Ah … the smell of a man’s cologne. Most college guys do have good taste when it comes to what scent they wear and it can leave a lasting impression on the ones around them.
As much as some want to deny it, men like and need their cologne as much as women do their perfume. Sue Vandall, who works part-time in fragrance at Elder-Beerman, said that a lot of men see and smell colognes in magazines and want to have the newest ones in stores.
On the contrary, Tim Noonan, a junior who has a hint of pride about his cologne, said, “I think all colognes kind of smell the same in a magazine.”
Nevertheless, “Everyone has their own fragrance, but everyone wants the new stuff,” Vandall said.
Two popular colognes among college guys right now are Unforgivable by Sean John and Giorgio Armani’s Acqua Di Gio. Prices at Elder-Beerman are as follows for Sean John: a 2.2 oz. is $55 and a 4.2 oz. is $75. For Armani: a 2.5 oz. is $45 and a 3.4 oz. is $65. .
“It [cologne] is a major purchase, but a lot of guys seem to be scraping their pockets,” Vandall said.
She likes to “push the underdogs” when men come into the store to buy cologne. Vandall said her favorite is Reaction by Kenneth Cole and she compared the scent with Sean John, which is one of the best-selling colognes. They are similar but also very different.
“Can you smell the grapefruit?” Vandall asked after she handed me the Reaction tester. It is a lighter and citrusy scent than Sean John. Prices for Reaction are: a 1.7 oz. is $45 and a 3.4 oz. is $62.
As customers can see at Elder-Beerman, the prices for these popular designer colognes are around the same range.
Betty Bolin, fragrance manager at Elder-Beerman, sees a lot of college students buying cologne and said that Old Spice is out.
“A lot of older men are stuck on Old Spice,” Bolin said. She compares a scent by Paul Sebastian and says she suggests it when men like Old Spice.
There are many types of cologne that can be substituted for others because of similar scents, but one designer has been the favorite for a few years.
Acqua Di Gio by Armani “has been the No. 1 seller for about four years now,” Vandall said.
Noonan is one college student who wears this popular cologne.
“I’ve been wearing it [Acqua Di Gio] for about four years now, since I was in high school,” Noonan said. “It smells good, it’s fresh and it does last awhile.”
He said the last cologne he bought was Polo Black and compared the two.
“There both different smells but the Armani one is more citric,” Noonan said.
The citrusy scent is a common factor in some of these colognes, and even though Sean John and Armani both fall under this scent, “Armani outsells all of them,” Bolin said.
