What makes a scent smell like "old man"

Please explain what 'genuine old man smell' is?

I think that it's a combination of notes. Old man, like old lady, means a heavy, turgid, opaque and powdery presence. Good examples are: Oscar de la Renta pour Lui and Chanel no.5.
Sometimes old is comforting, but it's always old.
I can feel the angry posts coming in already.

Some say fragrances containing lots of oakmoss and tobacco smell old - I say those two ingredients can impart an aura of sophistication, maturity and level-headedness.

Just dont overspray and you will do fine.

This is an interesting question. For me, somehow I am able to make a distinction between "classic" vs "old man". I don't consider Tabarome an old man scent, however, Bois du Portugal...old man.

TNMA

For me it is any fragrance that does not belong in the "Children's Section".

To me old man is Fendi. Every time I spray that I start coughing and thinking of the elderly.

Well, I'm an old man and I wear Lutens and L'Artisans and Malle and MPG. I guess those are the "genuine old man smells."

YSL Pour Homme -nothing else smells like eau d' old man like that one!

Funny, that's exactly what my wife says when I use (my sample of) BdP. I hadn't really picked that up. It can seem anachronistic, especially when you're new to it, but I find classy and refined enough to be free of the constraints of mere time.

OLD MAN SMELLS are...

the YOUNG MEN SMELLS of today: Adidas 3; Bond 9; Amouage Gold; Musk Ravageur; Terre d'Hermes; Dior Homme. Just wait till your branch bears fruit!

My old man when he was alive used Mennen Skin Bracer. What does your old man use?

I would also like to know what fragrances are worn by...

Old Man River
Gary Oldman
The Old Man and the Sea
dirty old men

Thank you

The Old Man and the Sea - the old man we're trying to come to an agreement now - the sea is another aquatic scent as if there weren't enough already.

Old Mand and the Sea - He didn't have any money though, I can't see him being able to afford cologne...

As far as old man scents, I simply love 'em! If I smell something and it has an old man vibe whatsoever, I go nuts, and SA's are usually giving me weird looks by this time anyways, so I can't help but gush over something like Santos Concentree... it's so classic!
- Rich

...

Yup, that's what I hate about it! That makes me grown up, which fits and is why I like BdP best! Original Aramis and Polo are good too. And Dunhill 34 (and only 34, the newer ones are too juvenile)

For me it is mostly created by my personal olfactory memory.

When I smell a scent that jogs my memory of some gentleman wearing it who was, in my perception at that time, 'old' (read: 20 years older when I was in my teens--much less as I myself aged) when I logged it into my memory, it is translated today into and 'old man' scent if I get a whiff of it or something similar. Although, it may well be that particular person wearing that particular scent might have been a much younger man than I am today.

Maybe younger people fear the wisdom of their elders. Perhaps it's a threat to one of the great joys of life, the thrill of learning from one's own mistakes.

Exactly, we want to have our own fashion, we don't want to dress like our fathers, and neither did yall when you were younger. Part of being part of something new is knowing that your elders will simply hate it; Rap, baggy pants, and piercings being the most common if not slightly dated examples.
- Rich

How come retro is so popular then? Most college students these days look like my mom in 1969. Except Patchouli isn't all that hip these days (or is it?) Anyway, that kind of outward desire for distinction has just become a subroutine of the big consumerism machine (since Woodstock at the latest).

I still think the use of the "old man" phrase is counterproductive, because it's terribly imprecise and obviously subjective. I would prefer a question that asks what makes popular scents from the 70s/80s distinctive or different from the 90s/00s.

And if one by all means needs to connect it to generational issues, "scents of our fathers" sounds a bit more respectful than "old man scents."

but I do want an answer to my question:
"What makes a scent smell like Gary Oldman?"

Except for one of theirs, Etat Libre d'Orange should appeal to the young ones, then (?). Are Tauers young? I don't think so! Any designers? Those big men's wear labels seem rather traditional too. Except for someone who just mentioned today that YSL p.homme is registered as old man in his books, can citrus or acquatic smells be old as such?

For me, violets and lavender, have been old, but not in a bad way. My parents wouldn't use anything to do with those at all because they were house scents of their grandparents & parents. My parents developed preferences of their own and the industrie helped! Then there was Nivea sun tan oil and for me beach was sand plus lavender! Soaps and colognes were brought home from holidays in the Mediterranean, so, jasmin and violets came in packages never seen before with French, Italian, or Spanish text. They smelled different, fresh and exciting! It all had to do with emotional connections, and those change from time to time. The 'age' of a scent depends on impressions stored with it (my 2 c.).

