Why my men's fragrances are better

    It strikes me from time to time that the men's fragrances I've developed are good; better than my women's fragrances although those, too, are not without merit.

    I think the "refreshing originality" of my men's fragrances results from my interest in developing, for my own pleasure, fragrances outside the handful of commonly accepted scent styles for men. The world is full smells that can be found to be beautiful. The world of smells is not limited by popular taste.

    Why can I have such a warm feeling about my men's fragrances and feel less so about my fragrances for women? I suspect it may have something to do with sex bias. My wife is my chief tester and I suspect I'm a bit uncomfortable having her wear a fragrance that in some cases might be a bit "risky," scent wise, and in other cases simply not as good as what she can buy from Estee Lauder.

    With my men's fragrances I attempt to seduce neither men nor women. I am simply seeking my own pleasure. I do want it to be pleasing to others. I wouldn't wear a scent I believed to be offensive. I suspect that my men's fragrances blend closely enough with the environment so as not offend even those who speak out against fragrance.

    One of my fragrances caused some controversy with my wife when I first used it. The first 20 minutes of its evolution bothered her. After those 20 minutes she found the scent pleasing. In time she began to enjoy it right from the beginning. Tastes can evolve and this is where I part ways with the scents of many marketers. Rather than encouraging the consumer to stretch a bit in their tastes, they simply target the consumer's taste as it is. Good business; poor art.

    I sometimes feel I should drop women’s fragrances altogether and focus on scents for men. But in truth there are also scents which interest me which I feel should be worn by a woman. I have one in particular that fits this description but I only made a small quantity, and I used aroma materials I may never find again, and so I've never been able to offer it for sale.

    "Passion" is the word that best describes your attitude when you're doing your best work. I've probably put more passion into my fragrances for men because of my urge to create something I can use, myself.