Why teenagers are turning to refined perfumes

Directly targeting young men are a new wave of fragrance influencers: 18-year-old Jatin Arora (@TheCologneBoy) shares videos explaining ingredients and unboxing luxury elixirs to his 1.4 million followers; Tristan Rodriguez, 15 (@ThatFragranceKid) rates Tom Ford, YSL and Bulgari at 406,000 followers; and the faceless account @SuperrScents presents a collection of perfumes worth thousands of euros to a base of 30,000 followers. All three accounts focus on luxury pricing and creating fragrance collections while educating their followers on when, where and why they should wear each fragrance.

Unlike previous marketing methods, these teen social media influencers have “developed a way to communicate the smell of perfume and how the perfume will make you feel solely through your phone, so you feel more comfortable trying something even if you only see it online.” , says Korinne Wolfmeyer, beauty and wellness analyst at Piper Sandler. The vice-president of Rabanne, Jérôme Leloup, echoes this sentiment: “TikTok is a place where there is a real dialogue around perfume, and above all where creators can transmit and communicate on an olfactory experience guiding a potential purchase. »

This purchase persuasion proves powerful. After Valentino's Born in Roma perfume and Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male trended on TikTok with countless review videos, including one with over 2.8 million views, sales increased by 173% and 93% at The Fragrance Shop.

The changing perception of perfume

Teenagers are drawn to luxury fragrances as a form of self-expression, similar to fashion and skincare. “Tweens have been buying perfumes for a long time – the success of the Lynx effect is a great example. But luxury fragrances for men have become more accessible, and also less binary,” says Millie Kendall, CEO of the British Beauty Council. “They collect perfumes like they collect sneakers, build perfume wardrobes, and collect perfumes that match their moods or that match their personal style,” adds Goalby.

“They have changed gender stereotypes around perfume and deconstructed the perception that luxury perfumes are exclusive or reserved for those with expensive tastes,” Goalby continues, noting that “cohorts of 12- to 13-year-old boys are coming in our stores, sometimes accompanied by their parents. , sometimes with saved pocket money, and buy two or three luxury perfumes at once.

Behind this is the growing self-care movement, with 78% of UK consumers believing fragrance can improve overall mental wellbeing, according to the Mintel report. This idea is becoming more common among young men, says Karen Harris, chief customer officer at The Perfume Shop. “We’ve seen men care about their skincare routines; now they care about their scent routines thanks to the wellness boom,” adds Wolfmeyer, emphasizing the deeper connection between scent and the inner psyche.

Tapping into the teenage market

However, simply leveraging TikTok is not enough to secure sales. “Generation Alpha will have high expectations of the products and brands they choose. They want to see more diversity, equity and inclusion…in the beauty industry,” says Andrew McDougall, global beauty and personal care analyst at Mintel. He says brands looking to appeal to this consumer should use models and spokespeople from diverse backgrounds, “creating products that appeal to all skin, hair and skin types.” [and] body types.”