Mature Fragrances: Do Our Tastes In Fragrances Change With Age?

First fragrances are as fleeting as first loves

Your first fragrances are like your first romances. They soon fade away. As we grow up a bit, we home in on mainstream fragrances which are put together in a way designed to appeal to the largest number of people. Did you have the same experience?

During this period of our lives, us girls go for sweeter or fresher fruity fragrances or simpler fruity-floral compositions in lighter concentrations in the form of body sprays or Eaux de Toilette. Not only do they not last for long, but they soon lose their appeal as everyone is wearing something similar. Meaning we have to look further afield. 

Well-known brands and further levels of fragrance maturity

Next comes our first job and living with someone who deserves us. And we finally deserve a proper fragrance. £15 bottles are long gone and we no longer shy away from spending £100 on a fragrance. How great is it to hear, “Wow, you smell amazing; is that the new Prada?” Right?

Light Eaux de Toilette no longer cut it; it’s good to be ‘seen’, so we go for Eaux de Parfum. Something a touch refined. No longer do we need to have three or four flacons; we’re beginning to understand that even two is enough – when they’re worth it. Even unisex products are an option. Because it’s time to discover our own unique fragrance personality. And men? At this point many men realise that wearing a spray deodorant is no longer enough, and they start to discover the world of real fragrances: aftershave and Eaux de Toilette. And perfumes. Unisex fragrances too. 

Does a real perfume equal maturity?

When does ‘maturity’ arrive in the fragrance world? When we choose our first real perfume. When we stop being scared of intensity, full compositions and the feeling that this is not for us. When we go and invest. In ourselves. In quality. Not in the best-known brands, but perhaps in a niche fragrance from a smaller producer that we know no-one will recognise. And we won’t give a damn. 

When does this phase arrive? For some it’s after having children. For others it happens when they travel halfway around the world and realise that trying to find yourself on every continent makes no sense, because the essence of your life is elsewhere. It comes with life experience, maturity and a real understanding of oneself. With the courage to say NO, we don’t want that, and YES whenever we feel like it. When we know our boundaries. Yet are not scared to sometimes surpass them.

And what about when age is no longer important?

When you start to say that ‘age is just a number’, you already know your own tastes. If it’s a fragrance that you’ve loved for twenty years, don’t leave it just because it has a new edition. Protect what you love, if you really love it. A fragrance can help you stop time, in its own way. On the other hand, they can’t work miracles. Choose with consideration and wisdom – which is not the same as being boring and unadventurous. 

And what about men? They either stick to their favourite brands or mature into something even more elegant – deeper woody notes or a spicy oriental fragrance. Have you noticed this too?

By the way, which stage of your fragrance life are you in right now? Which fragrances are you wearing right now and which are on your wish list?