I hear people claim scents are "old" or too old for them. This makes no sense to me. What exactly makes a scent old? Some will say Old Spice is too old for them. Well, I don't get that statement. Since cinnamon has been around since the beginning of time wouldn't that mean it's old?
What makes a scent "old"
- Thread starter ZackP
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Most people will tell you there is no such thing as an "old" or "mature" fragrance. While this might be true, it is not the whole story. I have learned it is your personal perception that dictates whether or not a fragrance smells old or mature to you. If you grew up with a grandpa wearing (insert any fragrance here) you may think that it is a mature scent. You might also think a scent smells old because someone simply told you it does. If a young girl tells you that you smell like an old man, there is most likely a reason she thinks that. Maybe her dad wore that cologne as she was growing up? The reason it is always going to come down to your perception is because there is no universally agreed upon standards for what makes a fragrance old or mature.
For instance, the overwhelming majority of people on fragrance boards claim Guerlain Habit Rouge is old, dated, smells like an old women, etc. I honestly don't think Habit Rouge smells old or dated at all (despite it being released in the 60s). The same goes for what we may consider "younger scents". I personally cannot wear aquatic scents as all I can think about it how the middle and high school locker rooms used to smell like them. They reeked of aquatic colognes that we all used to douse ourselves with after gym class. That's why when I smell aquatics, I generally think it must be a younger person somewhere around me wearing it (even though that might not be the case). The sense of smell is super powerful and evokes images, opinions, and memories. I bet you can remember the perfumes your past girlfriends have worn. If you can't, I can almost guarantee if you smelled it on someone when you were out, you would remember it.
For instance, the overwhelming majority of people on fragrance boards claim Guerlain Habit Rouge is old, dated, smells like an old women, etc. I honestly don't think Habit Rouge smells old or dated at all (despite it being released in the 60s). The same goes for what we may consider "younger scents". I personally cannot wear aquatic scents as all I can think about it how the middle and high school locker rooms used to smell like them. They reeked of aquatic colognes that we all used to douse ourselves with after gym class. That's why when I smell aquatics, I generally think it must be a younger person somewhere around me wearing it (even though that might not be the case). The sense of smell is super powerful and evokes images, opinions, and memories. I bet you can remember the perfumes your past girlfriends have worn. If you can't, I can almost guarantee if you smelled it on someone when you were out, you would remember it.
With Women it usually what their Dad , Brothers or Grandpaws wore. I had to give my stach of Ole Spice that I had gathered in the 1980's to my Dad because my soon to be wife at the time said NO to it , and several other scents like Brut. I like to stay with what I love so I don't branch out much past the classics up to the 1980's.
I agree it's associations that create the sense that a fragrance it old. I bet that many that are perceived as old, could be rebranded and sold to younger people with the right marketing.
I think people perceive anything "lavender" as being "old" because lavender has been used in fragrances forever and it is a very basic scent. Also, maybe because it's a scent that tends to have a calming effect on people.... which is an older trait rather than a young one. Personally, I love the scent of lavender. I've smelled different variations of it and some I enjoy better than others.... but I think it has gained that reputation of being an "old" scent.
Ben
Ben
This. It's our associations. We smell a certain accord such as a powerhouse loaded with patchouli or oakmoss and immediately we are either taken back to the 80s or if you're younger, it reminds you of your father or uncle that seemed to bathe in their frags. My grandfather was a Guerlain Vetiver guy, so when I smell it, I can't help but think it smells like an "old man".
In 30 years, aquatics will be the "old man" scents and replaced by something more "modern". It's the lifecycle of style and our associations to the styles of time.
The extreme philosophy on this is that there are no old or young scents, anymore than there are old or young colors. A scent is a scent. Certaily any one fragrance note like cinnamon has absolutely no "age."
But a lot this conversation is certainly due to scent associations. If an older relative wore Brut or Old Spice, then those scents could smell like an older guys scent to some people - both men and women. Old Spice is more than cinnamon...it's a unique combination of notes that smells like...well, Old Spice. No one note is what makes a scent.
