Spiceman is an eau de toilette in Faberlic's men's range. Its notes are set out in the catalogue; this page covers cold-weather wear, where most people's fragrance habits stop working.

Why fragrance vanishes in winter

Cold suppresses the release of scent molecules. Your fragrance has not evaporated — it is simply not lifting off cold skin into cold air.

Which is why the same two sprays that were plenty in August seem to do nothing in January, and why people conclude a bottle has gone off when it has not.

Making it work in cold

Apply to warm skin. Straight after a shower, before dressing. This is the biggest single improvement — warmth is what releases fragrance, and skin that is already cold releases very little.

Moisturise first. Winter skin is drier, and dry skin holds fragrance poorly. An unscented lotion under your fragrance genuinely extends it.

Use your clothing. A scarf or coat collar holds fragrance for days, and keeps it perceptible near your face when the rest of you is wrapped up. Test on an inconspicuous patch first — some fabrics stain.

Pulse points properly. Wrists, neck, the base of the throat, behind the ears. Anywhere blood runs close to the surface.

Consider a heavier concentration for deep winter if you own one. An eau de toilette in real cold is a light choice.

The indoor problem

You will move between freezing streets and heated rooms all day, and heated interiors behave like summer — the fragrance blooms.

Since you spend most hours indoors and that is where people are closest to you, apply for the indoor environment rather than the outdoor one.

Application

Two or three sprays. Do not rub the wrists together.

Testing

On skin, thirty minutes minimum. Testing in a heated shop and wearing outdoors gives a misleading impression — the reverse of the summer problem.

The full note structure is in the Faberlic catalogue.

Storage

Cool, dark, in the box. Avoid storing near a radiator, which is the winter equivalent of a sunny windowsill.