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Do you find some fragrances too youthful to wear?

post #1 of 37
6/19/10 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
I sometimes see posts asking whether certain fragrances are too mature for people of some ages to wear, so I thought I would ask the opposite. Do you find some fragrances too youthful to wear? I often see comments about fragrances such as suitable for 1825, for the under-30 crowd, something a high school kid would wear, etc (I'm paraphrasing). I once saw a comment that described one of my favorites as maybe being OK for a teenage boy but not much elseand I am way, way past being a teenage boy. It doesnt matter to me, though. I just wear what I like.

How about you?

Thanks.
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post #2 of 37
6/19/10 at 1:31pm
I think age should not be a factor when choosing a fragrance. You like what you like and should wear it. If it bothers others, too bad for them.
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post #3 of 37
6/19/10 at 1:37pm
I think each of us make our own decisions on it. Personally, I don't think I can use Le Male, Joop, A*Men or the flankers. But I will on occasion use Body Kouros or Rochas Man. L'Instant- both versions - I can roll with.

To me it all comes down to your own sense of style and the confidence you have in wearing the scent. There are I'm sure guys in here older than me that wear a lot of the more youthful scents.
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post #4 of 37
6/19/10 at 1:39pm
I'm 18, so I never encountered a fragrance which I believe it's too youthful for me.

I often find myself wearing fragrances marketed to women, something I never thought I would do until I got deep into fragrances. As time goes by, you gain experience and the 'marketing' part of a fragrance will completely disappear so the nose can focus on the smell and smell only. If I like it, then I'll wear it as long as I find it suitable for the place/humidity/temperature I'll be in.
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post #5 of 37
6/19/10 at 1:46pm
I think it's a really good question, and I'd sure like to be able to say some give me the "this is too youthful to me" mental response, but oddly, I can't recall ever thinking that. I think "too pop", "too much like everything else" "too clean," "too sweet" or any other terms that show I turn off from the scent for any of my own reasons, but I can't ever recall thinking "too youthful." I'll think about it and see if I can think of any that strike me now as too youthful for me.
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post #6 of 37
6/19/10 at 2:05pm
There's a tendency to confuse "youthful" with "casual." Kenneth Cole Reaction, for example. Anyone can get away with it, just as long as it's for very casual wear. However, you'd come across as a young dweeb if you tried wearing it with a business suit.
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post #7 of 37
6/19/10 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

I think age should not be a factor when choosing a fragrance. You like what you like and should wear it. If it bothers others, too bad for them.

+1.
I must sound like a stuck record here. Age is of no consequence. You are enveloped by a wonderful hobby. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Don't pander to categorisation.
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post #8 of 37
6/19/10 at 2:15pm
I can name a few frags that I feel a bit uncomfortable wearing because of their youthful vibe. Let's see: Paris Hilton, Diesel Fuel for Life,and
Diesel Only the Brave.
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post #9 of 37
6/19/10 at 2:37pm
Sort of. More along the lines of what DustB said above. I sometimes think..."Too fruity", "vanilla cloud bomb", "air freshner".... etc.

Keep in mind that when I think of youthful, I think of scent associations. So when I just bought Givenchy Play Intense and realized its gourmand quality, I thought "Uh -Oh"......
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post #10 of 37
6/19/10 at 2:53pm
It depends on the occasion. For me, there are frags that are "too youthful" i.e. don't have enough gravitas for certain situations...I will happily wear them at home, or inj more casual situations though.
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post #11 of 37
6/19/10 at 3:04pm
Age is absolutely a factor in choosing an appropriate fragrance.

My problem is that most of the fragrance market today targets the university-age crowd, probably because they're at the age where they care more about it and buy more of it. I'm not ancient, but I would never were Lacoste Essential because it simply isn't age appropriate for me, and I don't want to project a teenage vibe.
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post #12 of 37
6/19/10 at 3:07pm
Most likely not, yet some Boss fragrances really come off as slightly too casual, not necessarily too young, for my taste
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post #13 of 37
6/19/10 at 5:09pm
i feel like "youthful" is associated with lighter or sweeter scents as theyre more...playful? its hard to describe that exact "feeling" a fragrance has, but im sure most of you understand what im saying; that situational "vibe" of a fragrance.

darker, leathery, more bitter fragrances i believe are associated with maturity, and even some spicey ones (I.E. Old Spice, the grandfather scent) are ANYTHING but youthful.

youth: playful, fresh, sweet
mature: dark, spicey, bitter
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post #14 of 37
6/19/10 at 5:32pm
I've been buying and wearing fragrances the same way for over 40 years. I sample them, then buy and wear the ones I like.

