The New Workplace Fragrance Rules

The New Workplace Fragrance Rules

If you’ve recently been called back to the office after a few years of remote work, you may be in store for etiquette shock. In many companies, corporate dress codes have devolved into an “anything goes” environment where comfort appears to be the ultimate goal. We actually saw a woman in a downtown communications agency last month wearing pyjama bottoms and a crop top complete with flip flops. Alan Flusser, American author and designer, who created the wardrobe for feature films Wall Street and American Psycho, would undoubtably be outraged to see such scenes. The 79-year-old style icon, who has consulted for many Fortune 500 firms throughout his career on business dress codes, helped define a professional look and presentation for the workplace in North America. His classic book Clothes and the Man: The Principles of Fine Men’s Dress provided a guideline for countless human resource departments.

Like it or not, we’ve entered a new era of workplace style and fragrance etiquette, one that is being driven by a new generation of worker with very definitive ideas about scent and fashion. The rules have clearly changed. Gen Z men and women, those aged 13-to-28, are redefining the workplace experience. And fragrance is playing a starring role.

Before we get to the new rules of scent, let’s take a quick look back. In the 1980s, fragrance in most cases was a fashion accessory that broadcast your aspirations and dreams. Wearing a designer fragrance told co-workers that you had a sense of style. It was as important as the logo stitched into the pocket of your Egyptian cotton dress shirt or on your handbag. If you could afford a designer eau de toilette, you were clearly on the rise in your career and life. Nightclubs were literally thick with the scent of rich spicy-amber fragrances.

A decade later, pop culture shifted to more androgynous fashions and fragrances – watery, citrus compositions composed for her and him. There was almost a soapy facet to these scents. Not surprisingly, fashion became more utilitarian with pared down silhouettes and less embellishment.

The new century brought sweet, candy-like scents and grand florals. Exotic cultures seeped into commercial fragrances with unexpected notes and ingredients. Coffee, vanilla and white floral blooms emerged as key notes.

Throughout the ebb and flow of the scent trends, workplace fragrances remained restrained and classic for the most part. Citrus-woody colognes appealed to businessmen while aquatic-florals sold well to women. Eaux de toilettes compositions with 8% essential oils worked well in many offices.

About a decade ago, the ‘no-scent’ movement emerged when employees with scent sensitivities complained to HR departments of overly strong perfumes. This was a valid request and soon entire corporations were banning fragrances in offices. Covid changed all that. When the pandemic appeared, offices closed and employees were instructed to work from home. Zoom became the new communication media as remote work emerged as the new norm. Safely working from home, individuals were now free to wear as much or as many fragrances as they desired. Sales of discovery kits flourished and Youtube and TikTok became a hub for discussions, reviews and discoveries of niche and brand names. It was at this time Gen Z discovered the world of perfume and it quickly became a global passion. They are crazy for scent.

And here is why fragrance etiquette has changed this year: Gen Z uses it for mental health purposes. More than 83% of this group wear scent to boost their mood. They say it is “critical for lifting their moods” and “an essential” daily product. What was once a fashion accessory is olfactory therapy in a way, an invisible product that boosts confidence and makes them feel more content and happy. This is the reason fragrance is back in the workplace. If companies want to recruit young, talented Gen Z employees, they have to find a way to allow fragrance usage (in a respectful way to all staff).

The New Workplace Fragrance Rules

What are the new rules regarding wearing fragrance at work? Is it acceptable to wear your favourite perfume or cologne in the office? How strong should it be?

Rule 1: Fragrance is now a mental health tool

It’s important to understand why co-workers wear fragrance. Scent is worn by a younger generation to help calm and soothe in an increasingly chaotic world. They aren’t wearing cologne for sex appeal or to smell successful. These young professionals are wearing fragrance to help them cope with a world in constant change.

“I had a boss who used to spray fragrance in her office whenever she got stressed,” says a former beauty TV producer. “If she was dealing with a particularly difficult client or had a challenging meeting, she’d pull out her favourite scent and spritz. We could tell how stressed she was when we entered the building. If the smell of perfume was powerful, we knew she was dealing with some work crises.”

So the first rule is to understand why co-workers wear cologne and perfume.

Rule 2: Control the strength of your eau de parfum

Keeping your fragrance at work subtle is a good professional practice. You need to keep the focus on the job at hand and not overwhelm. One spritz of eau de parfum in the morning is ideal for work. If you find that you’ve over-sprayed and the scent is too strong, take a cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol on it and dab onto the area of skin where you sprayed your perfume. This will instantly reduce the intensity of any scent.

It is best to save your parfum, elixir and eau de parfum intense concentrations for after work and weekends. These typically contain 25 to 30% essential oils and will last up to 7 hours with one spritz.

“In a civil society, common courtesy means not subjecting those in your surroundings to your whims, within reason, because it’s a shared space,” says style and fragrance writer Nathalie Atkinson. “Having fragrances appropriate to situations and occasions happens to be great excuse to curate a fragrance wardrobe! Opt for discreet, more understated fragrances that dry down closer to the skin from your arsenal for shared spaces like the office (or cinema, theatre) and save the beast mode with projection and sillage for situations and occasions at home, off-hours, or a festive night out.” 

