The biggest risk when buying a perfume as a gift for a man isn’t choosing the wrong scent, but choosing a whole bottle that he doesn’t end up wearing often. If you’re not sure whether he prefers fresh, woody or sweeter notes, start with three simple points of reference: what he wears now or what someone has complimented him on, when he’ll wear the perfume (during the day, at the office or on evenings out), and how intense or sweet he likes the scent. Based on these three points, our catalogue offers four actual gift sets suited to different situations, and the small decants leave the final choice to him, not you.
- His Favourites Set - six perfumes, from the easiest to wear during the day to the warmer, evening options.
- Jean Paul Gaultier Set for Him - four perfumes from the same house, for someone who already has a favourite brand.
- Date Night Set for Him - four perfumes designed for nights out and special occasions, not everyday wear.
- His and Hers Set: Born in Roma - a gift option for a couple, not just for him.
Where to start: three simple criteria before you choose
The first clue is what he already wears or what he’s received compliments on recently. A man who often wears a citrus perfume or uses a shower gel with fresh notes usually feels comfortable with fresh scents, while someone drawn to warmer aromas with vanilla or tobacco is more likely to gravitate towards amber or gourmand scents. Perfumes are traditionally grouped into a few olfactory families - fresh or citrus, floral, woody, amber (oriental) and gourmand, with sweet, edible notes such as vanilla or tonka bean (source: Perfume - Wikipedia). If you’re starting from scratch and don’t even know what the term decant means, a guide to what perfume decanting means briefly explains how it works before you move on to choosing a perfume.
The second point of reference is when he’ll wear the perfume. A perfume worn every day, at the office or university, needs to be discreet enough not to dominate an enclosed room, while one reserved for evenings out or special occasions can be more intense and longer-lasting, precisely because it’s worn less often and in larger spaces where it has room to unfold.
The third point of reference is how sweet or intense he likes a scent. Someone drawn to citrus and green notes usually feels overwhelmed by a very gourmand perfume, while someone attracted to vanilla, tobacco or sandalwood appreciates exactly the kind of perfume that someone with fresh tastes would consider too heavy. If you’d rather try a single scent without committing to a whole set, perfume samples cover that case separately.
His Favourites Set: six perfumes, from day to evening
If you’re not sure which of the three points of reference above he fits, His Favourites Set practically covers all three in a single package. As the store describes it, the set contains six popular men’s perfumes, in 3 ml or 5 ml decants of each: Dior Sauvage and Creed Aventus for daytime, and Dior Homme Intense plus three sweeter perfumes from Valentino, Emporio Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier for the evening.
For daytime: easy-to-wear freshness
Sauvage and Aventus are designed as daytime perfumes, with a fresh opening that doesn’t become tiring after a few hours and works at the office or in other enclosed spaces without dominating the air around you.
For the evening: warmer, sweeter perfumes
Dior Homme Intense, along with the sweeter options from Valentino, Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier, is designed for moments when the perfume can be more prominent, such as a dinner or an evening out, because it then has room to develop without overwhelming anyone.
Because the set includes both directions, he can wear a different perfume depending on the day, and from his reaction after a few weeks, you’ll find out which one becomes the bottle you buy full-size next time.
Jean Paul Gaultier Set for Him: when you already know which house he likes
If he’s already mentioned a particular house, such as Jean Paul Gaultier, or already wears a perfume from this brand and you want to explore more from the same olfactory line, Jean Paul Gaultier Set for Him brings together four decants from this house. Because all four come from the same brand, the risk of choosing something completely different from what he already likes is lower than with an eclectic set featuring perfumes from different houses.
Date Night Set for Him: four perfumes designed for evening occasions
For a man who already has a daytime perfume and is missing one reserved for special occasions, Date Night Set for Him brings together four perfumes designed for evenings out, not everyday wear at the office. It’s a particularly suitable choice if you know his daytime needs are already covered and you’re looking for something different, not a replacement for what he wears now.
His and Hers Set: Born in Roma, for a couple’s gift
If the gift isn’t just for him but for both of you, His and Hers Set: Born in Roma is designed as a pair, for a couple who want to try the same olfactory line from different perspectives, one for him and one for her. It’s a different option from the other sets in this guide because you’re choosing not just for him, but for a shared experience. If you’re also looking for an option specifically for her, the guide to a perfume gift set for her covers that case separately.
How to choose the decant size
Once you’ve chosen the set, there’s one practical decision left: how large each decant should be. The store’s size guide shows approximately how many regular sprays each size provides: a 2 ml decant covers around 30 sprays, or almost 10 days at 3 sprays a day; a 3 ml decant covers around 45 sprays, almost 15 days; a 5 ml decant covers around 75, almost 25 days; and a 10 ml decant covers around 150 sprays, almost 50 days. For a set intended for testing, the smaller sizes in a set such as His Favourites Set are enough for him to tell the perfumes apart, while a larger size only makes sense once you already know which one remains his favourite.
How long a decant actually lasts on the skin depends on skin type, temperature and how often it’s sprayed, so the numbers above are a rough guide, not a fixed guarantee for every person. Full details, including how to store a decant, are in the store’s size guide.
If you’re still not sure
You don’t have to decide once and for all which scent he’ll like best. The advantage of a decant set is that it leaves the final choice in his hands: from the six perfumes in His Favourites Set, he tries each one over the next few weeks and decide for himself which bottle he’ll stick with, without you having risked a whole bottle on a guess. If you want to see all the available sets in the store, including unisex options or ones specifically for her, you’ll find them all in one place.
