No Sweat

For the aromatically impaired (WSJ graphic)

I'm allergic to my friend's heavy cologne, to the extent that I avoid being near to him indoors until the smell wears off. The over-cologning stems from his exercising regularly and being told to mask his B.O. from an early age. O, how our childhood habits, good and bad, stay with us throughout our lives.

From my own experience it takes at least a couple of hours after exercising for noxious odors to begin wafting from one's Petri armpits, hair, and nether regions. A shower and change of clothes will do the trick, and it's unnecessary to douse oneself with cologne. But we naturalists are in a shrinking minority. Per the WSJ:

In a report from market researcher Mintel, 55% of men said they wear cologne. Men aged 18 to 34 have come of age at a time when male grooming is much more promoted.

Perfume companies are viewing men's lack of knowledge in this area as a marketing opportunity:

The fragrance industry is trying to get men to put a little more thought into their scent. Increasingly, designers are launching lighter versions of their colognes for warm weather, often with "summer" in their names....The industry hopes summer editions will get more men to think about having different colognes for different seasons, occasions and even outfits.

[I was going to end with a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger about "girly men," but (sigh) he wears cologne, too.]