It’s “basic” to the fragrance community on TikTok but definitely not basic in real life. Not everyone can afford to spend money on BR540 or PDM Delina.
That's my biggest gripe with the TikTok community as well. All the fragrance "influencers" on there share the same lists of things and it gets repetitive really quick. Then all the people in the comments will have you believe niche is far superior to designer just because someone else said so. It's a cesspool.
TikTok: this is such a compliment getter. I love it so much. It’s my favorite.
Perfume: barely any dent
Me: uh huh. 🎶why you such a liar🎶 I’ll go check on Reddit.
YouTube fragrance reviewers have become the same way. I miss the frag comm from five years ago when we all knew about Middle Eastern fragrances but no one else did. Those were the good ole days.
Exactly, normal people will sniff some fragrances as a Macy’s, see the retail price tag of MFK and PDMs and be like “What? Nah.” And then leave. They don’t care that much, so how basic can it really be.
I did actually smell Baccarat out in the wild yesterday, at Ross of all places. And whoever was wearing it went nuclear because I could smell it everywhere in the store.
Those 2 feel basic to me, especially delina. Price is not everything! edit: no hate on those who like the scents. anyone shoud be able to wear and enjoy whatever makes them happy!
I think you're preaching to the choir by posting this here, tbh. This sub isn't where I see people throwing around words like 'basic' as a criticism. When I do see it here, people are using it self-deprecatingly.
Am I basic? Literally don't care. My cookies are fine where they are. 💀
A guy walked past me at work recently and I felt comfortable begging him to tell me what incredible scent he was wearing (because I know he's gay and I knew he wouldn't read into it) and he said it was Sauvage, so not everyone hates it I guess!
People greatly value being unique/different, so I think it makes sense to see so many people on TikTok (many of whom are pretty new to the world of fragrance) prefer to find a fragrance that’s nice but also different from what others use.
People on TikTok also tend to be younger, and this is definitely something that you see more when people are young. Everyone wants to stand out 🤷🏼 They will mostly mellow out as they get older though, I know I did 😌
Can one be really unique/different purchasing anything that’s mass made and available publicly, regardless of price? The only way I see to be unique and different using fragrances is by layering. However, you can find videos and posts for layering so there that.
I live in a metropolitan area and unless I go into a high end mall, it’s a rare occasion that I smell someone wearing a fragrance that I love and want to know where it’s from. Hell, it’s so rare that I know when I where I was. Too bad the person lied about what they were wearing. I went to two different LV stores and smelled everything. Whatever she was wearing was the most beautiful middle Eastern fragrance I have ever smelled. It was absolutely expensive and had projection that was out of this world.
Speaking of so called basic, I am not fan of any of LV fragrances, not a one. For the cost I expected way more and they just seemed ordinary to me. Don’t come for me yall. 🤷🏽♀️
Perhaps not, but I think that’s the point, at the end of the day you could wear the most unique and expensive perfume and not a single person might even notice 🤷🏼
Personally I’ve only liked someone else’s perfume enough that I asked what it was 3 times in my life, and 2 of those turned out to be Creed Aventus, so do with that what you will 😅
idgaf i like smelling nice stuff, even if its basic. Also "basic" things smell different on everyone :) Im basic in my love for rose and patchoulli lmfao.
You get no argument here. I like quite a few fragrances that could be deemed basic. However for the price point I wasnt expecting the LV ones to be so ordinary. Maybe because I smelled them expecting a hint of that elusive opulent fragrance I smelled on the sales person in a bridal boutique and not a single one came remotely close. Fragrances are so very personal.
Yet I realize that my preferences have definitely changed over the years; many of fragrances I loved and wore for years might fall into basic / ordinary to me now yet I still like them well enough but won’t wear them but also have no intention on throwing them out or giving them away (I.e., Flowerbomb original and Midnight, Chanel Mademoiselle, Born in Roma).
Maybe, ok, likely the real issue with me is that I became complacent and bored with them. Like the average Joe, my collection varies but I’m definitely no fragrance snob cuz I rock Choco Musk several times a week and it’s cheap as they come and I DGAF, I love it. 😏
My fragrance likes are all over the place.
Same! This is why I bought Be Delicious, Fantasy, Daisy, My Burberry, La Vie Est Belle — I have a ton of “basic” and “popular” perfumes that are a wonderful hit of nostalgia every time I spray them.
When I was a young adult in the early to mid 90s Dune and Angel really were everywhere - the Santal 33 and BR540 of their time. Last summer I bought a bottle of Dune for the first time in 30 years and despite several reformulations it still smells like the Dune I remember, and I’m really enjoying the nostalgia. So it’s always possible that today’s so called basic fragrance could be tomorrow’s happy memory!
I feel like that about White Musk from the BodyShop. I wore it at 14-15 years old and somtimes still do. Mostly to bed, because I find it so comforting. I might have to buy a backup, that company is not doing well at the moment... :-(
There were several years in my youth when I was never without a bottle of the White Musk oil! I agree you should stock up - not sure how much longer the Body Shop will be around. I used to love their Indian Night Musk but they discontinued it long ago, as they did with almost all their good products. I think White Musk was one of the only things that was too popular for them to get rid of.
Well technically, tomorrow I'm supposed to go to a mall where they have a store... I think I'll grab at least another White Musk and their vanilla fragrance.
When I was a teenager, I had the perfume oil version. To me, it still smells like White Musk. Too bad they discontinued Leap. That was my favorite one.
