It seems like men’s body wash and deodorant used to come in one of three fragrances: Sport, Ice or Mountain Air. They weren’t exactly inspiring, worlds apart from the exemplary colognes that serious obsessives choose to wear. But over the past several years, those lines have blurred to the point where I now find myself writing things like, “Should you decide to skip your cologne, this deodorant smells just as good.”
I first noticed it with brands like Salt & Stone and Corpus Naturals. Their deodorants smelled less like Arctic Blast Extreme and more like miniature works of olfactory art, complete with top, heart and base notes. Soon, body washes, shampoos, hair styling products and even toothpaste followed suit, with palo santo, bergamot, vetiver and other notes appearing in products previously expected to smell merely “fresh.”
Today, brands like Horace, Selahatin, Flamingo Estate and countless others sit comfortably alongside niche fragrance houses, treating scent as a defining trait rather than an afterthought. Men’s grooming products are now just as interesting as colognes.
Fragrance Enthusiasts Can’t Stop Talking About the Cult of Ffern
The British fragrance house has built a following through seasonal releases, natural ingredients, meticulous storytelling and seriously good scentsThat evolution didn’t happen by chance. “This reflects the maturation of the fragrance market,” says Leila Zagwolsky, fragrance expert and the CEO and co-founder of LUXSB. “Consumers are looking for more than a product — they are looking for an experience. They seek the same level of artistry and emotional connection from grooming products they once reserved for fine fragrance.”
Charlie-James Taylor, co-founder of 1996Comms, has watched that shift reshape the category firsthand. “Grooming has become much more of a ritual, with people building complete scent routines rather than treating fragrance as an afterthought,” he says. “We now expect body washes, shampoos, deodorants and hair products to deliver the same level of creativity and storytelling as the fragrances we wear.”
So how did men’s grooming go from generic fumes to fragrance pyramids? Much of the answer lies in the rise of niche perfumery, increasingly fragrance-savvy consumers and brands realizing the products we use daily often warrant the same level of scent consideration as the colognes on our shelves.
Niche Fragrance Raised the Bar
If there’s one main catalyst behind all of this, it’s the rise of niche fragrance. Just as the body sprays and shampoos of the ’90s mirrored the era’s ubiquitous fresh aquatics, today’s grooming products are taking their cues from artisanal perfumery. Unexpected notes and more sophisticated scent pyramids are no longer reserved just for the fragrance counter. Guys want to smell more unique than ever, and with more fragrance houses launching than I can keep up with, aficionados like me are constantly discovering new creations.
“Over the last decade, brands like Le Labo and Byredo changed those expectations,” Taylor says. “They introduced consumers to more alluring notes, more complex compositions and the idea that fragrance could be a form of self-expression. Once people connect with those notes, it’s natural they want to experience them beyond fine fragrance.”
Zagwolsky has seen that shift firsthand, too. “People are searching for something unique, personal and luxurious,” she says. “Consumers want craftsmanship, storytelling and a scent that feels like it belongs to them.” It’s okay if that body wash or deodorant smells pleasant, but it’s even more appealing when it exists in the same realm as your personal fragrance.
We Became Fragrance Nerds
If niche perfume lit the match, social media poured gasoline on the fire. FragranceTok, Reddit, Fragrantica and an army of YouTube reviewers transformed fragrance from something you simply bought into something you actively explored. Guys aren’t just looking for a decent cologne anymore. They’re learning about notes, discovering cool, independent fragrance houses and building signature scent wardrobes.
“Discovery has become an educational journey,” Zagwolsky says. “[Consumers] are no longer simply sharing what they’re wearing — they’re discussing perfumers, ingredients, fragrance families, accords and the stories behind each composition.”
“Social media and online fragrance communities have only accelerated that kind of curiosity, encouraging people to discover new notes and explore fragrance in greater depth,” Taylor adds.
Once you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of incense, verdant tones, smoky vetiver or oud, it’s hard to get excited about a body wash called Sport Extreme. And as our collective fragrance vocabulary has expanded, it only makes sense that we’d expect the rest of our grooming products to keep up.