According to musicologists rap is no different than rhythmic poetry. Also when Jim Carrol of basketball diary fame was writing poetry in NYC, Africa Bambatta and others were turning the South Bronx around from being no mans land to being a cultural mecca. Late 60's doesnt seem new. Mtv broadcasting rap after school was premeditated to sell records not to make after schoolers happy.

My father and grandfather wore baggy pants but they called them pleated pants and they didn't need to be held up while walking.

We thought for awhile that not piercing or scarring our tissue was more civilized but young people being the absolute victims of peer pressure are bringing it back.

I don't think Zoot suits were ever really given a chance although Kid Creole and the Cocnuts did make an attempt during the 80's.

Gary Oldman being British and an accomplished pianist, right wing nutcase would probably wear whatever Maggie Thatcher wore.

I might be old, if 40 is old, dunno...

My work collegues think some of my scents are ''old man scents, particulary if I wear my Vetivers ( Lanvin or Guerlain), Eau Sauvage or, Moustache by Rochas, very soapy/powdery....

I do get positive comments on other frags I use on a daily bases as per my current favourite list below;

Are these old man frag's as well now???? Behold......they probably are ,looking at them!!??

"Old man" to me is Pinaud Clubman. Also, cumin and chilli powder. That smells like a dirty old man.



S

Ah, citrus is "Old Man" though, examine Eau Sauvage. If I ever wear it, someone always comments how their grandpa smelled like that, and they always loved it!

Bel Ami is definitely my favorite patchouli (which I generally don't like), but this has been verified "Old Man" by everyone I know personally (even my dad). I don't think that patchouli is in, no.

If rap is just rythmic poetry, why don't more middle aged and older people listen to it? I'm not doubting your argument, I'm just saying that we still want to have something that our parents don't like.

Now that the trend is towards boot cut and slim pants with holes already worn in them, I'm struggling to find a previous occurrence in fashion. Other than the cowboys. But I don't think parents would appreciate their daughters running of with some Desperado. A Desperado wearing pants that are almost as tight fitting as hers. Which brings up jeans. For the most part, before the 70's, women didn't wear pants, they wore skirts. Thank goodness that's changed, because it's hard to play competitive sports in skirts. just kidding, it's not that hard

As far as retro goes, we do have a very strong inclination to take fashions from past years, but usually with a twist. Our mini skirts are shorter, our baggy pants are baggier (sans pleats), and our music is louder (Lil' John remixing all those 80's classics...). Unfortunately, our cologne is weaker, our orientals are less complicated, and our perfume is waaaaaay too fucking fruity. I look forward to the day when our kids think that anything that smelled like Britney Spears Curious smells like grandma, so they don't have to suffer through an 8:05 Stat class with one skank in pink sweats and about 10lbs of makeup that decided one bottle of Curious was not enough, she'd better use two this morning.

That being said, I'm not really a fan of perfume at all. The few I like are Chanel No. 5, Burberry Brit, Burberry for Women, and mostly niche stuff after that. "Allure"? More like "No Allure".

I have been told with most of the patchouli scents I've presented to my friends and family are "Old Man", maybe we could include that as an "Old Man" note?
- Rich

It's all perfume. Derives from the Latin "per fumum" meaning "through smoke"

Everyone knows old men (anyone over 35) smell of piss. They often also smell of overcooked hospital vegetables and disinfectant. Sometimes their breath smells of unbrushed, rotten teeth and digestive problems. So avoid scents with any of those notes. Until you are over 35.

My only comment to this putrid thread is really a question: where is scentemental when we need him?

Let me be more specific. I am not a fan of perfumes mass marketed torwards women. I feel that even perfumes mass marketed towards men are more interesting to me. My heirarchy of interest.

1.) Unisex/Men's Niche
2.) Female Niche
3.) Mass Marketed Male
4.) Mass Marketed Unisex
5.) Old Spice Body Sprays
6.) Axe
7.) Mass Marketed Female

This isn't meant as a dig at women at all, just at the designer perfume industry for not catching my interest on hardly anything. All said and done, it's just personal taste.

Yeah, I think that sandalwood could be an "Old Man" scent, evidence Santos Concentree, which I am in love with right now. Has anyone mentioned Bay Rum as a note?
- Rich

We are going in circles as often. That cannot be helped as there will always be a passing stream of active members in web communities. Members come and go. That's why it can be helpful to refer to on older thread on the same subject. Some of us may remember that a (then) newcomer raised the same questions nine months ago. Regrettably, that thread took an unfortunate turn and ended by major force. Maybe you find more answers (scentimental and others) here. What the junior professor (tgl) said belongs to the most memorable posts I read on BN.

Old man- - the biological and the just slightly unwashed, or if washed, then no fragrance.