There is no such thing as age when it comes to fragrance. That's a myth.
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post #15 of 37
6/19/10 at 6:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrcologneguy View Post

There's a tendency to confuse "youthful" with "casual." Kenneth Cole Reaction, for example. Anyone can get away with it, just as long as it's for very casual wear. However, you'd come across as a young dweeb if you tried wearing it with a business suit.

Ha! I wore it with a tux on my wedding day. What a young dweeb I was!

My wife just loved the stuff... mostly for sentimental reasons (it's what I wore when we met and were dating), but she also just liked it. It was her day, so I wore it. Of course, that was before I started sampling and learning a little more, too...
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post #16 of 37
6/20/10 at 4:14pm
Never.
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post #17 of 37
6/20/10 at 9:33pm
Anything "powdery", that smells like a bar of soap, wintergreen, etc. or young thematic scents like "cotton candy" is too youthful for me. I never write off anything completely though.
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post #18 of 37
6/21/10 at 6:24am
While I usually wear whatever I like, I do avoid wearing fragrances that are too popular & worn by youngsters... "Youthful" by associations does exist imo. Thankfully I do look youthful.
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post #19 of 37
6/21/10 at 6:38am
I wear what feels good.

If it doesn't feel good, I don't wear it.

Most all of the new orientals aren't my thing, and they generally smell just slightly more pleasant than sweetened rotten milk on the men/boys who wear it. But most of the other things they usually wear don't smell much better.
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post #20 of 37
6/21/10 at 6:51am
No. If I like it, I wear it. Although I don't like a majority of the scents that people usually classify as "youthful".
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post #21 of 37
6/21/10 at 6:53am
I don't feel that it's a myth that some scents can be too young for you to wear. Again it depends on the wearer. There are definitely some scents that I feel too old to pull off: Eternity For Men, Aqua di Gio (I also don't like the smell), L'Eau d'Issey, Joop, etc.. When I smell those (or have tried wearing them), I don't feel like I'm in my own skin. I feel like I'm trying to be 22 yo again, which makes me uncomfortable. So for me it's not a myth at all.

But, if you feel comfortable with a frag, just wear the damn thing! Your own sense of comfort in wearing the fragrance will show, and will make you come across to others as comfortable and confident.
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post #22 of 37
7/9/10 at 1:57am
I agree 100%. Age and fragrance do go hand in hand. I work as a fragrance sales person at a department store and whenever an old man/woman comes up asking for the "trendy, young" fragrances I want to vomit. I'm talking about the women that are 35-50 trying to dress like their teenage daughters, in velor track suits with the word "juicy" on their butt. Or the men that come in and hit on all of the female associates and frequent strip clubs. I feel that fragrances should fit who we are, rather than what we want to be. When you're an adult trying to pull off Pink Sugar, or an Ed Hardy fragrance it just doesn't fit. Time to grow up.

I don't think there is a reverse though, call me bias. As someone that is 22 years of age, I don't find a fragrance too mature for me to wear.
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post #23 of 37
7/9/10 at 5:04pm
IMHO, it does not have to do with age, rather with the way the wearer thinks about him/herself, the way other people think of him/her and the way he/she wants to be perceived. This explains why you will find most adolescents wearing Fierce by A&F and a few wearing, say, Chanel pour Monsieur.

This is different in the case of hobbysts, for there are factors influencing perceptions that don't apply to the vast amount of consumers. Take this community and male members wearing scents targetted to women or female members wearing scents targetted to men, those trying, wearing and commenting about not well-known or unpopular scents blended by artisan perfumists, or community members wearing scents usually worn by certain demographics.

You will realise that they actually enjoy the experience of trying and / or wearing fragrances independent of their target market or the average profile of consumers favoring these scents.
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post #24 of 37
7/9/10 at 5:15pm
They make most fragrances now for young men. You can definitely be too old.
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post #25 of 37
7/9/10 at 6:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asmo View Post

They make most fragrances now for young men. You can definitely be too old.

I tend to disagree with this. I guess if you are wondering how a fragrance will come off in public, that might be a consideration, but I don't do that. I can see how some would think that way, though, which is why I asked.

