What the spritz is 'smellmaxxing?' Why so many teen boys smell like a million bucks

It’s a growing trend online: fragrance influencers who rave about the beauty, sexiness and notes of vanilla in perfume have caught the attention of Canadian teenagers who are, in turn, flocking to cologne counters across the country.

They’re not spritzing Axe Bodyspray. Instead, it's Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Tom Ford.

The brands are expensive, but to Sasha Matteis Ryan, a grade 12 student in Toronto, it’s worth it.

“I spend around probably around $200 per cologne. It depends what size you get obviously,” said Matteis Ryan, who said he owns four colognes. “I think that it's right to smell good in our society. So, I do tend to spend money on colognes.”

For his 19th birthday, Jake Paquin splurged. He bought a 50 milliletre bottle of Hombre Leather by Tom Ford. It cost him $280.

“I think it's going to perform and last long, and I think a lot of the reason I bought it was simply because it was hyped on the internet,” Paquin said.

The high-end fragrance industry is seeing a surge in interest from teenage boys.

Online, it’s so popular it has a name and hashtag: "smellmaxxing.” A subculture where influencers share tips and advice on what to wear.

“They will profile different scents or colognes and highlight all nuance around them,” said Mark McCrindle, a demographer and analyst based in Sydney, Australia.

McCrindle notes how girls had a “Sephora craze”—getting into expensive skin lotions and makeup.

“The boys have followed that same trend where children try to up-age. They mimic adults,” said McCrindle.

Gwennaëlle Varnier, Vice President of Prestige Beauty at Shoppers Drug Mart said men’s fragrance sales are experiencing double digit increases.

In 2019, men’s fragrances probably made up about 38 per cent of fragrance sales, Varnier says. Now, men’s products make up nearly half.

“It's definitely grown much more in the last four years,” said Varnier, who added there’s been a premiumization of the market.

A spokesperson with Perfume Online said they’ve noticed a rising trend among teenagers buying luxury colognes and noted how social media has played a significant role in this shift as influencers promote high-end fragrances.

Matteis Ryan works a part-time job to cover the costs of his colognes. He said he gets ideas for fragrances from social media, but also family and friends.

“Specifically, my brother wears a lot of colognes. So, I do tend to take some of the colognes I smell on him and ask him what they are and perhaps purchase them or look at them,” he said.

Paquin said he sees a lot of content on the internet about male self-improvement.

“And so, one of the most important factors of that is how you smell. And I think cologne is taking over a whole niche online,” Paquin said. “But I think what resonates is kind of the experience you get when you wear it.”

“Most men value their appearance,” Paquin said. “No one wants to smell bad, especially if you’re going up to a girl. The last thing you want is for her to go ‘oh, you smell bad.’”