Fragrance Addict at Just 19 years old? Is This Normal?

I have seen it many times over the past four decades. More normal than you think.

I'm sure everyone would first wonder where you are getting all the money to purchase so many expensive fragrances at such a young age. Is it your money or mainly your parents? If it's mainly from your parents, are they complaining?

Is it normal? Well, probably not, considering most guys your age aren't obsessively into colognes. But is that a problem? It is if you're spending so much money on fragrances that you aren't able to pay for other things you are responsible for. But if you're acquiring all these fragrances and it's causing no financial hardship, then I'd say you are simply in the same boat as many other people here, but simply at a younger age. Nobody here NEEDS so many fragrances, it's simply a want or desire.

If you're really wanting to control your purchasing of fragrances, one of the best steps would be to quit frequenting this board. Sad, but true.

In many ways, I was already a fragrance addict at 14, with little or no interruptions, and I only wished I would have known about Creed back then (though the main designer scents available during these days, many of whom pre-reformulation, were not too bad either).

My suggestions would be, among other hints, to possibly branch put more into designer scents, a bit more affordable than niche without any significant loss in quality, plus to follow sales, trustworthy, Internet retailers, plus fragrance sales/swap boards/forums/sites/portals etc.

Enjoy a definitely well-adjusted and, at least in my perspective, quite rewarding hobby!

*g* I don't think it's any more abnormal than being obsessed with anything else. I mean, it's unusual to spend hundreds of dollars on perfumes, sure. But how many your age would (if they could) spend hundreds of dollars on their project car, or sporting gear of some kind? I'm guessing a lot, having your "thing" that you're passionate about isn't abnormal.

Totally agreed!

My buddy in high school put WAY more money into his hot rod than you'll likely put into fragrances for years.

I *loved* fragrance as much as I do now, back then. I just didn't know how to deal with it. I thought it was only OK to own 2 or 3 bottles max.

There's only one thing which I would say. Don't obsessively back up your favorites, and then worry that they aren't in cryonic storage until 5000 AD. That can take you into a bad place. Two words. fragrance survivalist

Put another way, you should never *worry* about fragrance. Just experience the joy that can come from a diverse fragrance experience.

And it should never become more important than other stuff like your friends. Bottom line - if your house catches fire, you save the dog and let the frags all burn.

My first question is, how soon are you likely to use up these fragrances? Soon enough to justify extra bottles? In my case, I don't use a lot of sprays per wearing, and I have about seventy different fragrances, so I will _never_ use up a bottle. I buy the very smallest bottle available, and don't buy backups.

I understand the worry that you could use up any amount, but on the other hand, _you're_ the one who's using them up. You can keep an eye on the level in the bottle, and when it goes down to a certain amount, you can start using the fragrance more sparingly. You won't be able to use it lavishly and frequently, but you won't have the risk of never smelling it again.

Careful...I don't see why you would want so many bottles of the same fragrance. I'd prefer to use up whatever I have, and repurchase later so that I know I have a fresh batch. Some people do back up difficult-to-find fragrances. Personally, I always so, "if they're off the market, they're off the market." I'll just end up finding something else that I like better anyways.

Its never a crime to invest time and money into something that you are passionate about just as long as you recognize the opportunity cost of all those creed fragrances lol

As a parent I would rather you spend your money on watches and frags than say booze etc etc- At your age I would be suggesting perhaps dabble in the odd long-term collectable, just like wine they 'may' increase in value, just so long as you feel you are in control of your spending patterns. I suspect there are many teens in America who are considered very normal whilst spending a fortune on designer clothes which will be out of fashion and 'unwearable' after a few outings.

I think it's healthy that you are aware enough to ask these questions. It's also reassuring to see a 19 year old stringing together coherent sentences.

If you haven't already, take a look at this Basenotes forum:

http://www.basenotes.net/forums/12-E...e-Abuse-Clinic

Cheers . . . Wally

i think that u have lacking of female attention and think that this fragrances will help you with that its normal and good chance end with your virginity

This may be the best advice I've ever seen on Basenotes. Listen to this guy.

It's an alcohol addiction. I think you need to see a doctor about this.

It's perfectly fine. I'm 17 years old and have 14 full bottles of various fragrances, plus several decants of niche fragrances. I've always been fascinated by smells and fragrances since I was a little kid and I love this hobby, its fun and the art of perfumery is something that intrigues me. I think fragrance is an important representation as to who you are and is an important accessory in your overall self (speaking in terms of grooming/hygiene).

I think being able to appreciate this art and collecting at a young age is a good thing and gives you more time to explore a variety of different scents/houses. Some people may find it weird, yes, that people such as myself and you are very into fragrances, it's a harmless hobby as long as you are smart about it and it doesn't become an obsession that strains your finances. I also have a part time job and on occasion buy a fragrance I really love/enjoy as long as my finances are secure enough to let me have some financial freedom to purchase other things as purchasing fragrances should most definitely not where most of your funds end up going too. I also get many fragrances from family for occasions such as the holidays and my birthday, which helps to trim down my list of most wanted scents. Being smart and buying decants also helps to save money and gives you plenty of juice. Dior Ambre Nuit is my favourite fragrance and the price of the bottle is quite expensive, so I opted for a 50 ml decant which will last awhile and helped me to save a lot of cash. Just be smart and know your limit.

Don't think that a hobby as innocent as this is "isn't normal" because people find pleasure and enjoyment from the strangest things that most others will never understand, enjoy, sit back and explore all there is to offer in the fragrance world

As the daughter of a hoarder, this does worry me, and I would suggest that you start taking some actions to alter this situation. Not huge, life-changing actions, just small actions to reduce the odds of happiness-limiting issues in the future.

