In 1966, chemists at Pfizer discovered a molecule called Calone. It smells of watermelon and sea air at once, and perfumers call it the watermelon ketone. For years it sat there as a curiosity. Then, in the 1980s and 90s, it became the backbone of the aquatic wave, the watery, marine accord behind Cool Water and everything that followed. A lot of the fresh men's fragrances you have smelled since trace back to that lab discovery.

Versace Eau Fraiche is a late, very polite member of that family. The house was founded in Milan in 1978 by Gianni Versace and is known for Medusa gold and a lot of noise. This is the opposite. Launched in 2006, with Olivier Cresp as the perfumer, it is classed as a woody aquatic and described as a fresher, lighter take on the original Versace Man, with a Mediterranean quality. If you find Versace loud, versace eau fraiche is the one that will change your mind. I like to think of it as a proto clean cologne, twenty years early.

The trick is to understand the family around it, and the first grid is exactly that. Man Eau Fraiche Eau de Toilette is the start, and Eau Fraiche Extreme Eau de Parfum is the stronger sibling, for anyone who wants the same idea with more staying power. Pour Homme is the older, more classic Versace, worth smelling for comparison. Then the louder side of the house: Dylan Blue, and the Eros line, with Eros, Eros Flame, Eros Energy and Eros Najim Parfum. Smell Man Eau Fraiche first, then Eros, and you will hear the two voices of the brand.

Start with one rule: test aquatic scents on skin, not on paper, and give them twenty minutes. Fresh scents open big and settle quietly, and the second hour is the part you actually wear.

Acqua di Giò Profondo, the Armani Beauty eau de parfum with mandarin and patchouli, is the deeper, darker branch of the aquatic tree. Hermès' Un Jardin Sur Le Nil is the closest in spirit to the Versace, green and watery, a little softer. Chanel's Allure Homme Sport Eau Extrême and the original Allure Homme Sport Eau de Toilette are the clean, gym-bag-friendly pair, and the Extrême is the stronger of the two.

Azzaro Chrome is the classic aquatic that people still recognise across a room. Jimmy Choo Man Aqua and Coach Man Blue are easy, friendly picks for someone who wears one scent all week. Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male in Blue, a limited edition eau de parfum, is the brightest and most playful of the group.

A pairing I like: an aquatic in the morning, and something warmer from another grid for dinner. Fresh scents are great daytime scents, and they can feel thin after dark.

What I would skip: an aquatic on a very cold, dry day. Watery scents feel most at home in a little warmth.

Here is how I would choose a citrus cologne: pick the fruit you would actually eat. Lemon, orange and tangerine all read differently on skin, and the one you like at breakfast is the one you will like at noon in August.

Maison Margiela's Replica Under the Lemon Trees is lemon with citrus and musk, and it is the closest thing here to sitting outside in a garden. Jo Malone London's Orange Marmalade is the friendly one, sweeter, and Hermès' Eau d'Orange Verte is the sharp green orange to layer under it. Clean Reserve's Acqua Neroli is the neroli option, calmer than the fruit-led bottles. Hermès Eau de Citron Noir is the most grown-up of the lot, and worth smelling just to see what a black lemon might be.

Tom Ford has two here. Soleil Neige is an eau de parfum with citrus, and Taormina Orange pairs citrus with oakmoss, a shady, slightly green edge. Valentino's Uomo Born in Roma Green Stravaganza, an eau de toilette, closes out the grid with a fresher take on a very popular name.

Colognes fade faster than parfums, so carry a travel size, not a full bottle, and reapply after lunch or after a swim. Spray on your chest, not the wrists. The heat off your skin does the rest.

What I would skip: a sweet marmalade scent in a crowded, hot office. It is lovely outdoors, and a lot indoors.

A habit worth borrowing: let the shower do the first layer. A scented body wash, an aftershave and a deodorant that all point in the same direction make a fragrance last longer, and more importantly, make it look deliberate.

Byredo's Gypsy Water Body Wash is the luxurious one, a shower-friendly way to wear a scent the brand is known for. Santa Maria Novella's Tabacco Toscano After Shave Lotion and its Before and After Shave Cream are old-world, made for a man who keeps a razor and a mirror he trusts. Versace's own Eros Aftershave Balm is the easy loop back to the first grid.

For daily use, Method's Men's Body Wash in Glacier + Granite and its Moisture Enhancing Body Wash Tonic are clean and simple. Dr. Squatch's Men's Natural Body Wash suits anyone who prefers a natural body wash. Rabanne's 1 Million Deodorant Stick is the small, sharp detail, for anyone who wears that scent already.

A pairing I like: an unscented or lightly scented wash, then a fragrance you love on top. If the wash and the cologne compete, you end up smelling like a locker room.

What I would skip: a heavily perfumed body wash right before a fragrance you have just bought. You will not learn what the new bottle smells like.

I think Versace Eau Fraiche is the smartest bottle in this house. It does what a summer scent should do, it disappears into a clean shirt, and it leaves people wondering where you got it from. Eros is louder and will find its own fans. This is the one I would hand to someone who claims not to like Versace.

So I would start with Man Eau Fraiche, wear it for a week of ordinary days, and only then decide whether you need the Extreme for evenings. Add one citrus cologne for August and a good aftershave. Calone was a strange little molecule that changed how a whole generation smelled. Yours is a bottle.

A quiet Versace is a good start, but a fresh scent holds up better with friends around it. I would put the Versace Eros Parfum on the evening side, and the HERMÈS Eau de Néroli Doré and Eau de Mandarine Ambrée on the hot days. BYREDO Super Cedar and Gypsy Water are the two I would smell next if you like a calm, clean bottle. Bleu de Chanel in the Eau de Toilette and the Parfum gives you a daytime and a night version of one idea. Tom Ford Fabulous and Signature Ombré Leather come as all-over body sprays, and the Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir and CREED Aventus washes cover the shower. Acqua di Parma Barbiere After Shave Emulsion finishes the shave. What I would skip: the Fabulous body spray on a quiet commute. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere by philosophy and Chanel Chance Explained.