We Asked 4 Teen Boys To Test These New Fall Fragrances — Here’s What They Had To Say

No matter what, teens will always have autonomy over what’s cool. It’s like their right of passage for having to go through all the woes of puberty while being close to adulthood but still far from it. And for this generation of cool teens, the guys seem to know all about what’s “in” when it comes to fragrance . Gone are the days when an overpowering AXE Body Spray could suffice. Now, they’re more locked in than ever — hitting up Sephora stores and perfume counters to find their go-to scent.

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Because we wanted to stay ahead of the trends, we sought some aroma help. As part of SheKnows’s Be a Man series, we collaborated with the editors at Robb Report and tapped four guys ages 15-20 to give three new colognes debuting this month the sniff test, from an iconic brand that launched a signature eau de toilette that smells “fresh” (according to our testers) to a pricey scent that’s perfect for date night. The catch? We didn’t tell them what they were smelling beforehand. How closely did they guess the correct fragrance notes? And how closely (ahem, or not ) were they on the price point of each one? Check out what our testers had to say — and how to get your hands on one of these new fragrances before the holiday season . Who knows? Maybe one of these colognes will be the perfect gift for the teen boy in your life, and you’ll have these guys to thank for that.

Gucci Guilty Essence Eau de Toilette in 1.6 ounces

When most of the guys smelled Gucci Guilty’s latest Essence scent , “Fresh” came to mind. Theo, 14, said, “This might be an everyday wear in the summer; it reminds me of a forest.” It has key notes of lavender, orange flowers, and cedarwood for a light, earth scent that Zach, 20, said reminded him of “waking up and going to school. Getting myself ready, preparing myself to be fresh for the day.”

Mind Games Prodigy

As the brand name would suggest, this new fragrance by Mind Games will have your brain questioning what exactly that smell is. Most of the boys enjoyed the scent but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it smelled like to them. “Oh, this is a complex fragrance; there’s a lot of notes going on,” Clive, 15, said while trying to describe its scent. Finn, 19, described it as a “nighttime vibe” and said, “It’s a little sweeter, a little warmer.” It has earthy notes of sandalwood blended with Madagascar vanilla, Longoza blossom, rose absolute, cinnamon bark, and bergamots.

Frédéric Malle Hope by Dominique Ropion in 100ml

“This is definitely for a date night; I would not have this for everyday wear,” Theo said, smelling Dominique Ropion’s new Hope fragrance . It has base notes of amber and leather that bleed into oud oil and finish with pink pepper and juniper oil.

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