A few milestones really jump out in my 18-year-old’s son’s life, like the day at 12 years old when he woke up at knowing everything about sports, or the day at 13 when he first asked a girl out (ah, puberty) and perhaps the most evocative. Or the day at 14 when he suddenly started wearing cologne.
The first two I anticipated, but the third—let’s call it the teen fragrance guy trend—caught me by surprise. He asked to borrow a couple of my unisex designer fragrances, would display them on his dresser and then, let’s be generous and say experiment with wearing the correct amount.
He’s not alone, according to staff at my local Sephora here in Los Angeles. Indeed, teen boys are wearing fragrance as a form of self-expression, a way to get quick gratification (it’s one of the things happening in a teenager’s brain) and as a part of their nascent grooming habits (as NYU professor Scott Galloway counsels teens: “shower—young men aren’t showering”). And in my experience, it’s a way for young guys who maybe don’t feel all in on wearing makeup or maintaining a disciplined skincare regimen to be a part of the Sephora Kids trend and its promise of personal empowerment from cosmetics.
But what are the best fragrances for the high school dude set? I took into account surging hormones (boys love scents that mask their new body odor), socializing at stores (Sephora told me they have to keep an eye on kids dousing themselves in-store with especially popular brands) and the overall advice of social media influencers who test and recommend scents. I also just used my own nose for what I'd personally want to smell on my son. Here are my picks.
