Fragrances, particularly in the form of perfumes, colognes and aftershave, are enormously popular worldwide, as women and men experiment with different scents to discover a firm favourite they can use throughout their lives. Despite today's heavily globalised society making tastes somewhat homogenous across the globe, many countries still retain distinct characteristics when it comes to their preference of scents.

Looking to other countries can provide inspiration, if you're investigating different fragrances and want something a little different from the norm - especially when favouring perfumes that have stood the test of time, such as natural fragrances from Egypt, China and Indonesia that have been made using locally cultivated flowers for centuries.

Just as each country of the world retains distinctive tastes in cuisine, art and fashion, it's understandable that different preferences in fragrance can arise, even between nations in close proximity. France and Italy are two countries commonly associated with perfume, particularly thanks to their fashionable cities Paris and Milan, where men are typically just as comfortable wearing fragrances as women. Other cities such as London are now catching up to this European ideal.

England's taste in fragrances tends to be broader than many other nations, partly thanks to its large multicultural population, but it's still possible to identify common preferences between the sexes.

Although English men have typically favoured genderless fragrances with cool or fresh scents, recent years have seen men become more accepting of perfumed fragrances, leading to a surge in popularity for unisex products - in fact, English men, along with Italians, are more likely to experiment with different scents than men living in France or the United States.

By contrast, many women seek out more intense and sensual perfumes, especially women living in cosmopolitan cities. Designer brands endorsed by celebrities regularly feature among the biggest sellers, but there continue to be many people who prefer natural and organic options, and are prepared to go out of their way to import or source products not commonly available in high street stores.

Analysing perfume and aftershave figures around the world reveals that demand for fragrances is in no danger of falling, with a United Nations report revealing that the total expenditure of Western nations on fragrances in 2005 amounted to 12 billion US dollars. Much of this originated in sales of luxury perfume brands, which hold important cultural significance in countries such as France, as well as developing Latin American and Asian countries.

Timothy Jones writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.