Differences Between Cologne And Aftershave

Colognes and aftershaves both accomplish the basic goal of making men smell nice. But, in reality, colognes and aftershaves are worlds apart.

Aftershaves manifest themselves in a variety of forms: lotions, liquids, gels and creams. The end goal of an aftershave is to help soothe your skin after it's been mauled by a razor. Colognes, on the other hand, only appear in a liquid form. Though some colognes come in alternative forms like oils or solids, for the most part colognes are liquid. While aftershaves serve a functional purpose, colognes are simply aesthetic products. The main point of a cologne is to make you smell good. With aftershaves, the smell-good factor is merely a by-product. So as far as functionality, there is a huge difference between colognes and aftershaves.

Since aftershaves are used exclusively by men, aftershaves are limited to traditional masculine fragrances. Men have loads of hair on their face. All across their sensitive skin, they have to deal with constant shaving, razor nicks and stubble. For this reason, men need something especially delicate to soothe their facial skin. That key product is aftershave! Women, on the other hand, mainly deal with waxing or shaving on their legs. As leg skin is not so sensitive, women don't need to use aftershave after their hair removal process. Thus, aftershave is exclusively men's territory, and it sure smells that way. Most aftershaves stick to traditional masculine smells like pine, aromatic spices, and cool marine accords.

Cologne is the masculine version of a perfume. But, really, there are no big differences between colognes and perfumes. Regardless of the fact that colognes and perfumes are marketed specifically towards a single gender, there are loads of women who venture to wear colognes. And for a good reason! Colognes, unlike aftershaves, are not limited to the traditional masculine scents. Colognes boast a wider variety of fragrances. They extend from typical chypre fragrances made of citrus, moss and wood to fruity-floral scents.

Within the realm of fragrance-choices, there is a huge difference between colognes and aftershaves. Also, the fragrance of aftershaves doesn't typically last as long as that of colognes. As an aftershave's raison d'etre is to provide moisture to ravaged facial skin, aftershaves don't promise to hold a lingering scent. Colognes, in contrast, will persist.

As colognes and aftershaves are very different, how do you strike a balance? Some men like to match their cologne to the smell of their aftershave. Some men like to stray far from the traditional masculine fragrances that are common in aftershaves. They end up choosing a cologne that smells very different from their aftershave, and they simply layer the fragrances. Alternatively, men look for fragrance-free aftershaves so that their colognes can stand out and be detected.