pearl jewellery since it may stain them.”

Devinish warns people not to put on too much perfume or put on a hybrid of clashing fragrances or to “bathe” in perfume.

“This can be nauseating and strong enough to give other people a headache especially on public transport in the morning.

“Also, stay away from heavy perfumes during the day. On the other hand, it is fine to wear heavier colognes for night-time events but not if you’re going to the movies.”

Here are your choices:

Perfume

The strongest, longest-lasting fragrance form. Apply at all the pulse points; wherever you feel the beat of the heart, behind your ears, the nape of your neck, at the base of your throat, at the bosom, the inside bend of your elbows, at the inside of your wrists and behind your knees.

It usually comes in a dab-on bottle. This form will last on the skin for 8-12 hours.
Eau de parfum

One of the most common forms of fragrances to be found in many of the fine fragrance collections. It should be smoothed or sprayed on just before dressing. This usually is a spray bottle and it lasts on the skin 6-8 hours.
Eau de toilette

Usually less concentrated than eau de parfum, it should be applied in exactly the same way as eau de parfum. Always in a spray bottle and will last on the skin 4-6 hours.

Cologne

The lightest form of fragrance.

Perfect for splashing liberally all over the body. It is the perfect refresher.

It does not last very long on the skin.

TOKYO - New York-based cosmetics manufacturer Coty is looking to appeal to online beauty mavens with the launch of a perfume brand targeting a young female audience in Japan.

The fragrance, Nikos Sculpture Delicate Fleur, is positioned as a light, inexpensive summer perfume for young women in their twenties.

Forgoing the conventional TV and print campaign common to the unveiling of cosmetics products in Japan, the firm worked with G2 Tokyo, Grey Group’s below-the-line network, to develop a media launch party at a prestigious venue in Tokyo’s fashionable Aoyama district that featured model Maryjun Takahashi and popular singer Daigo.

The agency invited a number of what it defined as ‘alpha bloggers’ within the beauty sector to attend the event and sample the product to generate nationwide publicity for the brand.

Chris Beaumont, president and chief executive of Grey Group Japan, explained that Coty would continue to focus on online marketing and e-commerce in the Japanese market in view of the habits of its target consumers. “The economics of department stores don’t lend themselves to this audience,” he said.

He noted that there was an increasing amount of attention devoted to the online space by young female consumers looking for new product recommendations.

Beaumont explained that perfume was not yet a major sector in Japan, where artificial scent has traditionally been regarded as distasteful, particularly among women. But describing the sector as “transient”, he added that the younger generation was keen to experiment with unobtrusive fragrances.

The world’s largest manufacturer of mass-market fragrances, Coty is privately owned by Joh A Benckiser GmbH, a German holding company. It competes primarily with global consumer goods giants such as L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Revlon and Unilever.

The company recently revealed that it was searching for models to endorse its brands in Asia, after retaining Kate Moss as the face for key brand Rimmel London. The latter recently launched in China and Japan.