Q&A: Do Women Actually Like Cologne?

Cologne – a useful tool, or a complete waste of money? I know men that obsess over it, and I know plenty that have never purchased a single bottle.

The truth is, there is a lot that’s misunderstood about cologne. And even for those that purchase it, many of them aren’t using it the right way.

This article was inspired by a debate that happened inside my Discord server, and it was actually a lot of fun to discuss through with them. So, I’ll be sharing everything you need to know in this article here!

Do Girls Like Cologne?

Generally speaking, cologne is seen as a positive thing, provided that you’re buying something high quality and you’re applying it correctly.

According to a study done by a company called Scentbird, 97% of women found cologne to be attractive. However, this survey may be biased, because they sell colognes.

So, I sought out research and opinions from actual women online – informal polls, surveys, forum threads, and of course, Reddit.

There, I found that the overwhelming majority of women did prefer cologne as well. Though, a lot of people said they didn’t really mind either way.

Still, this shows that at the very least, cologne shouldn’t hurt you. And if it’s likely to help, why not consider trying it out?

Cologne isn’t magic and won’t make girls flock to you, but it can help you smell nice, cover up any unpleasant body odors, and help you feel more confident at the same time. Which to be honest, probably has an even greater effect on attracting women.

What Scents Do Girls Like Best?

If you’re going to try cologne, how do you know which to actually buy?

This is where it gets a little bit tricky.

If you’re in a relationship, the best thing you can do is to ask your gal what she actually enjoys. However, if you’re actively dating or trying to pick up women, it’s hard to give any one-size-fits-all suggestion.

Every woman has different preferences, and there is no universal option.

However, women have described colognes they like using words like “manly,” “clean”, and “fresh.” What exactly these mean will be up to your interpretation as you sample different colognes.

What’s important is that it’s something that is high quality and blends in well with your natural scent. You aren’t going to find it next to your Axe body spray in Walmart. You’ll have to put a bit more thought into it than that.

In order to see how well it fits you specifically, consider trying some out by putting a little on your wrist, then waiting for it to soak in.

Get a 2nd person’s opinion if you really want to know for sure! A friend, family member or even a kind stranger will be able to tell it like it is, and give you their honest feedback.

How To Use Cologne The Right Way

This is where a lot of guys get it wrong.

Cologne is meant to be discovered, not announced. Many guys put on WAY too much of it. If people can smell it from across the room, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice – pushing people away, rather than making them want to be closer to you.

In fact, a girl should only be able to smell your cologne if she practically has her head on her chest anyway.

More than a couple feet away, and you’re putting on way too much. This is a turnoff.

I think it may be helpful to reframe the way you think of cologne.

Don’t think of it as something that will help you pick up or attract girls. It won’t do it, and girls won’t get close enough to you to smell it unless they are already talking with you anyway.

Cologne can heighten the attraction a woman has to you. It cannot create it on its own. By the time they smell it, they have already determined that they want to get to know you better.

Again, cologne is not a magic solution. Blogs and pickup artists will try to tell you it is, because then they can sell expensive colognes to you and earn big fat commissions for referring the sale. But I don’t want to mislead you. When it comes to attracting new women, hands down the biggest benefit is that it makes you feel confident and sharp – the same way you do when wearing nice clothes.

That confidence, the way you carry yourself, this WILL attract women. Expensive cologne won’t.

Note: I asked my Discord server what they thought. Strawb Milk said that it helped them feel more confident, and they primarily bought it to smell nice for themselves, not for others. Lexi’s Body Pillow also said it made them less self conscious. Both of these are quite impactful!

Leon told me that it helped him feel ‘clean’, Lasoiree mentioned that being complimented on his smell felt incredibly sensual, and CosmoCloud didn’t seem to notice a difference either way. Still, it’s incredible how the benefits – albeit subtle, manifest in so many different ways!

What About ‘Pheromone Cologne’ – Does It Work?

Pheromones are chemicals secreted by our bodies and are picked up by others. In other animals, pheromones are used to signal many things, one of which is that it’s time to mate.

Whether or not pheromones affect our sexual behavior as humans is highly debatable, and while I personally believe in them, studies are mixed.

Because so much is up in the air about them, marketers claim to have put them in certain colognes and are selling ‘pheromone colognes’ at a premium. But do these actually work?

Not at all. The scent may be nice, but the pheromone aspect of them is complete hogwash.

Some studies have managed to capture human pheromones, but they break down very quickly. I have extreme doubt that somebody was able to make them in a lab, and keep them stable enough to sell in cologne.

Buy these if you like the scents, but don’t fall for the marketing gimmick. They are no different than any other cologne, except for the fact that they are more expensive for the same price.

Closing Thoughts

Cologne is generally seen as a positive thing by women, but it’s not a magic solution. Because you should only put on enough to be detected when somebody is already close to you, most women won’t ever discover it.

And that’s fine. When you do get someone close to you and they are able to smell it, it can heighten the attraction that they already have to you.

In my opinion, the real effects come from the increase in confidence that they give you. Confidence, charisma, and an improved self-image actually have real effects on everyone around you, so anything that helps with that is something you should try.

Want more tips on how to attract women? Be sure to sign up to my email newsletter, as I share new tips all the time.

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day!

~ Lexi