It's interesting that this thread was even brought back up. Sink it.
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post #26 of 37
7/9/10 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_Castro View Post

I agree 100%. Age and fragrance do go hand in hand. I work as a fragrance sales person at a department store and whenever an old man/woman comes up asking for the "trendy, young" fragrances I want to vomit. I'm talking about the women that are 35-50 trying to dress like their teenage daughters, in velor track suits with the word "juicy" on their butt. Or the men that come in and hit on all of the female associates and frequent strip clubs. I feel that fragrances should fit who we are, rather than what we want to be. When you're an adult trying to pull off Pink Sugar, or an Ed Hardy fragrance it just doesn't fit. Time to grow up.

I don't think there is a reverse though, call me bias. As someone that is 22 years of age, I don't find a fragrance too mature for me to wear.

Oh, the hubris of youth.

I do agree that one needs to feel comfortable with a fragrance to properly pull it off, regardless of age.
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post #27 of 37
7/9/10 at 7:25pm
I do: http://http://www.amazon.com/Spongebob-Squarepants-Nickelodeon-Toilette-3-4-Ounce/dp/B000VOJQEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=beauty&qid=1278728376&sr=1-1
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post #28 of 37
7/9/10 at 8:05pm
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I like smelling Hugo Dark Blue but it smells like what going-to-prom-highschoolers would wear. Also, aquatics (apart from a few masterfully crafted ones) give me the impression of college boys, first job workers, and the many who haven't yet polished themselves up to higher standards of personal refinement. But I also agree with what's been said above. Scents are objectively ageless and genderless! I particularly agree with Pollux that as hobbyist, we should put ourselves beyond prejudice and appreciate fragrances for the artistic value they hold; and Mr Castro that scents, like clothes, can be worn as inappropriately, because despite how impartial your opinions may be, society is always judging.
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post #29 of 37
7/9/10 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asmo View Post

They make most fragrances now for young men. You can definitely be too old.

This has been my problem--finding something that doesn't smell too young on me.
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post #30 of 37
7/9/10 at 8:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfacing View Post

Sort of. More along the lines of what DustB said above. I sometimes think..."Too fruity", "vanilla cloud bomb", "air freshner".... etc.....

Yeah, I think it has more to do with trends than actually being "age-appropriate**."

This means that, in 20 or 30 years, people will be posting on basenotes about how they just can't stand those light, fruity scents because they are just too old lady, and they don't want to smell like grandma! Ew!

Sunrise, Sunset!

**(a term which is itself something of a trend - I don't recall ever hearing it at all until the last few years, when it suddenly became popular on TV shows about fashion).
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post #31 of 37
7/10/10 at 4:42am
Only very rarely do I associate the smell of a fragrance with an appropriate age. In fact, the only one I can think of right now is how Aramis seems appropriate only for old men. I don't have any associations of a fragrance being too young. There are plenty of fragrances I don't like, but it's not because I feel it doesn't fit my age.
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post #32 of 37
7/10/10 at 7:28pm
I gave away a perfectly good bottle of Aqua di Gio because it has a tendency to shout as though in a crowded dance club, which is a common venue for this fragrance. Being....more mature....by a couple decades I couldn't wear it anymore.
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post #33 of 37
7/10/10 at 7:31pm
I never think of fragrance in terms of young or old.....I make the choice, I make the purchase and I wear the scent.....Gary
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post #34 of 37
7/10/10 at 7:39pm
With regard to scents and forgetting marketing, I feel like most aqautics are too young for me.
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post #35 of 37
7/10/10 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pluran View Post

I wear what feels good.

If it doesn't feel good, I don't wear it.....

Totally agree.

I started wearing frags in my early teens, and all i wore (and all that was available) are called classics today. I certainly didn't feel old then. There seems to be some confusion between "casual" and "youthful". If i am too old to be casual, then i am in a very sad situation. At 48, if i liked Aqua di Gio well enough, i would certainly wear it with all pleasure. I do not lean towards the newer scents not because they are "youthful" or even "casual", but because they just are not as well made as in years past. Maybe thats the "old man" in me reminiscing

Here's a thought: apart from avid perfumistas, do we think other people can actually "date" a frag we wear? I think not. We either smell good to them, or we dont.
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post #36 of 37
7/11/10 at 12:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duncan View Post

I gave away a perfectly good bottle of Aqua di Gio because it has a tendency to shout as though in a crowded dance club, which is a common venue for this fragrance. Being....more mature....by a couple decades I couldn't wear it anymore.

I gave away my ADG for the same reason.
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post #37 of 37
7/11/10 at 1:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by perfaddict View Post

There seems to be some confusion between "casual" and "youthful".

Totally.
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