There have been fortunes made in the fragrance industry. Cologne, perfume and other products can make a person smell good, but that's not all there is to fragrances. Take a look at some of the reasons people wear particular colognes and perfumes.

The name is sometimes the most important aspect of a particular fragrance. When a celebrity endorses or manufactures a line of perfumes, that's sometimes enough to make the perfume a success. In many cases, those names behind the products or emblazoned on the bottles make the fragrance popular regardless of the smell.

Some colognes and perfumes are popular because they are part of a particular line, the product of a specific company, or even packaged in a certain way. This is much the same as celebrity endorsements.

The marketing aspect can't be overlooked. As with any product, even colognes and perfumes without celebrity endorsements and those from companies that aren't well known can be promoted to success. Advertising campaigns can mean the difference when a consumer is about to choose a cologne or perfume.

For some people, the smell is all that matters. No matter what celebrities are willing to say this is a great perfume, or what awesome marketing campaigns are driving consumers to a particular product, there are those who will overlook all those for the smell that attracts their attention.

Research over the past few decades shows that fragrance has some particular roles in our lives, from promoting romantic tendencies to prompting memories.

For some people, perfume and cologne is all about self-image. There's nothing that makes a woman feel prettier, cleaner or sexier than an awesome fragrance. It's really no different for men.

You can trace the origins of perfumes and colognes back to the days when bathing was an irregular event. Then, the purpose was mainly to cover body odor though the decisions of which perfumes to use were also carefully considered. During times of economic depression, women have still found fragrances. Vanilla or other spices, when there was little money for luxuries like perfume and cologne.

The next time you're standing at the counter trying to choose a fragrance, take a minute to consider what's going to drive your decision.