Grooming Brands Started Thinking Like Fragrance Houses
You could see it happening first among smaller, niche players before eventually reaching the shelves of your local drugstore. Cremo was one of the early, respected standouts. The first time I smelled its Palo Santo collection, my mind went straight to the kind of warm, woody compositions I’d normally associate with a fragrance house. It wasn’t a copy, but it was clear that fine fragrance had begun to influence grooming brands both large and small. These aren’t personal fragrances, but they’re built around more interesting notes, giving fragrance enthusiasts like myself another way to get our olfactory fix. “They’re built around carefully considered top, heart and base notes that evolve as you wear them, creating depth and character,” says Shannon Travis, co-founder at 1996comms.
“Today, consumers are more knowledgeable and curious about fragrance than ever before,” says Benita Kapadia, senior brand manager at Cremo. “They’re talking about individual notes, discovering new scent profiles and looking beyond traditional ideas of what men’s fragrance should smell like.” Rather than relying on the banal scent profiles that once dominated men’s grooming, a brand like Cremo approaches fragrance “with the same level of thought and craftsmanship you would expect from a fine fragrance.” When a brand calls out accords or even the perfumer behind a product, it’s a good indication that the scent was thoughtfully constructed rather than an afterthought.
The Rise of the Scent Wardrobe
Grooming products are no longer just supporting your fragrance — they’ve become part of the ritual. Years ago, I was skeptical of anything too heavily scented, as I didn’t want it to compete with whatever cologne I planned to wear. Today, brands are designing those products to work together, partly because the way we wear fragrance has evolved, too. “Layering has become one of the biggest trends because consumers are no longer thinking about fragrance as a single product — they’re building a complete scent wardrobe,” Zagwolsky says.
Travis sees the same evolution, noting that consumers are increasingly “viewing scent as something that’s built through multiple touchpoints across their routine.” She points to brands like Salt & Stone and Saltair, whose coordinated body care and fragrance collections create a “compelling 360-degree fragrance experience as part of a broader fragrance wardrobe.”
Frankly, some grooming products smell so good they deserve to be appreciated on their own merits. Crack open one of Flamingo Estate’s gloriously scented brick soaps or spend a few minutes with one of LAFCO’s, and it becomes obvious these are not just functional cleansers: They’re an experience. “A beautifully scented body wash, deodorant or lotion can enhance and extend the fragrance journey by creating additional layers,” Zagwolsky says.
Of course, thoughtful layering only works when restraint is part of the equation. I still prefer my cologne to be the main event, with everything else supporting it (or no other scents at all), rather than creating an olfactory murk. “A body wash, antiperspirant and cologne each have a different job to do, but the fragrance should remain recognizable and well-balanced in every format,” Kapadia says.
Every product has a role, but none of them has to steal the show. The best grooming brands give guys new ways to experience fragrance in a routine or mix complementary notes in a way that feels intentional and uniquely their own.
Looking to the Future
That bottle of body wash or stick of deodorant is no longer just there to get you clean or keep odor at bay. These products are increasingly becoming small luxuries that bookend the day and shape how we experience scent before we even reach for the cologne. As Zagwolsky puts it, consumers are no longer simply asking, “Does this smell good?” They’re asking, “How does this make me feel?” That, perhaps, is the biggest shift of all.
And that evolution is likely just beginning. “As consumers increasingly seek cohesive routines and premium everyday experiences, I think we’ll continue to see grooming become more fragrance-led while fragrance brands expand into adjacent self-care categories,” Travis says. For a fragrance enthusiast, that’s a future I can get behind.
About the Experts
Leila Zagwolsky is a fragrance expert and the CEO and co-founder of LUXSB (Luxury Scent Box), a fragrance discovery subscription platform.
Shannon Travis and Charlie-James Taylor are co-founders of 1996comms.
Benita Kapadia is senior brand manager at Cremo.
Meet your guide
More Like This
This article appeared in an InsideHook newsletter. Sign up for free to get more on travel, wellness, style, drinking, and culture..
