We Asked Young Cologne Collectors to Sample Fall’s Most Luxurious Men’s Fragrances

An abundance of recent reporting suggests that young guys— surprisingly young guys—are among the foremost collectors and connoisseurs of fine fragrances. So when our colleagues at SheKnows offered us the opportunity to ask a few members of their Teen Council about the state of cologne today, we jumped. Who better than these discerning young people, we thought, to weigh in on some of the scents we’re looking forward to wearing this fall ?

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We assembled a trio of these bottles (Gucci Guilty Essence, Mind Games Prodigy, and Frederic Malle’s new scent Hope), and asked a quartet of council members for their first impressions of each of them, without revealing what the bottle was first. We also asked where and when each scent would strike the right note, and whether they’d add them to their own collections. And it was hard not to be impressed by how well-versed each of the members was. Fifteen-year-old Clive, for example, immediately recognized the first bottle was part of the Gucci Guilty line, and identified the burning, woody notes of Frederic Malle’s Hope. Nineteen-year-old Finn picked up on the sweetness of Mind Games Prodigy, a gourmand conceived to evoke the inviting warmth of a cafe au lait.

But the big surprises came when we asked them to guess each bottle’s price. None of them came close. Hope, for instance, will set you back $1,140 for 100ml. Finn said he’d expect to pay $150 for a bottle of it—and might ask his mom to get it for him as a gift.

“Are you still asking your mom?” SheKnows’s VP of video, Reshma Gopaldas, asked Finn after we revealed the price. “No, definitely not,” he replied.

You can watch the full video above. For a closer look at each fragrance, keep scrolling.

Gucci Guilty Essence EDT

A continuation of Gucci’s ultra-masculine fragrance line, Essence plays up the flagship’s alluring combination of flowers, wood, and amber. There’s a light touch of orange blossom here, alongside a fresh, soothing lavender and a grounding base of patchouli.

Mind Games Prodigy Extrait de Parfum

Mind Games’s chess-themed collection of ultra-concentrated scents added this coffee-forward fragrance earlier this summer. But it also has alluring doses of spice and wood, including cinnamon and sandalwood, all wrapped up in a rose absolute. It’s available in a limited-edition crystal flacon right now, but if you can wait until October 15, a standard $475 bottle is coming.

Frederic Malle Hope EDP

Perfumer Dominique Ropion’s contribution to Frederic Malle’s Desert Gems collection is a rich ode to the emotion we all rely on. It uses oud, leather, smoke, balancing those heavy hitters with cypress, juniper, and pink peppercorn. It’s surprisingly elegant, but not at all understated, and leaves a lingering sillage that’ll keep you on people’s minds.