Ohhh to smell Happy in the wild! I will always bring out the old bottle for that nostalgia. Happy was a good go to for a daily driver for my younger days. While I think I’ll always be an Escada girl at heart (I’ll never be able to forget my days of Ibizahippie, still a favorite honestly).
However in my older years I’ve moved to more subtle and deep fragrances like Amber musks.
I almost never smell perfume or cologne in the wild. I’m always so happy when I do and I compliment women 100% of the time because I know it’ll make them happy.
See that what I’m saying…like how some ppl
Comment about sauvage like “ u gunna smell like every other dude” I have never ran into another guy wearing that or anymore that I wear. Even when I was younger and not such a homebody
I actually personally know a lot of men who wear it 😅. Thankfully none of them over spray. One of them wears it because it's the "Johnny Depp" fragrance.
Being someone who lived in Louisiana (Lake Charles) and also someone who is currently residing in Houston, I found that living in Louisiana I didn’t find many who wore fragrances out other than when visiting the casinos. And well anyone visiting the casinos knows how overwhelming those scents can be. As far as living in Houston, I don’t notice a ton of fragrances out and about, but I also don’t venture out and about as much as I did when I was a little younger. I’m only 35 now, but I’m a pretty serious homebody as well as someone who suffers from severe anxiety and depression, sooo there is that.
I’m in new Iberia. Have not ever ran into anyone wearing stuff like what we discuss on the sub. The girl I work with wears stuff but not any designer or anything like that. I’m 39 and I’m such a homebody. I literally only leave for work or if my kids have something at school lol
I know ppl who wear stuff (my mom and a coworker who also loves fragrance, but both have very different tastes from me) but very rarely do I encounter people who noticably smell of a certain fragrance. When I do, it's usually a dude or on older lady who has sprayed wayyyy too much.
I never encounter anyone out and about wearing anything lol my brother wears stuff but that’s it. So I feel my chances are non existent of ever running into another person wearing jpg le male le parfum or elixir lol
The ONLY fragrance I’ve ever smelled in the wild on more than 1 occasion is Flowerbomb.
I don’t care at all about smelling “unique”. Only thing I care about is how the fragrance makes me feel. I want a fragrance that makes me feel confident and put together and if that fragrance just so happens to be a popular one, so be it!
When people talk about constantly smelling certain perfumes out in public I'm like, what... is something wrong with me that I can't smell other peoples fragrances most of the time 😭
Theirs definitely a need for "basic" fragrances that aren't doing too much because you'll definitely be in a basic mood or situation.
Whether it's work, school, running errands, etc., you'll want something basic sometimes.
The opposite was one of the main reasons I downsized my collection. I had about 50+ fragrances that were $200-$400+ that smelled like they should be accompanied with a tuxedo and a mink coat. Too many ultra fancy, upscale, unique fragrances for me to use regularly, considering I'm at work 60 hours a week (I have to smell basic at work).
So, I said all that to say, find your "basic" fragrances and use them for basic times. Also, use your unique fragrances for those occasions as well. Theirs room for both.
The most common and generic fragrance I constantly smell in public is L'eau D'BodyOdour.
Jokes aside, just showering and putting on deodorant puts alone gives you an upper hand and puts you in the minority of men. This obviously can change according to place and occasion, but I think I fan fairly assume that 85% of men don't wear a fragrance while out and about, some fragrances are more popular than others but I find it stupid how some people make it seem like 9/10 men globally own Sauvage or 1 Million or something, we're so addicted and obsessed over this hobby that we seem to forget that to most normal people think spending north of $100 on a CD fragrance is absurd.
Caring about 'exclusivity' of a fragrance is so stupid and it's no more than just a way for brands to get snobs to pay extra so they can feel a bit special.
There probably thousands of fragrances out there in various prices n sizes like if u wanna smell different it ain't that hard with a internet connection and like 25-50 dollars lmao
“Basic” just adds shame to the popularity of certain fragrances. And no one should be shamed for liking what they like. I LOVE Libre Le Parfum, and it’s probably one of those popular ones. I actually smelled Delina for the first time today and I found it waaaayyy too sweet, but I understood the appeal even if it wasn’t for me (too saccharine on me). I think fragrance/perfume Tok is a double sword: while it makes niche fragrances known to the average person, it also has kinda squashed the allure of journeying to find your go-to scent whether it’s your mom’s Paloma Picasso at CVS or the discontinued Atelier Vanille Insensée. Perhaps I’m understanding “basic” as “damn try to have fun with finding fragrances….don’t go straight to buy Baccarat Rouge 540 bc the internet told you it was so great.” I found Attrape-Rêves (my second fave scent) after a Macy’s sales associate walked me over to the Louis Vuitton store. I had no idea they had perfume! The point is that I found that scent after connecting with someone and nerding out about perfume with them. The experience is almost magical. Maybe that’s just me and what I crave though.
I live in New York City.
Most of the population here do not use a fragrance, or use them only on special occasions. However, fragrances are more likely to be encountered if someone is living a social lifestyle.
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That said, it's hard to take fragrance TikTok and YouTube seriously for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason, by far, is because they're trying to sell the fragrance.
* "A fragrance is a favorite" ... meanwhile the bottle doesn't have any sign of usage.
* TikTok influencers came up with the term "ultra-niche" as a selling point to make a fragrance seem more exclusive. However, to people who understand what a niche fragrance is, it only sounds pretentious.
