What She Really Thinks Of Your Cologne (2024)

Finding a good cologne is like finding the perfect puppy: You should never get sick of it, it’s there for you in your time of need, and you’re probably going to be stuck with it for a while. But finding the right match (in both cases) can be quite the journey: You don’t just go out and buy a random scent without testing it out first. Your cologne can speak volumes about your personality—and trust us, women definitely notice it when you walk into (or leave) the room.

That’s why the folks over at Scentbird—a fragrance subscription service—decided to poll 6,000 men and women about the most attractive scents. Unsurprisingly, 97 percent of women think cologne is sexy. After breaking it down into specific scent families, women reported outdoorsy colognes as the sexiest. If you want to take that route, opt for a fragrance with woody, aquatic, or citrusy notes. Not into smelling like a lumberjack? Women were also turned on by fresh and musky scents, if you’d rather go with the freshly showered smell.

Where you spritz the stuff also matters. Avoid spraying down your shirt: Women reported that cologne smelled the sexiest when applied to your neck, chest, back, behind the ears, or your wrist. If you still feel clueless when it comes to scent (here’s a list of our favorite colognes if you need a placed to get started) women also conveniently rated the brands they loved the most. These five classics topped the list: Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio, Chanel Bleu, Davidoff Cool Water, Gucci Guilty, and Dior Sauvage.