Hoarding is, in very large part, driven by an intolerance of risk. The risk that you'll run out, the risk that you'll want whatever the thing is, the risk that you'll wish you bought it, the risk that you'll be sorry you got rid of it, risk risk risk.

But life is full of risk. If you had a hundred bottles of a fragrance, you'd still have the risk that they'd go bad, the risk that they'd be stolen. You could do something about those risks, and then you'd think of more risks, and you'd feel driven to do something about them.

The risk in this case is trivial - what will really happen to you if you can't smell a favorite fragrance, even if you can never smell it again? You won't starve, get fired, or die. You'll feel dismayed. You'll have a moment, or several moments, of anger or dismay. Now and then, you might feel a pang as you remember that fragrance. But you'll be OK.

You're driven to reduce that relatively minor risk. I think that you should resist that drive.

It's the process of acting to reduce relatively minor risks that is, in my eyes, dangerous. Because when you keep on acting to reduce those risks, you're soothing your mind, convincing it more and more that it can't tolerate risks, making it less and less tolerant of risks. By wrapping yourself in safegurds to ensure that you'll never experience that "Fragrance X is gone forever!" moment, you convince your brain that that moment is something to fear. And that drives it to seek to eliminate more and more unlikely risks.

The danger here is the slippery slope, the growth of the habit. So I'd suggest that you consciously, deliberately, accept some risk, that you put firm boundaries on your risk-reducing habits. For example, let's say that you'll allow yourself to have one (extra) bottle each of your five favorite fragrances, and that will be it for backup bottles. If you pick a new favorite, then the spare of one of the old five get sold away. Now, it doesn't have to be one bottle and five, but it should be a limit, a limit that you feel.

What if you discover that you chose the wrong five and you're sorry as you get to the last half of another bottle? That's the point - experiencing that risk is the point. It's a tolerable risk. You still have the original bottle, and when it gets down to, say, one-third full, you can use that fragrance less often. The risk is small. And because it's so small, it's not a good idea to work too hard to soothe it away.

Mom got to the point in her life where she could not bear any risk, and that intolerance narrowed her life to a smaller, and smaller, and smaller circle - while her house filled up and became more and more a place that welcomed no one but her. I'm not saying that you're going to end up on an episode of Hoarders when you're forty, but I am saying that it's just not good to feed an intolerance for the small risks of life.

Edited to add: I feel that I wasn't clear enough about one element of this that is, to me, important. Up to a certain insane number of bottles, the first bottle of a new fragrance increases your joy in life. It's driven by eagerness for an experience, pleasure in your collection - joy. But the _backup_ bottle of a fragrance is, IMO, driven by fear. I'm in favor of joy, as long as it's not financially or otherwise destructive. Catering to fear is what I'm trying to persuade you away from.

Not sure why you need multiple bottles of everything, but when that collector's urge kicks in...

There are worse things you could be spending your money on, I suppose.

BTW, this probably isn't the best place to gauge what is normal. Normal for a basenoter or normal for the wider community? Hanging out with Basenoters (classic enablers) isn't likely to help you use less fragrance, not that there's anything wrong with that.

I wanto to know what part time job you have! (Rhetorical, it is rude to ask.)

But seriously, those bottles on the OP are not hard to find. The only one that you would want to back up is the infamously variable Aventus if you found a batch you love. But 3? I have only heard of 3-FB backup on newly discontinued frags.

But to answer your question- it is normal to become obsessed with hobbies at any age.

Nothing at all abnormal about being into fragrances at your age. I got into it at around age 14 and it has been progressing since.

The only thing I would deem to be slightly abnormal / uneccessary is having multiple bottles of the same fragrance. Especially as there is a vast array of fragrances out their to be explored and enjoyed, to instead put your money in buying duplicates is not what I would recommend.

Dior Homme Intense is certainly not difficult to find, normal department stores sell them.

19 and addicted also!

I say stock up now while you can, before you hit the real world and maybe can't afford them. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you to use it all up. Buy as much as you can whenever you can.

I buy backup bottles of beloved fragrances that are discontinued/reformulated or likely to be, but not of other fragrances. I have multiples of some and none of others. It isn't the sort of hoarding that takes over your life if you are selective.

And I even sell the backup bottles if I find that my interest in that fragrance wanes.

Try to enjoy the hobby and not let it drive you. As long as the tail isn't wagging the dog, you're good.

Well put. If these bottles are all the largest 100, 120 or 125ml sizes you probably won't need all these back ups if you actually use many from your collection regularly.

Come on chaps, give him a break.. He's 19 and probably bathes in the stuff like every other teenager- That's normal for teenagers in the U.K.

Will a bottle that one started three years ago turn bad?

Is this normal? No, but I don't really consider any of us who frequent this site to be "normal" So, not normal to a typical 19 yr old old, but for someone who has found a passion for fragrance I think you're OK. A bit excessive with the multiple bottles, but as long as you're not going broke or doing nefarious things to afford your habit you should be fine.

I worry a little about the use of the word "obsession", maybe if that was changed to "passion" it would be better, but it also could be a matter of translation.

The fact that you are concerned might cause some concern. Do you have anything else that you tend to own a lot of or even horde?

If I were you I would make a rule that you should own only ONE bottle of each fragrance. After all at your age it is inevitable that you will find other fragrances that will be just as good and even better than the ones you love now.

Chickenfreak makes some very good points, and none of the items I see on your list are all that difficult to find in this ever shrinking world. Besides, imagine how bad you would feel if your backup bottles turned and were rendered useless. I did a similar thing where I saved my favorite frags and only wore them on ultra special occasions, then I noticed 2 of my bottles had turned and I was devastated.

Self control might be a wise thing But congrats on being one of us and sharing our passion

I guess i started late. Glad didn't start earlier since it can be an expensive hobby, especially when you start niche (like amouage)