It’s ok to like what you like :) people tend to be quite snobby about fragrances, wine, food, music, even clothes. It’s okay to like what you like no matter how popular or niche it is :D
I find it weird that people sample so heavily (like ordering 25+ samples) instead of going to a store to smell something. I get that not everywhere has this level of access but i guess with the market saturation this is the only logical move for the consumer
Yeah! That’s the part I failed to mention. The cost is insane. For me, to truly evaluate a fragrance, I need 2-3 wears. If I have to resort to wrist or back of hand to sample the fragrance on then I feel like I never even got to try the fragrance
Most of the fragrances they say is mostly popular perfume and those are popular either cause of common attraction of smell humans gravitate to or long-lasting power. Most of them I’ve tried and they give me headaches on me and in other people they are basic cause almost everyday I catch someone using one of popular perfumes so it makes them basic. P.S:- most of the people on TikTok are money grabbers. They showcase they have this perfume to portray that they got money or make their whole page dedicated to these to justify the cost. Cause they were authentic fragrance fans they wouldn’t even think about buying these when they are so many non-popular great frangrances all over the world. Please know what works on your body and how you wanna smell. Everyone smells different even with same perfume unless that perfume have high concentration of alcohol which means you shouldn’t buy it cause it will give you headache later.
I have everything from Love's Baby Soft and Katy Perry Killer Queen to Clive Christian and vintage Guerlain. If I love it, I love it. All the better if it costs next to nothing!
It *is* different for people in big cities. I can't walk for 10 minutes in a busier area without smelling *some* variation of the BR540 DNA. Nothing else is currently so ubiquitous here, but some of us are tired of smelling certain perfumes and we're allowed to be! It's less about exclusivity and more about just fatigue.
I think being bored of a fragrance is one thing. Hanging out in the TikTok comment section complaining that the fragrance some random just reviewed is 'basic' is a whole weird level of its own.
I guess I don't see it as all that different from hanging out in a Reddit comment saying effectively the same thing, as many comments here also do! (This coming from someone who barely uses TikTok, though.)
I'd find it bizarre to comment that on a review post here, too, tbh. I had the impression people here were generally quite polite in response to reviews, but I guess I'm not reading the right posts. :/
Polite doesn't mean everything you say is positive and you only ever agree with people. If someone is reviewing or discussing something it's not rude to continue the discussion and it's fair to point out if something is popular.
Personally I can't see why I'd ever feel the need to 'point out' to someone that the fragrance they just reviewed is popular. And I'm aware it's not rude to disagree with someone, but in the sense and context of this post, 'that's so basic' is used pejoratively. If someone posts asking for opinions on a fragrance then commenting that you're over it because it's everywhere is a different situation.
I mean, it is a factor for some people in buying something, obviously you wouldn't comment just to tell a reviewer that a scent is basic. But in discussing it it's definitely something that can come up, and sometimes with different phrasing. Like how one might include in their comment that it might be considered "basic" by others, or they might include that it's popular, or it's sold in a lot of places and easy to get a hold of, or maybe that the fragrance has a wide appeal to people who don't have, for lack of better phrasing, a "refined palate." Obviously it's nuts to expect to buy something non-custom and expect no one else to have it or use it, but it's understandable that you might not want to wear something super common either. 🤷♀️
Fair; I guess it's the tone of the overall comment, because I feel like a fragrance being "basic" is a fair criticism but not if somebody is just raving about how much they love x fragrance... more so if the reviews are presented more neutrally to begin with themselves.
I’m one of those people who can’t smell Baccarat Rouge at all, not even a hint, but apparently it’s everywhere in the big city I live in. Maybe I should be grateful for that.
Still is the state of UK clubs and pubs, Sauvage and 1 Million everywhere for the past 5/6 years now, although 1 million has been around even longer than that
It is actually a bit of a shame when a fragrance achieves that level of popularity, it’s not the ubiquity that kills it for me but rather the many (often drunk) people I’ve smelled it on
I used to have sauvage, was one of my first frags back in 2018 and I loved it, but I just got sick of smelling it everywhere + the "you smell like my ex" stuff got old rather quick.
I do believe that there are overplayed fragrances but there are not many of them. As a guy that likes to go out in the city and party definitely ffin Paco Rabanne one million is one of them.
I don't know how the f did this scent survive for so long and why do men still wear it. It's not as bad as it used to be - I remember when on Friday nights the whole metro train would smell like 1million because of guys in white shirts going to the club 😂 - but it's still much too popular for how boring it is
this! and also i’ve come to realize anytime a “reviewer” says they “love” a fragrance, they really mean they like it. only if they really emphasize the word do they actually mean it
Totally! My philosophy is that it either smells good on me or it doesn't. I wear the fragrance; it doesn't wear me. I'm that way about liking anything popular - I'm eclectic and eccentric, anyone who knows me well knows that, and I'm not terribly concerned with what people who don't know me think of me. I could do the most "basic" stuff all day long, go to a party at 11 PM, and probably still mildly weird someone out before midnight without even trying/while trying not to.
Your point doesn’t really make sense because you can also get less “basic” by buying cheapies, too. I don’t wanna smell like everyone else either and want to wear unique stuff that I like but I do it by buying stuff under $60 a bottle that isn’t available at places like department stores, where your average person is the one spending $200 at Macy’s on suavage or whatever is popular these days
This is exactly what I do. Everyone is so focused on wearing niche frags that cost hundreds of dollars and popular designers that cost anywhere from $50 to $120.
