Update: A previous version of this story credited the photos to Carter Chang. They were taken by Ryan Burke-Stevenson.

At a young age, Michael Sawaqed developed an interest in various fragrances after having spent quality time with his older brother shopping for cologne. While Michael used to think he was one of the only guys wearing cologne at school, he’s noticed this year that many of his friends have started to do the same.

As cologne reviews and accounts focused specifically on fragrances gain popularity across social media, guys are sniffing out their cans of Axe body spray and replacing them with bottles of high-end cologne.

“More people are interested than you would expect,” Michael, now a senior, said. “Like, some of these accounts have millions of followers, millions of likes.”

Like many of his classmates, sophomore Dominic Vaughn was introduced to the world of fragrances after watching a YouTube video on the topic.

“I saw a lot of people talking about colognes, and I sort of got into them,” Dominic said. “Then I asked for my first cologne for Christmas a couple years ago and just started shopping for colognes and stuff after that.”

Besides initiating students’ interest in fragrances, social media also helps students, like sophomore Mo Lyi-Ojo, find new colognes. Mo started wearing cologne after his uncle gave him a bottle last year. Now, he relies on TikTok to introduce him to new scents. He even created an album on the app and filled it with colognes he hopes to buy.

Social media has also influenced sophomore Ty Quiles. While he first sought out cologne in shops because he wanted his own signature scent and to smell good, he now watches many TikTok reviews of scents with different purposes.

“There will be videos like, ‘Oh, this one cologne, you need this cologne to smell good, you need this cologne to talk to people,’” Ty said.

According to Michael, the newfound popularity of cologne has caused brands to begin advertising in different ways.

“A lot of brands are starting to make colognes and advertise colognes that are ‘safe scents,’ like office or school scents,” Michael said. “It’s not really associated by age but more with setting. So, school is a setting where there are going to be a lot of young people and students, so I think that’s where the advertising comes in.”

Other than social media, ninth grader Sulei Sufi believes the increased popularity of cologne is also due to word of mouth.

“If one person gets one idea, it kind of starts to bonfire,” Sulei said. “Everyone starts thinking about that and it becomes more popular.”

Ty said he thinks some teenagers have also developed an interest in colognes because of insecurities.

“I think it’s just because more people are becoming more self-conscious about themselves and like their image,” Ty said.

When looking into new colognes, Michael said it’s important to consider personal preferences instead of just listening to social media reviews.

“Definitely don’t blind buy anything just off what you hear online,” Michael said. “Either sample it, because there are a lot of sampling options online that are cheaper, or just go into a store and see what you like, see what smells good on your skin and see how long it lasts on your skin.”

And then start spraying.

This story was originally published on U-High Midway on November 3, 2023.