The men's fragrance market is booming. We put the new men's eau de toilettes

on the market for Christmas to the test. MAXINE GORDON reports.

NEW lad or new man - one thing uniting menfolk these days is a bathroom cupboard full of nice smellies. Shower gels, scented soaps and deodorants, body sprays and expensive fragrances are just as likely to belong to men as women.

The male grooming market is booming, thanks in part to the explosion of men's style magazines such as GQ and FHM.

Smelling nice is an intrinsic part of looking good, and more men than ever are splashing out on fragrance. Indeed men are more likely to have the latest Paul Smith eau de toilette than two-piece suit - bearing in mind they can buy the designer's fragrance at a fraction of the price of his fashions.

Carol Lumley-Holmes, fine fragrance manager at the York department store Fenwick, in Coppergate, says sales of men's scents are big business.

"We have a very big market here for men's fragrance."

At Fenwick, eau de toilette far outsells aftershave.

Carol explains: "Most men prefer eau de toilette as it is stronger and lasts longer - and Yorkshire people like value for money."

Some men use eau de toilette as an aftershave, but Carol warns this can be too harsh for the face.

In an ideal world, says Carol, men would use aftershave as well as eau de toilette, which is sprayed on the body in the way women wear perfume.

Designer brands are the top sellers, says Carol, proving that men buy their fragrance as much for the name as for the smell.

She says the best sellers list in the men's market this Christmas is likely to feature fragrances from trendy designers such as Ted Baker and Paul Smith. Gucci's Rush should do well too, says Carol, because of it's gimmicky box - a white plastic rectangle.

One to watch is Gant, the US design house expected to rival the likes of Calvin Klein and Armani in scent sales.

For the over 30s, Carol recommends Touch from Grigio Perla, Vetiver relaunched with a modern image by Guerlain and Dunhill Desire, very much a traditional men's scent.

Customer research by Fenwick shows that most men buy their own fragrance now, with only a quarter of sales attributed to women. "Men are more confident about what they want and are happy to buy it themselves," says Carol.

To help men navigate the new fragrance launches for the festive season, we asked a panel of eight men to test eight new men's eau de toilettes.

Our testers - who all state their favourite fragrance to help you assess their judgements - wore each scent for one day, without knowing its name or seeing the packaging or bottle. So our results are based on smell alone.

The best sellers list in the men's market this Christmas is likely to feature fragrances from trendy designers such as Ted Baker and Paul Smith. Gucci's Rush should do well too, because of it's gimmicky box - a white plastic rectangle.