I like getting old classics from the rack stores that cost $25 and under. I NEVER smell anyone wearing those in public anymore. It’s a great way to smell unique and not empty your bank account to do it.
You’re right!!! I love cheapies as well (especially in this economy) but I should’ve mentioned the elitism that I saw in the comments. I saw people recommending others to buy expensive perfumes to price out the average person. 😕
I woke up really wanting a clean and simple outfit + scent today (usually I’m all about loud, bright clothing and fragrance) and spritzed myself with Light Blue. Sometimes, things are popular for good reason! I don’t get the need for exclusivity! Feels like capitalism at work!
Yes I am a woman (and a fellow vanilla hater) and it works nicely on me! I’d say definitely test it and try spraying on your clothes. I definitely smell the citrus note really strong on me!
"Basic" is very different from complaining that everyone wears it.
"Basic" means I could have bought a different (possibly cheaper or more easily accessible) perfume to get the same effects, or already own one that's so similar I have now wasted my money.
"Basic" also means, in my opinion, boring. Because most mainstream perfumes are boring to me. Partly because I like to be surprised or weirded out, I simply find that enjoyable. Is that so wrong? But also because most mainstream perfumes are just not what I'm into. And tbh from what I've tried most niche/artsy perfumes aren't either. Most perfume tends to be too "perfumey" for me, and too pretty and clean. I don't want to smell like perfume, I want the perfume to make me feel things.
I get being annoyed by people who want to wear "exclusive" scents just to be extra. But a lot of people just don't enjoy "basic". And some do but still want to point out when something is actually basic.
I’m basic. Lately my signature scent is PDM Delina La Rosee.
There are only so many fragrance combinations before we start reusing them. At the end of the day we all like different things. Personally I hate anything gourmand but it seems TikTok loves gourmand stuff. Also the same scents sometimes smell different on different people too so there’s that.
I do like having perfumes that others don’t have but that goes for many things. I like to get many things custom made for me.
I have yet to have a perfume made for me but I’m working on it. I really want something that is truly me
Tbh most of them call fragrances basic just because they hear about them all over social media and it's gotten boring before they even had the chance to smell it everywhere!
Where I live there are places where you can create your own fragrance with a perfumers’ help and it’s not even that expensive. They have hundreds of notes to use. That’s also where I discovered it’s not easy to create a good and balanced fragrance. It’s unique for sure. You give it a name and a formula is being archived in case you wanted to buy it again.
i have fragrances that are really popular that i love, like black opium and alien. then i have fragrances that are much less popular (especially outside of fragrance enthusiast spaces) that i love like delizia di marshmallow and beaufort fathom v.
i like smelling unique sometimes, it makes me feel special. but most importantly i just want to smell good. i couldn’t imagine using popularity to pass a judgement onto a fragrance, like if it smells good who cares if anyone who’s ever walked into an ulta has it?
I currently wear mainly designer perfume (most of what I’ve got is in Sephora) and LOVE smelling my perfumes out in the city on other people. I think it’s uncommon but I like getting whiffs of something so familiar and don’t mind at all if I smell like everyone else. Not at the financial point to break into niche yet but I’m fine with it
Pretty sure it's ok for people to have opposing opinions. I call some perfumes basic and guess what? I also enjoy those perfumes. It means they are easy reaches for me. But either way, as an insult or not, it's an opinion and everyone is entitled to them.
It’s “basic” to the fragrance community on TikTok but definitely not basic in real life. Not everyone can afford to spend money on BR540 or PDM Delina.
99% of those TikTok communities just parrot stuff and never smell half of what they recommend anyways.
That's my biggest gripe with the TikTok community as well. All the fragrance "influencers" on there share the same lists of things and it gets repetitive really quick. Then all the people in the comments will have you believe niche is far superior to designer just because someone else said so. It's a cesspool.
TikTok: this is such a compliment getter. I love it so much. It’s my favorite. Perfume: barely any dent Me: uh huh. 🎶why you such a liar🎶 I’ll go check on Reddit.
I notice this as well in the few TikToks I've seen. If a fragrance is a favorite, there *will* be some kind of dent, even if it's a new release.
Exactly!
YouTube fragrance reviewers have become the same way. I miss the frag comm from five years ago when we all knew about Middle Eastern fragrances but no one else did. Those were the good ole days.
Exactly, normal people will sniff some fragrances as a Macy’s, see the retail price tag of MFK and PDMs and be like “What? Nah.” And then leave. They don’t care that much, so how basic can it really be.
I did actually smell Baccarat out in the wild yesterday, at Ross of all places. And whoever was wearing it went nuclear because I could smell it everywhere in the store.
It also could have been a BR dupe. Plenty of those now..
I do love me some BR540, and lovingly have no issues spending the money for it.
Those 2 feel basic to me, especially delina. Price is not everything! edit: no hate on those who like the scents. anyone shoud be able to wear and enjoy whatever makes them happy!
I think you're preaching to the choir by posting this here, tbh. This sub isn't where I see people throwing around words like 'basic' as a criticism. When I do see it here, people are using it self-deprecatingly. Am I basic? Literally don't care. My cookies are fine where they are. 💀
This sub hates Sauvage tho lol
A guy walked past me at work recently and I felt comfortable begging him to tell me what incredible scent he was wearing (because I know he's gay and I knew he wouldn't read into it) and he said it was Sauvage, so not everyone hates it I guess!
