Roll on cologne by theo & amelia

In this feature, I am thrilled to be showcasing the latest release from the folks at “theo & amelia“, called THEO! If you are a regular at Style4men, you know that I am partial to roll on and solid colognes.  These simple and practical delivery methods that were forgotten or simply squashed by the more prevalent spray on colognes are both impressive and convenient beyond belief.

Aside from the wonderful fragrance, why is a roll on cologne worth my time?

• The bottle being the size of a finger it is incredibly portable.
• It is not subject to the liquid restriction of other colognes when flying, because there is no alcohol and because it is 10 ml.
• Those 10 ml go the extra distance because you are not wasting so much of the cologne as you are when spraying it on.
• The ratio of fragrance elements to housing ingredient is considerably bigger
• The ingredient composition is essentially natural where the basis of the cologne is almond and jojoba oil.

This last criteria might appear somewhat insignificant, but keep in mind that you are applying this on your skin.  Almond and jojoba oil are established and undisputed skin care rock stars. The more traditional (big brand commercial) colognes are primarily using alcohol along with a number of chemical participants to preserve and stabilize the product.   This will ring home to anyone with allergies or skin conditions.  Or to anyone wanting to get away from chemicals in general.

There is also somewhat of a misunderstanding  when it comes to a bottle of cologne.  You are not in fact getting 100 ml of pure fragrance.  You are getting a small amount of fragrance in a large alcohol solution.  My friend Maria Ventvenir has written a comprehensive post on that specific topic.  Check it out.

My next observation is not scientific for the least but rather based on my general impression when working with solid and roll on colognes.  The aromas are incredibly more fragrant and flavorful.  What I mean is that the depth of the aromas are rich and in full bloom.  There are no other elements confusing my nose or competing with the actual fragrance portion of the show.  To my nose it is a considerably purer experience and therefore a more enjoyable one as well.  Obviously a good aroma is a good aroma and you will want to roll in it no mater how it is delivered but there is an extra dimension about the roll on that I simply don’t feel with a spray.

Alright, that is all fine and good, but what does it smell like?!  Watch the video!  🙂 The short answer is that I like it very much.  It is an original composition that goes outside  the beaten path regularly visited by many perfume houses.  It is also a simple enough arrangement that one doesn’t get overly confused about what is going on.  As for the actual elements I think are present…

• Pepper
• Fougere
• Moss
• Musk
• Citrus

The pepper and fougere (assuming that this is in fact what I am smelling) are more prevalent and are clearly the top notes.  This gradually moves towards something like a moss (maybe musk) with a distant hint of citrus.  So clearly, not your common pharmacy cologne.

I will also touch on the aspect of gender.  Traditionally, perfumes were created with a gender and maybe even a specific person in mind.  The more modern way of creating perfumes is dropping this dogma and generally focusing on the aromatic creation exploration.  We’ll see who this suits when we get there type of thing.  I personally like that very much because it favors the pure and raw exploration.  So is this a cologne for a man or a women?  Being a man and liking this scent for myself, I would say that it is a man’s cologne.  But I believe that this might turn out to be a beautiful and different experience on a woman.

Now, this cologne was sent to me to try and feature.  While communicating with the folks at theo & amelia, it was made obvious that this new creative experience was motivated by more than coming up with something that smells good, but rather coming up with something that made you feel something.  In other words opening the door to emotion through aromatherapy.  We tend to forget how strong our sense of smell is and how quickly it can open doors to memories…and thus feelings.

Where did this bring me?  Since the main thing I identified was fougere, I was transported to a specific section of the woods of my childhood family cottage.  This section was dominated by adult pines with a rich canopy of fougere and moss.

In closing, I am impressed by this cologne for being different and for bringing me to familiar places.  It is somewhat of a wave of peace in our otherwise busy urban lives.  I enjoyed it very much.