Rule 3: Scents that mean business

If you find you are travelling to Europe for business meetings, you need to pack two things: good quality leather shoes and an elegant fragrance. Your clients and peers will make judgements about you based on both – before you even say a word. A premium well-blended fragrance says that you have a refined sense of taste and style. It speaks volumes and almost makes you part of a special club. When to start to research top successful business executives working in Europe, you’ll find that many wear the same fragrances. It conveys a type of sophistication.

Brunello Cucinelli Pour Homme and Pour Femme are perfect examples. Both are refined, intelligent fragrances that boast prestige ingredients and are blended skillfully. Mr. Cucinelli, an Italian fashion designer, introduced the concept of ‘quiet luxury’ with his exquisite cashmere garments. You won’t find any bold logos on his clothing or products. Marketing is all done word-of-mouth. And his customer base is a sophisticated audience.

In North America, a citrus-woody scent is always appropriate. It’s clean and fresh without being too strong. Montblanc Explorer is a modern woody-aromatic scent for him developed by two renowned perfumers: Olivier Pescheux and Antoine Maisondieu. The pair mix pink pepper, clary sage with Haitian vetiver and leather. The addition of a hint of cacao pod gives it a surprise in the dry down. This scent appeals to all ages, styles and backgrounds.

Rule 4: Your fragrance tells a storyline about you

What does your fragrance say about you to coworkers and clients in the workplace? That’s a question national fragrance trainer Melanie Caplan asks her clients when hosting consultations. “The fragrance you wear can tell a story… you get to choose what the storyline is each day. It can be that you wear the same scent everyday [ I never could ] and everyone knows you are there or have been by that scent / sense of familiarity. Your choice of fragrance says a lot about how you feel or how you wish others to feel about you,” she explains.  “A bold fragrance says ‘ I am here “ … a soft floral could give feminine more delicate vibes … citrus scents allude to an energetic , lively personality, creamy woods give a sense of strength and calm. So, as you can see your fragrance is an indicator of your personality … your mood and how you wish to be perceived.”

She says many times, actors are given a fragrance by the director that reflects the personality of the character they are portraying to help them “ feel “ the part. We get to use fragrance to play a part every day.

Rule 5: How do you want to feel at work today?

“My fragrance choice is always dictated by how I want to feel if I am working from home and how I want others to feel about me as well as my feeling for the day when working in a collaborative environment . When it is a grey cloudy day sometimes, I opt for a bright citrus to make me feel sunny or I go with the flow and wrap myself in saffron and warm notes. One has to be aware of your work environment and those around you.  Therefore, the bold choices are usually best left for more intimate moments unless you really want to leave a lasting impression and have your own office… or like me work in a world full of fragrance or want to stand out from the crowd,” says Melanie.

Best Fragrances to Wear at Work

Here are our top picks for workplace fragrances.

For Her: Mine Perfume Lab Carme Eau de Parfum

“I am still in love with Mine Perfume Lab Carme and it is the fragrance that I receive the most compliments on whenever I wear it. I feel it speaks to who I am.”

Mine Perfume Lab Carme is a sweet, spicy-woody scent for him or her that kicks off with the freshness of spearmint which immediately melts into sweet and woody notes. Tobacco leaves, cedarwood and Egyptian jasmine add character and longevity.

Scent Style: a sweet, spicy-woody fragrance for her or him

Key ingredients: spearmint, bitter almond, saffron, Egyptian Jasmine, tobacco leaves, cedarwood

For Her: Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline

A light, clean and fresh floral fragrance that works for everyone. This gentle and airy floral for her was created by perfumer Alberto Morillas who was inspired by the perfection of crystal. He blends soft bamboo, smooth nashi fruit, lotus blossom and woods. It’s subtle, clean and comforting.

For Him: Brunello Cucinelli Pour Homme

Think of this fragrance as quiet confidence. It has an elegance and sophistication.

This eau de parfum is a refined aromatic-spicy scent for him composed by perfumer Olivier Cresp. He blends notes of ginger, Calabrian bergamot, with cypress and woods. It’s the cypress that adds a freshness.

Scent style: a refined aromatic-spicy scent for him

Key ingredients: Madagascar Black Pepper, Calabrian bergamot, Nigerian ginger, juniper berry, cypress, Angelica seeds, clary sage, Ambrox, clearwood

For Him: Montblanc Explorer

Montblanc Explorer is a modern woody-aromatic scent for him developed by two renowned perfumers: Olivier Pescheux and Antoine Maisondieu. The pair mix pink pepper, clary sage with Haitian vetiver and leather. The addition of a hint of cacao pod gives it a surprise in the dry down.

Key ingredients: bergamot, pink pepper, clary sage, Haitian vetiver, leather, ambroxan, akigalawood, Indonesian patchouli leaf, cacao pod

Each of these fragrances is available on scentlodge.com

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