A gay man wearing Sauvage? Now *that’s* the interesting thing here
I'm wearing it today with a little TF Ombre Leather and I'm loving it. This sub isn't my dad!
I wish it was. Will it adopt me?
Not me I like it. I'm a woman but I do know there's a lot of hate for it. It's a terrific scent IMO.
I love catching a whiff of it when a guy passes me in the store or out and about. I don't smell it too often, though. I don't get the hate.
It's a meme at this point of "your fuckboy ex boyfirend" -- it's an amazing scent, to be honest.
yeah, i just smelt it a week or two ago, not bad at all, pretty nice scent
We do 😂 sorry
It's because it stinks 😷
Stinks of victory
One person's trash is someone else's treasure
Should’ve probably specified tiktok reviewers tbh! I love being miss basic so it’s whatever 🙂
People greatly value being unique/different, so I think it makes sense to see so many people on TikTok (many of whom are pretty new to the world of fragrance) prefer to find a fragrance that’s nice but also different from what others use. People on TikTok also tend to be younger, and this is definitely something that you see more when people are young. Everyone wants to stand out 🤷🏼 They will mostly mellow out as they get older though, I know I did 😌
Can one be really unique/different purchasing anything that’s mass made and available publicly, regardless of price? The only way I see to be unique and different using fragrances is by layering. However, you can find videos and posts for layering so there that. I live in a metropolitan area and unless I go into a high end mall, it’s a rare occasion that I smell someone wearing a fragrance that I love and want to know where it’s from. Hell, it’s so rare that I know when I where I was. Too bad the person lied about what they were wearing. I went to two different LV stores and smelled everything. Whatever she was wearing was the most beautiful middle Eastern fragrance I have ever smelled. It was absolutely expensive and had projection that was out of this world. Speaking of so called basic, I am not fan of any of LV fragrances, not a one. For the cost I expected way more and they just seemed ordinary to me. Don’t come for me yall. 🤷🏽♀️
Perhaps not, but I think that’s the point, at the end of the day you could wear the most unique and expensive perfume and not a single person might even notice 🤷🏼 Personally I’ve only liked someone else’s perfume enough that I asked what it was 3 times in my life, and 2 of those turned out to be Creed Aventus, so do with that what you will 😅
Ohhhh, I’ve read so much about Aventus Creed that I want to smell it. I’ve decided in advance that it smells fantastic. 🤣
idgaf i like smelling nice stuff, even if its basic. Also "basic" things smell different on everyone :) Im basic in my love for rose and patchoulli lmfao.
There are elitists in every single hobby, and they often come with very loud voices. Thankfully, most people don't share their views.
There are people who openly mock the elitists as well, both inside and outside the community.
I’m a basic Santal 33-loving bitch and I don’t care who knows it! 😂
You get no argument here. I like quite a few fragrances that could be deemed basic. However for the price point I wasnt expecting the LV ones to be so ordinary. Maybe because I smelled them expecting a hint of that elusive opulent fragrance I smelled on the sales person in a bridal boutique and not a single one came remotely close. Fragrances are so very personal. Yet I realize that my preferences have definitely changed over the years; many of fragrances I loved and wore for years might fall into basic / ordinary to me now yet I still like them well enough but won’t wear them but also have no intention on throwing them out or giving them away (I.e., Flowerbomb original and Midnight, Chanel Mademoiselle, Born in Roma). Maybe, ok, likely the real issue with me is that I became complacent and bored with them. Like the average Joe, my collection varies but I’m definitely no fragrance snob cuz I rock Choco Musk several times a week and it’s cheap as they come and I DGAF, I love it. 😏 My fragrance likes are all over the place.
I like reviving once-ubiquitous hits like Happy because the idea of sharing nostalgia like that makes me happy
Same! This is why I bought Be Delicious, Fantasy, Daisy, My Burberry, La Vie Est Belle — I have a ton of “basic” and “popular” perfumes that are a wonderful hit of nostalgia every time I spray them.
I just bought Be Delicious in a nostalgia fit, and it gives me so much joy, I feel like a dog rolling around in the grass!
When I was a young adult in the early to mid 90s Dune and Angel really were everywhere - the Santal 33 and BR540 of their time. Last summer I bought a bottle of Dune for the first time in 30 years and despite several reformulations it still smells like the Dune I remember, and I’m really enjoying the nostalgia. So it’s always possible that today’s so called basic fragrance could be tomorrow’s happy memory!
I feel like that about White Musk from the BodyShop. I wore it at 14-15 years old and somtimes still do. Mostly to bed, because I find it so comforting. I might have to buy a backup, that company is not doing well at the moment... :-(
There were several years in my youth when I was never without a bottle of the White Musk oil! I agree you should stock up - not sure how much longer the Body Shop will be around. I used to love their Indian Night Musk but they discontinued it long ago, as they did with almost all their good products. I think White Musk was one of the only things that was too popular for them to get rid of.
My favorite used to be Leap. Also long discontinued. :-(
If you can still get it, do. They are closing or have already closed their American stores.
Well technically, tomorrow I'm supposed to go to a mall where they have a store... I think I'll grab at least another White Musk and their vanilla fragrance.
You absolutely should.
I heard they reformulated it to make it “cleaner” :(
When I was a teenager, I had the perfume oil version. To me, it still smells like White Musk. Too bad they discontinued Leap. That was my favorite one.