But there is also a bit of evolution in men's fragrances at work as well. If we look in the designer fragrance world, which is the overwhelming number of scents that are sold, there have been trends in each decade. The 70s saw some distinctive scents arise like Polo and Grey Flannel. These scents are going to take some people mentally back to those years, and older adults they knew then who wore them. The 80s saw a lot of "power scents." loud, strong scents dominated by combos of sandalwood and patchouli (Versace L'Homme, Giorgio For Men, Santos de Cartier, Drakkar Noir). Notably, at least for me and Nid Hog, Calvin Klein's Obsession can be dated immediately. When we smell that, it's 1986 and here comes Leisure Suit Larry the lounge lizard.
(yeah I wore it- everybody did.) The 90s saw a shift to the aquatics and lighter men's scents like Acqua di Gio, Issey Miyake and countless others. Late 90s and 00s we start to see men's scents stay light plus shift to gourmand and sweet (A*Men, Dior Homme, Le Male, La Nuit, One Million).
Very generally speaking, men's contemporary scents have gotten lighter and sweeter. So anything heavy, dark and manly manish will smell old to some people. Just the way it is. You like it, you wear it and don't look back (including Obsession).
I wore Creed Baie de Genivre today which I would say has a mature vibe. I'm mature enough at this point to wear what I want, whenever I want for the most part. But I would be the first to admit there are certain frags that feel too youthful to me...like One Million. I'd feel silly wearing that, like I was wearing skinny jeans.
Its 2012 now. Soon Issey and Acqua di Gio will be "mature man" scents.
But a lot this conversation is certainly due to scent associations. If an older relative wore Brut or Old Spice, then those scents could smell like an older guys scent to some people - both men and women. Old Spice is more than cinnamon...it's a unique combination of notes that smells like...well, Old Spice. No one note is what makes a scent.
But there is also a bit of evolution in men's fragrances at work as well. If we look in the designer fragrance world, which is the overwhelming number of scents that are sold, there have been trends in each decade. The 70s saw some distinctive scents arise like Polo and Grey Flannel. These scents are going to take some people mentally back to those years, and older adults they knew then who wore them. The 80s saw a lot of "power scents." loud, strong scents dominated by combos of sandalwood and patchouli (Versace L'Homme, Giorgio For Men, Santos de Cartier, Drakkar Noir). Notably, at least for me and Nid Hog, Calvin Klein's Obsession can be dated immediately. When we smell that, it's 1986 and here comes Leisure Suit Larry the lounge lizard.
(yeah I wore it- everybody did.) The 90s saw a shift to the aquatics and lighter men's scents like Acqua di Gio, Issey Miyake and countless others. Late 90s and 00s we start to see men's scents stay light plus shift to gourmand and sweet (A*Men, Dior Homme, Le Male, La Nuit, One Million).
Very generally speaking, men's contemporary scents have gotten lighter and sweeter. So anything heavy, dark and manly manish will smell old to some people. Just the way it is. You like it, you wear it and don't look back (including Obsession).
I wore Creed Baie de Genivre today which I would say has a mature vibe. I'm mature enough at this point to wear what I want, whenever I want for the most part. But I would be the first to admit there are certain frags that feel too youthful to me...like One Million. I'd feel silly wearing that, like I was wearing skinny jeans.
Its 2012 now. Soon Issey and Acqua di Gio will be "mature man" scents.
- Thread starter
- #8
I'm happy I smell old, because I cannot stand aquatics! 
Plus, Obsession for Men made me AND my Dad feel like passing out
Plus, Obsession for Men made me AND my Dad feel like passing out 
Maybe its just me - scents usually (except for the rare scent never before encountered by the olfactory system) trigger memories. Even long forgotten ones. When a certain scent reminds me of the old days, the scent is 'old'...
Pinaud Clubman (green) triggered my sister's memory of our grandfather (passed away in the 70s) though my grandfather never use aftershave or shaving soap of any kind (have never seen him shave nor smell any aftershave or cologne on him!). She has never encountered or smell any p. clubman before she bought me one. I supposed it could have been triggered by memories of similar barbershop scent she got whiff of when she was young.
Pinaud Clubman (green) triggered my sister's memory of our grandfather (passed away in the 70s) though my grandfather never use aftershave or shaving soap of any kind (have never seen him shave nor smell any aftershave or cologne on him!). She has never encountered or smell any p. clubman before she bought me one. I supposed it could have been triggered by memories of similar barbershop scent she got whiff of when she was young.
