From showers to signature scents: Youth are embracing fragrances

Just like the divisive smell of durian, the topic of whether Singaporeans should shower in the morning almost broke the internet here.

Thousands of Singaporeans on TikTok voiced their opinions, with the majority agreeing that morning showers are necessary and shaming those who don’t.

Whether it was Showergate or Singapore’s perennial hot and humid climate, what lingered long after was a heightened awareness of smelling good.

After all, no one wants to be the reason TikTok calls out odorous people on the MRT.

Interviews with 11 youth, business owners and experts found that some young people have developed a keen nose for fragrances. Soap, water and deodorant just aren’t enough.

And, surprisingly, it is the boys and also men who are taking a liking to collecting fragrances.

The rise in popularity of buying and wearing fragrances among boys and young men can be attributed to the many male fragrance creators on TikTok and the trend of “smellmaxxing”, where adolescent boys shell out hundreds of dollars on designer perfumes to wear, mainly to boost their confidence.

Eshaan Rai, 16, a graduating student from Mayflower Secondary School, knows of friends and secondary school seniors who have collections of up to 20 bottles. He, too, gives reviews on his Instagram page, eshaans_perfume.

Under the hashtag #fragrancetok on TikTok, there are more than 600,000 videos all about smelling good and collecting fragrances.

Alongside bigger names like Jeremy Fragrance – German influencer Daniel Schutz, 36, who has over 10 million followers – and Singapore’s own scentmike, whose real name is Michael Ngo, 18, with more than 100,000 followers, some students have also found their niche.

Leung Leng Kai Joel, 15, a Sec 3 student from Canberra Secondary School, sells decants of fragrances he owns on Telegram and Carousell to earn money to buy more fragrances.

“I just thought: I already have so many fragrances, so why not share some?” he said.

In addition to selling decants of fragrances, Joel has also garnered a following on TikTok for his fragrance reviews. Going by jofooterfrag on TikTok, he makes short-form skits and in-depth reviews, and has garnered close to 2,000 followers since starting in April.

He wants to encourage Singaporeans to care more about smelling good and the impression they give others.

Another local fragrancetokker is Jaiveer Raaj Singh, 13, who goes by jiffy_nose_best on Instagram and TikTok. He has gained close to 1,200 followers on TikTok and close to 120 followers on Instagram since starting his accounts in June.

The Sec 1 student from Kent Ridge Secondary School has a collection of 100 full-sized bottles of perfume, with individual bottles costing anywhere from $150 to $800.

He was inspired to start collecting fragrances after a trip to Dubai to visit his relatives, where he discovered his uncle’s perfume collection. However, his motivation for starting a TikTok page was from seeing more fragrancetok videos on the video-sharing social network.

“My TikTok FYP (For You Page) got flooded with all these perfume videos,” he said. He added that creators, giving four examples like thecologneboy, thenoelthomas, fbfragrances and scentmike gave him the inspiration to start his own page.

For Joel and Jaiveer, who are also friends, viewers comment on their videos and suggest other fragrances they should review, while others reach out to say that the duo’s content has made them start caring about smelling good.

When asked about why young people are obsessed with fragrances, Singapore Polytechnic (SP) perfumery and cosmetic science lecturer Jon Chua said that wanting to stand out could be one reason.

“Gen Z sees fragrance as a personal identity marker – an extension of mood or aesthetic – and so they explore scents more actively than previous generations as a form of self-expression,” said the lecturer.

He added that 10 years ago, the market was dominated by large designer houses and celebrity launches, with consumers largely following mainstream trends. Today, growth is driven by niche brands, storytelling and personalisation, matching Gen Z’s priorities when shopping for scents.

Said SP student Lee Dayeon: “My selection of perfume portrays me as a person, in a way.”

Inspired by her mum, Ms Lee added that she normally shops with her, receiving advice on how to pick scents that will make the 19-year-old stand out.

Meanwhile, Eshaan pairs his scent with his outfit. He said: “Normally, I also look at what colour I am wearing.” He added that if he is wearing blue, he will typically choose a lighter, fresher scent. For him, wearing a fragrance that matches his outfit is his way of accessorising.

“Once you wear your outfit, it’s important to accessorise yourself at the end because it can add a lot to your outfit,” he said.

This trend of wanting to be unique and stand out has led to the opening of do-it-yourself perfume bars in Singapore. “More than 50 perfume bars have opened in Singapore,” estimated Ms Prachi Saini Garg, 51, founder of Scentopia, a DIY perfume bar where patrons create scents based on a personality test.

Other home-grown brands include Sifr Aromatics, Nowlater Studio and PerfumePlay

Ms Prachi said Gen Zs now want something that is truly their own, which has fuelled the trend of customising their own signature scents.

At Scentopia, customers get hands-on and mix their own perfume which they can take home, as part of the $125 ticket price for a 100ml bottle, or $95 for a 50ml bottle.

DIY perfume bars are also available online, where customers can read descriptions of available scents, including notes on their scent profile, and mix and match them. For example, Lynk Fragrances, a Singapore-based company that sells home fragrance products like candles and diffusers as well as personal care items like hand sanitiser, offers an online DIY fragrance bar, with a 10ml bottle of Extrait perfume priced at $29.90.

Ms Tan Wan Yi Abigail, 20, a recent graduate from Republic Polytechnic, recently participated in a DIY perfume experience and said she really enjoyed it.

“I love the fact that everyone comes out with a scent that is uniquely theirs,” she said.