I've been into fragrance for most of my life, and realize there are many people who don't understand much about them, but enjoy a good-smelling scent and may be interested in learning about cologne/perfume. For many, approaching the fragrance counters at department stores is a little intimidating. So the below is a bare-bones introduction to help you get started on what we in the Fragrance Community ("FragComm") call your "Frangrance Journey."
What you're looking for and what it's called:
Many times when people ask, or are asked, "what are you wearing?" or "what is that cologne/perfume" the answer received will be the actual name of the fragrance.
Meaning: A brand (or "House") is the company that sells the fragrance, but they then give the fragrance a name, and this is what is referenced when asked in most cases.
I am pointing this out because it has been a source of confusion for beginners.
An example:
One common men's fragrance available at most department stores is called "A-men" and is sold by "Mugler."
The "Mugler" is actually Thierry Mugler, a well-known fashion designer. The vast majority of colognes at department stores are "designer" colognes; and yes, as in fashion designers like Mugler who design clothes for the runway that we've all seen models walk down.
Designer fragrances are separated from "Niche" and "Indie" fragrances which we will cover another time.
So, fragrances are almost always referred to by the name of the fragrance, with the understanding that it's the only fragrance that has that name on the market currently, and therefore the brand can be determined by going to the fragrance counter and just asking for the cologne by name.
Sometimes the name WILL be referred to as "Mugler A-men." Just like you may sometimes hear "Chanel No. 5" at the women's counter (Chanel being the designer name, "No. 5" being the specific perfume), or "Valentino Uomo" (instead of just "Uomo") at the men's counter.
The name of both the fragrance itself and the brand that sells the fragrance are or are not named together simply depending on how well known the fragrance is and/or ease of reference.
So, much of the time, you just want to know what the fragrance is called by name...not so much by brand.
From there, you can discover the brand/company or "house" and explore the other fragrances that brand/company/house has to offer, if you like the one you're currently interested in.
In that regard, most brand/company/houses have more than one fragrance to offer. Often, when they release one fragrance, if it is successful, they will release more fragrances that are similar to it.
These new fragrances, released after the original, are called "flankers." They are "flankers" of the original fragrance.
Using our above example, a flanker of the Mugler A-men cologne would be Pure Malt. AKA "Mugler Pure Malt."
Another is "Kryptomint." Mugler Kryptomint.
Or another, "Ultra Zest." Mulger Ultra Zest.
And Mugler has many more flankers that came after A-men.
And, they all have some resemblance to the original A-men. They often smell similar in the "dry down" phase (a topic for another time) in that they have a sort of chocolate patchouli scent in the base (the "base" will also be a topic for another time).
So the flankers can often have similar characteristics in how they smell, but while being different. Often times they are similar enough that even just a semi-experienced nose can smell a new flanker release, and say "yes, this is similar to the original due to the dry-down smelling kinda the same" and that similarity is often the signature scent theme, or what we call the "dna," of that particular brand.
Sometimes these "flankers" are liked more than the original. Sometimes not.
Sometimes it seems the companies release flankers just to try to make more money off the success of their original scent. Such is the nature of capitalism, and again, sometimes it is a great success and people like the new fragrance even more, but sometimes they do not.
This post is just a basic introduction to help men/women undestand what it is they're asking for when beginning their fragrance journey. For the most part, you just want to know what the fragrance is called by the company. But knowing the brand/company/house that actually sells the fragrance will also help you understand exactly what it is you're pursuing, and will help you begin to differentiate between the countless colognes and perfumes the market has to offer.
To end this first post:
Please get in the habit of calling colognes and perfumes "fragrances." The words "cologne/perfume" are actually misapplied the vast majority of the time, but became a part of common vernacular and language almost on accident. The majority of fragrances bought in department stores are not technically "colones" or "perfumes," so to speak. These words actually describe the concentrations of the fragrances as made by the perfumer (another topic discussed later) and you will appear much more knowledgeable, and fit into the Fragrance Community much more readily, if you embrace referring to them all as simply "fragrances."
From there, we can determine if a fragrance is actually a colone...an EDT...an EDP...or other concentration which will be covered in an upcoming post as well.
Use the word "cologne" or "perfume" when discussing fragrances with newbies.
When discussing the topic with hobbyists, always use the word "fragrance" instead.
Coming soon on this topic:
-Understanding the different concentrations of fragrances; from the very light/weak ones that fade quickly to the very potent ones that project off you distances (and perhaps offend nearby people) and last a long time.
-Loose rules on how to apply based on concentrations and genre of fragrance.
-Introduction to a wider range of fragrances; the niche market, and the indie market
-The major genres of fragrances and finding your favorite types
P.S.Signature: As a long-time fragrance lover, I am active in creating positive change in this luxury market: I support ethical harvesting and production of natural raw materials, health-conscious and responsible limited use of synthetic aromachemicals, and am against all forms of animal testing (which is 100% unnecessary due to alternative technologies). I encourage everyone to be conscious of the above, and not support companies that are exploiting people, the environment and animals for profit.