- Thread starter
- #10
Paul Sebastian and Brut triggers a reminiscent feeling, but no memory...odd.
The only thing I'd add is marketing. If you go to YouTube and look back at fragrance commercials from the 60s and 70s, you'll see that all the "old man" scents were targeted at young men. You were encouraged to wear Old Spice for the same reason that young men today are urged to buy whatever has been recently released. The relentless need to sell something new produces a new generation of consumers who think that everything else is old and out of date. However, if someone decided to bring back--let's say--Dial Burley and keep the scent profile exactly the same, I suspect that a lot of consumers would snap it up if enough marketing pressure was generated to make it sound "new." The fragrance would be sufficiently unfamiliar that you could be educated to think it was the next new thing.
It works in more indirect ways too, I think. To tell the truth, I have no childhood associations with any Pinaud products. My barber used a shimmering green Stephen's splash--it looked like a maritime dye marker in a bottle--that smelled a little like Osage Rub. I don't remember smelling Clubman or any of its kin until a couple of years ago. I get an old vibe from them, but a totally different kind. It's like reading a Raymond Chandler novel. You can feel a kind of nostalgia for the LA he describes, although you don't personally remember running boards on cars or guys who wear spats and call women "dames." Pinaud is from that world and I can appreciate it for that. But my sense of that comes from media; not current advertising, but books, films, etc. I am not really very likely to go to work dressed like Philip Marlowe or the Continental OP, but I might just splash on some Clubman every now and again.
It works in more indirect ways too, I think. To tell the truth, I have no childhood associations with any Pinaud products. My barber used a shimmering green Stephen's splash--it looked like a maritime dye marker in a bottle--that smelled a little like Osage Rub. I don't remember smelling Clubman or any of its kin until a couple of years ago. I get an old vibe from them, but a totally different kind. It's like reading a Raymond Chandler novel. You can feel a kind of nostalgia for the LA he describes, although you don't personally remember running boards on cars or guys who wear spats and call women "dames." Pinaud is from that world and I can appreciate it for that. But my sense of that comes from media; not current advertising, but books, films, etc. I am not really very likely to go to work dressed like Philip Marlowe or the Continental OP, but I might just splash on some Clubman every now and again.
Borsari Acqua Classica (1870) and Penhaligon's English Fern (1890) are among the best perfumes available on the market today. Did someone just forget to tell them that their frags were old?
Here's a slight twist on the theme. Some years back my mother gave my wife some very nice perfume. My wife loved it. That is until I told her my mother also wore it and all I could think about was my mother. Unless you're a weird sick guy that is not a turn on. The wife gave it away. (Mary Chase was the brand?)
like stylin said, it's like any fashion. things evolve. If you throw on bell bottoms or some big shouldered suit with a wide tie people are going to say your clothes are old fashioned...just like scents developed in a period when different notes were popular will smell old today. though you also have to consider that just like there is a resurgence of clothing from older periods (50s clothes coming back because of mad men, etc) there will be older type scents coming back as well, mainly because of people getting damn tired of aquatics and gourmands...
Here Zack. I posted this article many months ago. It is a New York Times piece about how old, classic men's fragrances are in style again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/fashion/a-revival-for-classic-mens-fragrances-skin-deep.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/fashion/a-revival-for-classic-mens-fragrances-skin-deep.html
It's not that the smell is old, it's that the association is with old people.
Associations are tricky, of course. You might remember your grandfather as masculine and strong so his cologne appeals to you, while your wife smells it and thinks "weird old guy who's in a home". Or your wife might remember her mother's perfume as glamorous and ladylike, but smelling your mother-in-law on your wife makes you stop wanting to get naked with her.
Wonder if the reverse works - instead of scent triggering images, I wonder whether a pic would trigger some nostalgic scents 
Nice read, thanks for (re)posting it!
The newest stuff I like is Dakkar and Holston z-14
- Thread starter
- #20
Trying Paul Sebastian, it rings a bell...but I don't know where from I've smelled it? Maybe a deceased grandfather? I don't have a clue. All I know, is those gross floral ones are the only fragrances I'd call old.
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