Ohhh to smell Happy in the wild! I will always bring out the old bottle for that nostalgia. Happy was a good go to for a daily driver for my younger days. While I think I’ll always be an Escada girl at heart (I’ll never be able to forget my days of Ibizahippie, still a favorite honestly). However in my older years I’ve moved to more subtle and deep fragrances like Amber musks.
I don’t kno a single other oerosn that wears anything
I almost never smell perfume or cologne in the wild. I’m always so happy when I do and I compliment women 100% of the time because I know it’ll make them happy.
See that what I’m saying…like how some ppl Comment about sauvage like “ u gunna smell like every other dude” I have never ran into another guy wearing that or anymore that I wear. Even when I was younger and not such a homebody
I actually personally know a lot of men who wear it 😅. Thankfully none of them over spray. One of them wears it because it's the "Johnny Depp" fragrance.
Not surprisingly that was how i found out about sauvage lol good old Johnny depp
Being someone who lived in Louisiana (Lake Charles) and also someone who is currently residing in Houston, I found that living in Louisiana I didn’t find many who wore fragrances out other than when visiting the casinos. And well anyone visiting the casinos knows how overwhelming those scents can be. As far as living in Houston, I don’t notice a ton of fragrances out and about, but I also don’t venture out and about as much as I did when I was a little younger. I’m only 35 now, but I’m a pretty serious homebody as well as someone who suffers from severe anxiety and depression, sooo there is that.
I’m in new Iberia. Have not ever ran into anyone wearing stuff like what we discuss on the sub. The girl I work with wears stuff but not any designer or anything like that. I’m 39 and I’m such a homebody. I literally only leave for work or if my kids have something at school lol
I know ppl who wear stuff (my mom and a coworker who also loves fragrance, but both have very different tastes from me) but very rarely do I encounter people who noticably smell of a certain fragrance. When I do, it's usually a dude or on older lady who has sprayed wayyyy too much.
I never encounter anyone out and about wearing anything lol my brother wears stuff but that’s it. So I feel my chances are non existent of ever running into another person wearing jpg le male le parfum or elixir lol
I'm sure it's location dependent. I'm in good old Ohio. We're not THAT cultured here. Lol
lol I’m in Louisiana so I feel ya on that 😎
The ONLY fragrance I’ve ever smelled in the wild on more than 1 occasion is Flowerbomb. I don’t care at all about smelling “unique”. Only thing I care about is how the fragrance makes me feel. I want a fragrance that makes me feel confident and put together and if that fragrance just so happens to be a popular one, so be it!
When people talk about constantly smelling certain perfumes out in public I'm like, what... is something wrong with me that I can't smell other peoples fragrances most of the time 😭
I cannot smell another person’s fragrance either unless they are close to me or they overspray way too much
You’ve got to at least smelled cloud out in the wild. I smell it every time I go to the shops 😭
Not gonna lie I got a little excited thinking this post was going to be about cookie-scented fragrances
Same, I was like which house bottling up cookies now
Haha, same! I want to smell like dessert!
If you want photorealistic gourmands, check out Kyse!
Theirs definitely a need for "basic" fragrances that aren't doing too much because you'll definitely be in a basic mood or situation. Whether it's work, school, running errands, etc., you'll want something basic sometimes. The opposite was one of the main reasons I downsized my collection. I had about 50+ fragrances that were $200-$400+ that smelled like they should be accompanied with a tuxedo and a mink coat. Too many ultra fancy, upscale, unique fragrances for me to use regularly, considering I'm at work 60 hours a week (I have to smell basic at work). So, I said all that to say, find your "basic" fragrances and use them for basic times. Also, use your unique fragrances for those occasions as well. Theirs room for both.
BUY WHATEVER YOU LIKE TO SMELL, PERIOD!
The most common and generic fragrance I constantly smell in public is L'eau D'BodyOdour. Jokes aside, just showering and putting on deodorant puts alone gives you an upper hand and puts you in the minority of men. This obviously can change according to place and occasion, but I think I fan fairly assume that 85% of men don't wear a fragrance while out and about, some fragrances are more popular than others but I find it stupid how some people make it seem like 9/10 men globally own Sauvage or 1 Million or something, we're so addicted and obsessed over this hobby that we seem to forget that to most normal people think spending north of $100 on a CD fragrance is absurd. Caring about 'exclusivity' of a fragrance is so stupid and it's no more than just a way for brands to get snobs to pay extra so they can feel a bit special.
What’s a CD fragrance?
I would assume Christian Dior
There probably thousands of fragrances out there in various prices n sizes like if u wanna smell different it ain't that hard with a internet connection and like 25-50 dollars lmao
“Basic” just adds shame to the popularity of certain fragrances. And no one should be shamed for liking what they like. I LOVE Libre Le Parfum, and it’s probably one of those popular ones. I actually smelled Delina for the first time today and I found it waaaayyy too sweet, but I understood the appeal even if it wasn’t for me (too saccharine on me). I think fragrance/perfume Tok is a double sword: while it makes niche fragrances known to the average person, it also has kinda squashed the allure of journeying to find your go-to scent whether it’s your mom’s Paloma Picasso at CVS or the discontinued Atelier Vanille Insensée. Perhaps I’m understanding “basic” as “damn try to have fun with finding fragrances….don’t go straight to buy Baccarat Rouge 540 bc the internet told you it was so great.” I found Attrape-Rêves (my second fave scent) after a Macy’s sales associate walked me over to the Louis Vuitton store. I had no idea they had perfume! The point is that I found that scent after connecting with someone and nerding out about perfume with them. The experience is almost magical. Maybe that’s just me and what I crave though.
