The Tamesis
The idea of a single, iconic scent has long dominated the men’s fragrance market, with long-term bestsellers such as Dior Sauvage, Bleu De Chanel or Creed Aventus dominating the field. But today, this model is evolving. A new generation of consumers is embracing a more fluid, personalized mindset—layering scents, rotating between fragrances, and creating aftershave collections that evolve with their mood and identity. In the process, they are redefining the meaning and business opportunities of branded fragrances.
According to Mintel, 75% of Gen Z men say they layer multiple scents, representing a shift toward a more modular approach to fragrance. “The shift is real,” says Eudora Nwasike, a fragrance expert certified by the British Fragrance Foundation. “Men are moving away from the idea of a single signature scent and toward more self-expression. Layering provides a sense of creativity and individuality.”
Like many men’s grooming trends, fragrance layering is driven by social media. Viral social media trends like #Smellmaxxing—the pursuit of optimizing scent through layering and daily use—reflect this shift, as does the rise of #FragHeads, a highly engaged online community of fragrance enthusiasts who share layering recommendations. This behavior is largely driven by young consumers, the majority of whom are men, who own a range of niche and luxury fragrances that serve as both a status symbol and a form of self-expression – designing fragrances through stacking, layering and conventional building across multiple product categories. Compared to younger generations, only 3% of Gen X and older men reported trying scent layering.
“Younger consumers are no longer focused on a single fragrance,” says Olivia Houghton, director of beauty, health and wellness at strategic foresight consultancy Future Lab. “Instead, they actively layer and combine odors to build more flexible odor profiles that change with mood, context and intention.”
Fragrance brands are responding. “Layering has gone from a niche behavior to a true design essential,” says Jean Holtzmann, chief brand officer at Coty. “The question brands are asking now is not ‘What should this fragrance smell like?’ The question is ‘What should it work with?'”
Holtzmann said the shift is already evident across Coty’s product portfolio, from Chloé’s Atelier des Fleurs designed with layering in mind to Calvin Klein’s hair and body sprays designed to complement its signature musk. New launches from Coty, such as Adidas Vibes, reflect the current demand for mood-led, multi-product fragrance routines. In Holzman’s words, this pivot provides consumers with “a system rather than a single product.”
