Attention Gen Alpha Moms: Apparently ‘Smellmaxxing’ Is Now a Thing

Basically, it’s a commitment to having a “fragrance wardrobe,” according to the Robin Report, meaning having a wardrobe of scents in one’s bathroom cabinet, available to mix and match on a whim and based on the day’s plans. Where it gets a bit weird is that teens and tweens (and especially teen and tween boys) are the most hardcore smellmaxxers. I get grownups having luxury perfumes, but to see video after video on TikTok showing 10ish-year-olds shelling out for a variety of high-end scents feels a bit absurd. (The proof is in the numbers—prestige fragrance sales continue to grow with the New York Times reporting that teenage boys’ annual spending on fragrance rose by 26 percent last spring.)

Modern day fragrance influencers seem to be the culprit here and the main reason for the shift. Some with followers in the multi-millions promote scent variety (something for date night; something for math class) and offer content that includes drive-by smell tests as well as new terminology (like “sillage,” which means the scent a perfume leaves behind as you walk by). Over the top? Sure, but I do appreciate teaching teens not to wear the same cloying scent on repeat—looking at you, Axe body spray.

Still, as a mom of two boys, I have to wonder if both the cost and effort are worth it. It scares me to think about my kids spending their hard-earned allowance or birthday money on something so…unnecessary at this age? It is a way to showcase individuality—and that I applaud—but, as far as hobbies and collections go, I just don’t like the expense of it all. Additionally, it feels like a premature rush to adulthood and brand consciousness for the most impressionable audience.

Of course, to each their own. But as far as I’m concerned, if my boys only go so far as investing in deodorant, that’s fine too.