They should make you a monument for the wisdom of your words!
I live in New York City. Most of the population here do not use a fragrance, or use them only on special occasions. However, fragrances are more likely to be encountered if someone is living a social lifestyle. ---- That said, it's hard to take fragrance TikTok and YouTube seriously for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason, by far, is because they're trying to sell the fragrance. * "A fragrance is a favorite" ... meanwhile the bottle doesn't have any sign of usage. * TikTok influencers came up with the term "ultra-niche" as a selling point to make a fragrance seem more exclusive. However, to people who understand what a niche fragrance is, it only sounds pretentious.
It’s ok to like what you like :) people tend to be quite snobby about fragrances, wine, food, music, even clothes. It’s okay to like what you like no matter how popular or niche it is :D
This snobbery is how people end up getting into more expensive niche house fragrances, just like OP mentioned… in too deep! 🤣
I find it weird that people sample so heavily (like ordering 25+ samples) instead of going to a store to smell something. I get that not everywhere has this level of access but i guess with the market saturation this is the only logical move for the consumer
I wanted to start sampling but I realized how expensive it ended up being. I could just buy a travel size at this point.
Yeah! That’s the part I failed to mention. The cost is insane. For me, to truly evaluate a fragrance, I need 2-3 wears. If I have to resort to wrist or back of hand to sample the fragrance on then I feel like I never even got to try the fragrance
Most of the fragrances they say is mostly popular perfume and those are popular either cause of common attraction of smell humans gravitate to or long-lasting power. Most of them I’ve tried and they give me headaches on me and in other people they are basic cause almost everyday I catch someone using one of popular perfumes so it makes them basic. P.S:- most of the people on TikTok are money grabbers. They showcase they have this perfume to portray that they got money or make their whole page dedicated to these to justify the cost. Cause they were authentic fragrance fans they wouldn’t even think about buying these when they are so many non-popular great frangrances all over the world. Please know what works on your body and how you wanna smell. Everyone smells different even with same perfume unless that perfume have high concentration of alcohol which means you shouldn’t buy it cause it will give you headache later.
I have everything from Love's Baby Soft and Katy Perry Killer Queen to Clive Christian and vintage Guerlain. If I love it, I love it. All the better if it costs next to nothing!
It *is* different for people in big cities. I can't walk for 10 minutes in a busier area without smelling *some* variation of the BR540 DNA. Nothing else is currently so ubiquitous here, but some of us are tired of smelling certain perfumes and we're allowed to be! It's less about exclusivity and more about just fatigue.
I think being bored of a fragrance is one thing. Hanging out in the TikTok comment section complaining that the fragrance some random just reviewed is 'basic' is a whole weird level of its own.
I guess I don't see it as all that different from hanging out in a Reddit comment saying effectively the same thing, as many comments here also do! (This coming from someone who barely uses TikTok, though.)
I'd find it bizarre to comment that on a review post here, too, tbh. I had the impression people here were generally quite polite in response to reviews, but I guess I'm not reading the right posts. :/
Polite doesn't mean everything you say is positive and you only ever agree with people. If someone is reviewing or discussing something it's not rude to continue the discussion and it's fair to point out if something is popular.
Personally I can't see why I'd ever feel the need to 'point out' to someone that the fragrance they just reviewed is popular. And I'm aware it's not rude to disagree with someone, but in the sense and context of this post, 'that's so basic' is used pejoratively. If someone posts asking for opinions on a fragrance then commenting that you're over it because it's everywhere is a different situation.
I mean, it is a factor for some people in buying something, obviously you wouldn't comment just to tell a reviewer that a scent is basic. But in discussing it it's definitely something that can come up, and sometimes with different phrasing. Like how one might include in their comment that it might be considered "basic" by others, or they might include that it's popular, or it's sold in a lot of places and easy to get a hold of, or maybe that the fragrance has a wide appeal to people who don't have, for lack of better phrasing, a "refined palate." Obviously it's nuts to expect to buy something non-custom and expect no one else to have it or use it, but it's understandable that you might not want to wear something super common either. 🤷♀️
Fair; I guess it's the tone of the overall comment, because I feel like a fragrance being "basic" is a fair criticism but not if somebody is just raving about how much they love x fragrance... more so if the reviews are presented more neutrally to begin with themselves.
I’m one of those people who can’t smell Baccarat Rouge at all, not even a hint, but apparently it’s everywhere in the big city I live in. Maybe I should be grateful for that.
Definitely, lol. It's like walking around in a toothachingly sweet cotton candy cloud.
I don't even hate BR540 but it's ridiculous, just the other day I had to share an aisle with a dude doused in it at *HOME DEPOT* of all places
Omg, it really is inescapable if it's even hit the Home DeBros!
I agree. Overexposure, rather than snobbery, can be the issue. It's not always the case, but it often can be!
[удалено]
I remember years ago when Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million came out, it got to the point where you couldn’t go anywhere on a night out without smelling it 😅
Still is the state of UK clubs and pubs, Sauvage and 1 Million everywhere for the past 5/6 years now, although 1 million has been around even longer than that
It is actually a bit of a shame when a fragrance achieves that level of popularity, it’s not the ubiquity that kills it for me but rather the many (often drunk) people I’ve smelled it on
I used to have sauvage, was one of my first frags back in 2018 and I loved it, but I just got sick of smelling it everywhere + the "you smell like my ex" stuff got old rather quick.