Older man, mature man of considerable style and force (see some of the sartorially regal gents on the Sartorialist's blogsite) self possession, wit, aethetics; experience and sometimes power:

Aramis
Givenchy Gentleman
Chevalier D'Orsay
YSL Rive Gauche
Givenchy Monsieur
Hammam Bouquet
Blenheim Blend
JHL
Van Cleef & Arpes
Various Trumpers including Violets
Floris Vetiver and Elite

What makes it smell like old(er) man?

Not obvious sexy or trying to be sexy;
Not up to date or the latest thing;
Been around a while like some of the wearers;
Words like "classic" "enduring" "classy" "historic" come to mind
Words like "dressy" or "formal" or "not-hip" come to mind as well.

Joe

Although nobody in this thread thinks old man means gross and unwashed, Joe_Frances is right, distinguished older gentlemen is a much more appropriate term. Classy, dressy, and formal are all good words.
- Rich

media/marketing preception...perhaps

"old" being perceived as: vulnerable, very limited, needs help for the most basic tasks..that could be a description of some teenagers..

years ago..hanging out with some "old" men 60+ yrs..but they were business guru's...founders of major credit card companies..real estate moguls...music millionairs...once famous actors...for the most part they all had a mentality of being "young" .. they seems to have endless energy and worked 12+hr days in stride..they drove high priced cars, lived in dream homes and danced the LA tango with out missing a beat...they dressed the part and from what I remember...knew the meaning of "modicum"..and used its definition in the wearing of body scents..

would they be considered "old man scents" .. depends on point of view/smell..

to me they were very cool..to travel in that crowd you got to see and be places that were beyond young and old..

so perhaps its someone who pours handfuls of splash over themselves that makes breathing difficult and your eyes water if your within ten yards of them..and they might think they are wearing an appropriate amount of scent..it does not matter what they are wearing..

in a human life span... "young/old" sometime are in the same space at the same time

And we can't forget that whoever is judging a fragrance as "old man" is obviously doing so in a pejorative sense, and is insulting the product as hopelessly out of date-- dated and therefore totally uninteresting. By extension the wearer is insulted. Whatever is "in" is good; a lot of the rest is "old man" or just, well, nothing.

It's an insult as much as a description. This is totally akin to the "old lady" smell that has come up from time to time here, and has been commented upon by a mature woman as an insult.

I don't worry about it being an insult to my person when I happily wear certain things, but it is a slander upon the product; and expresses the ignorance of the critic.

It reminds me of a great statement attributed to Hugh Downs who said the term, "dirty old man" was made up by some young guy who wanted all the girls for himself" or something to that effect.

Joe, again.

Well, I think that Eau Savage by CD smells like old men. In fact it smells almost faecal to me.

Ah, at last someone who agrees with me on Eau Sauvage .

There are apparently physiological factors why older persons may smell age-specifically unpleasant:
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v1.../5601027a.html

Well, anybody who ever walked through a school building knows, 16-year-olds stink of their teenie hormones as well Seems only us middle-aged people smell good - there's a political party somewhere in this just waiting to be founded

Back to the question, I would say Musk and Patchouli. See Rive Gauche, Azzaro PH, Escada PH, and Ungaro III.

I am here levente; I am just bitting my tongue so hard it's almost bleeding. At the same time, I am trying really hard not to have the most indiscriminate all-encompassing contempt for young people in general because of those few who ask such questions with all the deft self-consciousness of a mushroom.

I'll say it again. I find such threads, the attitudes they embody, and the obtuseness they show deeply offensive. Personally, I think they should be closed down immediately, and the moderators should refer those posting such threads to the previous threads which have dealt with how offensive such posts are. Think of it as a sort of Basenotes sensitivity training. Lord knows there are plenty who need it.

scentemental

I rest my case.

So. I think we carry away a productive conclusion here.

Scentemental suggests closing these posts from the very beginning. I'm not quite such I'd go quite that far. The posters who start these threads are new and probably don't realize the can of worms they're opening.

However, it is true that just about everything that can be said on this topic has been said. And even if some important, Basenotes-changing, life-altering observation was made, it was be lost in all of this. So, I believe that those of us who have been around here long enough to see these posts come and go on a regular basis should make a point to:

a) post a list of as many previous old man threads as possible, as soon as possible, whenever a new thread like this pops up and b) make it VERY clear where the post is likely head.

These actions might not stop the posts, but they might at least stem the flow of offensive and useless comments, and make the moderators' job easier and less depressing.

An eminently intelligent and sensible response. I wish I were as level headed as this in the light of such posts.

