Smellmaxxing is a term describing a phenomenon where pre-adolescent and adolescent males use

fragrances An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance, flavoring or flavor, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficien ...

to enhance their

musk Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. ' ...

. This trend occurred in 2024 and was fueled by

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, specifically

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. Designer fragrances are often used to achieve this, frequently at a high cost.

Background

As adolescent males progress through

puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles i ...

body odor Body odor or body odour (BO) is present in all animals and its intensity can be influenced by many factors (behavioral patterns, survival strategies). Body odor has a strong genetic basis, but can also be strongly influenced by various factors, ...

is a frequent occurrence; a stereotype that has persisted in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

is teenage males using

Axe An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, a ...

body spray as their primary fragrance. With the ubiquity of social media, the trend of smellmaxxing became prominent. As lower-end brands like Old Spice lost favor amongst Gen Z, more premium brands enjoyed a higher degree of popularity. Due to

peer pressure Peer pressure is a direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests and experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person's beliefs, values, religion and beh ...

in social arenas such as school, teenage boys conform to the trend.

Description and aspects

TikTok influences often recommend using different scents for different occasions. Other aspects include where on the body to apply the fragrances, where to store the fragrances, and how to make the smell last longer, for instance by first applying a moisturizer. The language used to describe the smells are not unlike that of sommeliers.

Motivation

There may be several motivations for smellmaxxing. Seduction may be one motivation. It can also be a form of self-expression. It can also be an aspect to achieving popularity. For some, they believe it would lead to an increased perception of maturity. Additionally, it can be used as a way to relate to older role models.

Impact

A survey by Piper Sandler, an investment bank, demonstrated that since Spring 2023, the annual spending on fragrance amongst teenage males rose 26%.

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

, and

Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched Tom Ford (brand), his eponymous brand in 2005, having previously been the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves Sai ...

were particularly popular brands. Teenage males often obtain these high-end items by saving their personal money and/or requesting them as gifts for birthdays or Christmas. Some classrooms have banned applying fragrances, and broken glass bottles of fragrance in backpacks became a regular occurrence. The trend has been pervasive in Western markets, but it also has gained traction in China. However, cultural factors such as price sensitivity, fragrance preferences, and consumption patterns affect the Chinese market differently. Nevertheless, the personal fragrance market demonstrated marked growth in China and is projected to grow. The trend infamously inspired

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

musician Nose

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

in his creation of the lyric “You used to call me on my ''smell phone/'' Late night when you need my nose”.

References

{{Reflist TikTok trends 2020s fads and trends