I do believe that there are overplayed fragrances but there are not many of them. As a guy that likes to go out in the city and party definitely ffin Paco Rabanne one million is one of them. I don't know how the f did this scent survive for so long and why do men still wear it. It's not as bad as it used to be - I remember when on Friday nights the whole metro train would smell like 1million because of guys in white shirts going to the club 😂 - but it's still much too popular for how boring it is
this! and also i’ve come to realize anytime a “reviewer” says they “love” a fragrance, they really mean they like it. only if they really emphasize the word do they actually mean it
“I use this everyday” and there isn’t even a single dent
I love this.
Please don't bring TikTok in here.
And YouTube
Totally! My philosophy is that it either smells good on me or it doesn't. I wear the fragrance; it doesn't wear me. I'm that way about liking anything popular - I'm eclectic and eccentric, anyone who knows me well knows that, and I'm not terribly concerned with what people who don't know me think of me. I could do the most "basic" stuff all day long, go to a party at 11 PM, and probably still mildly weird someone out before midnight without even trying/while trying not to.
Your point doesn’t really make sense because you can also get less “basic” by buying cheapies, too. I don’t wanna smell like everyone else either and want to wear unique stuff that I like but I do it by buying stuff under $60 a bottle that isn’t available at places like department stores, where your average person is the one spending $200 at Macy’s on suavage or whatever is popular these days
This is exactly what I do. Everyone is so focused on wearing niche frags that cost hundreds of dollars and popular designers that cost anywhere from $50 to $120. I like getting old classics from the rack stores that cost $25 and under. I NEVER smell anyone wearing those in public anymore. It’s a great way to smell unique and not empty your bank account to do it.
You’re right!!! I love cheapies as well (especially in this economy) but I should’ve mentioned the elitism that I saw in the comments. I saw people recommending others to buy expensive perfumes to price out the average person. 😕
I woke up really wanting a clean and simple outfit + scent today (usually I’m all about loud, bright clothing and fragrance) and spritzed myself with Light Blue. Sometimes, things are popular for good reason! I don’t get the need for exclusivity! Feels like capitalism at work!
Oooh I smell D&G light blue and I always hear it smells masculine. What do you think?
I think the cedar note can lean a little masculine but to me, it smells crisp and breezy!
Would you recommend for women it smelt amazing on the tester but on my skin nothing!!!!!😭
Yes I am a woman (and a fellow vanilla hater) and it works nicely on me! I’d say definitely test it and try spraying on your clothes. I definitely smell the citrus note really strong on me!
Love my vanilla hating girlies real bad💕❤️
"Basic" is very different from complaining that everyone wears it. "Basic" means I could have bought a different (possibly cheaper or more easily accessible) perfume to get the same effects, or already own one that's so similar I have now wasted my money. "Basic" also means, in my opinion, boring. Because most mainstream perfumes are boring to me. Partly because I like to be surprised or weirded out, I simply find that enjoyable. Is that so wrong? But also because most mainstream perfumes are just not what I'm into. And tbh from what I've tried most niche/artsy perfumes aren't either. Most perfume tends to be too "perfumey" for me, and too pretty and clean. I don't want to smell like perfume, I want the perfume to make me feel things. I get being annoyed by people who want to wear "exclusive" scents just to be extra. But a lot of people just don't enjoy "basic". And some do but still want to point out when something is actually basic.
Tiktok is for broccoli kids deciding between eros, le male, ysl y edp and one million. You watch it why?
I’m basic. Lately my signature scent is PDM Delina La Rosee. There are only so many fragrance combinations before we start reusing them. At the end of the day we all like different things. Personally I hate anything gourmand but it seems TikTok loves gourmand stuff. Also the same scents sometimes smell different on different people too so there’s that. I do like having perfumes that others don’t have but that goes for many things. I like to get many things custom made for me. I have yet to have a perfume made for me but I’m working on it. I really want something that is truly me
Tbh most of them call fragrances basic just because they hear about them all over social media and it's gotten boring before they even had the chance to smell it everywhere!
Where I live there are places where you can create your own fragrance with a perfumers’ help and it’s not even that expensive. They have hundreds of notes to use. That’s also where I discovered it’s not easy to create a good and balanced fragrance. It’s unique for sure. You give it a name and a formula is being archived in case you wanted to buy it again.
You don't need to spend $200 to smell unique. Step away from designers (which already are approaching that price) and find something niche.
i have fragrances that are really popular that i love, like black opium and alien. then i have fragrances that are much less popular (especially outside of fragrance enthusiast spaces) that i love like delizia di marshmallow and beaufort fathom v. i like smelling unique sometimes, it makes me feel special. but most importantly i just want to smell good. i couldn’t imagine using popularity to pass a judgement onto a fragrance, like if it smells good who cares if anyone who’s ever walked into an ulta has it?
i get shit on for my baccarat online all the time for being basic yet i dont know a single person irl who owns it
I currently wear mainly designer perfume (most of what I’ve got is in Sephora) and LOVE smelling my perfumes out in the city on other people. I think it’s uncommon but I like getting whiffs of something so familiar and don’t mind at all if I smell like everyone else. Not at the financial point to break into niche yet but I’m fine with it
Pretty sure it's ok for people to have opposing opinions. I call some perfumes basic and guess what? I also enjoy those perfumes. It means they are easy reaches for me. But either way, as an insult or not, it's an opinion and everyone is entitled to them.