Thanks LiveJazz for your excellent, carefully thought out response and idea. I endorse it wholeheartedly.

scentemental

Youth has speed and endurance
but
Age has wisdom and patience

Well, after all these posts I learnt a lesson: what makes a scent smell like "old man" is the perception of the other people...
I'm wearing YSL POUR HOMME today and I feel younger than ever! I'm 31. Am I old? If you think so, keep in mind that It is YOUR opinion!

Smelling old, like of old traditions and old perfumery is definately something else than dated. I think "dated" is the word one should be using and the one the original poster was looking for instead of that awful use of "old man/woman smell".

Guys, take it easy and becareful with your words. First get things clear; what do we mean by "Old man/woman"? Do we mean that it smells like an old person or do we mean that it is, according to you, suitable for an elderly person, but not for a young person; or do we mean a fragrance that reminds you elderly people?
Time to time I go and help people in old peopl's home. Because of the change in the body chemicals old people have an different odor than young people, and if they don't get washed for a while then you can smell this very clear and it is not that nice. I can't remember any fragrance which smells like that. But on the other hand there are some fragrances that I associate with elderly people which were used by them when they were young and soem of them are still using them and some of them don't. If I get such a fragrance around me then it reminds me that. One of them is Dunhill for men, English Leather by Dana, Tabac Original, Habit Rouge, Marbert Man... I don't mean that they are not nice fragrances; I still use some of them, but they remind me old days and elderly people like my grandfather or the other elderly people in my family and around me. But most of the times the heavy and strongs smells remind me that. There were also elderly people around me who were using lavandel cologne or lemon colognes, but I have nevet had the same associations with them because they are a bit fres fragrances and not that heavy. I have the same feeling with some fragrances for women. I can't remember the name of it but especially the ones with a certain flower scent reminds me my grandmothers and some other elderly women in the family and around. My grandmother used to use Maja by Myrurgia and she was fond of colognes made out of tabac. She had a special cologne guy who used to make colognes himself and she was fond of her tabac cologne and time to time I had to go and buy a bottle for her. Probably in the future our kids or grandchildren would have the same association with the frahrances that we are using now and also probably that the fragrances which we think are "Old man" or "Old fashined" would be very trendy and populer in the future becuse the young people would have no association with them and would find them very nice and use them with love.

I'm here to put a new spin on the old man fragrance bull. For $97.75 per hour I will carry my own bottle of Tabac Original and a notary publics vouched for, signed statement that I don't remember my last bath.

I expect travel expenses in business class and a suite of rooms with a decent view. All ground transportation will be in USA built Lincoln Towncars (The Bill Blass Edition is nice).

I will sit in the lap for photos, animal petting whatever is required that my frail body and mind can withstand.

There are a lot of other clauses so PM me right away with questions (do not expect answers)

I'm tired now if you disagree with the terms set forth go fuck yourself

it's the 21st Century thats how old folk roll nowadays

now go brush your tooth.!

Those two have very little in common, though. Both have some ginger, I think, but that doesn't seem like a likely "old man" note. Both have wood notes, but zillions of perfumes have wood notes.

I would expect "old man" scents to have a lot of patchouli, tobacco, and/or powder, but maybe that's just me...

How can I make this clearer. There are more things that "old people" have smelled than anyone your age can wrap his little mind around.

If suddenly everyone starts wearing long sideburns again will you join in? Feeling your sideburns, don't they almost seem like you were the first person to ever wear them? Well you're right, cause they're yours. And they're always going to be yours.
When you begin studying quantum mechanics and engineering and that new thing young people are studying per the current President, human and animal cloning you're gonna stink up the place. I'll hopefully be dead. But sideburns were worn long and moustaches and beards were worn long, when brother took up arms against brother in this great USA, and why not take a day off from wearing anything cosmetic and visit the sites of those battles and breathe. And smell and keep smelling as long as you're alive.

Life gave you this chance take it
--------------------------------------
no refunds!!! the restocking fee is 175%

Easy, only that scent that makes you feel old...you can´t judge this about notes!!! Thats it...

1.English Leather
2.Old Spice
3.Bay Rum(Depends which one)
4.Tabac
5.Lagerfeld

Oh yeah?

How old am I?

Rest assured - you haven't told me what you meant to, but what you have told me, you have told me very clearly.

I thank you for reading and learning.

For my nose fragrances that smell like an old man are: Antaeus by Chanel, Pour Monseoir(I think I spelled it wrong) by Chanel. That it of course for my nose and IMO. Furthermore I always try to keep away from them since I am pretty young. =)
optimus

I think it's a matter of taste. I wear a lot of the scents listed in this thread and I'm 21. I don't think they smell "old" at all. But hey, that's just me.

This thread is starting to smell "old " ..