Halachot and Customs
Is It Permitted for a Man to Wear Perfume?
Question
Is it permitted for a man to put on perfume, or is this prohibited because of "lo yilbash"? And if possible, please provide a source for the answer.
Answer
Hello and blessings,
It is permitted for a man to wear men's perfume, and there is no prohibition of "lo yilbash". However, it is forbidden for a man to wear women's perfume.
Sources: She'elot uTeshuvot Amrei Halacha uMinhag (Halperin), siman 34, p. 212, cited in the pamphlet Levushei Binyamin, by Rabbi Binyamin Hutah, p. 19. See also the Gemara in Berachot 43b regarding a Torah scholar going out to the marketplace while perfumed, where it is stated explicitly that it is permitted for a man to be perfumed.
Blessings,
Menashe Ben Porat
