This article is inspired by the afternoon I spent with my teenage nephew spraying various colognes thanks to TikTok and the message that we need to have more ethics when it comes to marketing.
Saddle up.
I'm going to start by saying that I legitimately felt that overwhelming annoyance from the workers at Sephora as they braced themselves and their noses the second they saw a teenage boy head toward the cologne section. Why? They are about to spray all the ones they have seen on TikTok, which they think the person doing the "review" has paid for. (I'm using the word review here loosely)
Over the years- I have had many discussions with my nephew about how 80% of things on social media are fake-all the platforms. We've had the conversation many times because he, like many other juvenile social consumers and grown adults, will even fall back into believing that everything on social media is real. And in case you need the reminder again today, most social media is a highlight reel, and while not intentionally meant to make you feel like garbage about your life, you sometimes feel like garbage about your life.
I reminded him that, like a Jedi, I needed to decide early in my career whether to use my storytelling and marketing powers for good or evil. I chose good because, well, the dark side of marketing borders on manipulation.
Manipulation is what is happening with most of these influencer "reviews."
Most people, especially juveniles and teens, do not understand that most successful cologne influencers aren't spending thousands of dollars building their collections.
Once creators reach certain follower thresholds, they typically receive:
Free product shipments: Fragrance companies regularly send complimentary full-sized bottles to creators with engaged audiences
PR packages: Curated collections of new or seasonal releases sent specifically for content creation
Affiliate partnerships: Custom discount codes that earn influencers commission when their followers purchase
Now, this is not only for cologne; it is pretty much the foundation of any marketing and PR campaign around anything. All those big box store hauls—sometimes the store pays them to do them, and other times, if the account isn't big enough to get paid or things are free, people are buying the things, trying them on at home, and then returning them.
These arrangements create a misleading impression about the accessibility of extensive cologne collections and well everything. While creators might showcase dozens of premium fragrances (collectively worth thousands of dollars), they've often acquired them through their content creation for FREE rather than personal purchases.
I'm going to keep using the cologne example, but this can apply to so many other consumable things because we all need to understand what exactly is happening in these videos and why they have captured Gen Z's and every other social consumer's attention.
This trend is fascinating because it has evolved beyond mere product showcasing. Creative spinoffs include "scent profiles," where teens match cologne to different personalities, cologne review challenges, and even "scent storytelling," where creators craft narratives around different fragrances. (I watched them for an hour; that's an hour of my life I'm never getting back.)
Why Teens Are Drawn to This Trend
The cologne trend represents several aspects of teen culture converging:
Identity formation: For many young men, cologne represents an accessible entry point into personal grooming and the development of a signature style.
Social validation: Comments sections overflow with peer approval, with phrases like "that's fire" or "absolute W" (win), validating choices and boosting social standing.
Aspiration: Teens associate certain fragrances with maturity, sophistication, and attractiveness - qualities particularly appealing during adolescence.
Community: The shared language, rituals, and inside jokes create a sense of belonging.
The TikTok cologne phenomenon represents more than just teenagers obsessing over smelling good. It illustrates how social media transforms ordinary consumer products into vehicles for self-expression, community building, and identity formation - hallmarks of adolescence that have simply found a new digital home.
So, how can we build a community around a consumer product and keep it ethical?
For Brands and Marketers:
Transparency requirements: Forward-thinking brands can stand out by requiring clear disclosure of gifted products in all content. if you are a business who has affiliate programs like this and it is in your creator contract that they need to disclose it is sponsored or paid you’ve gotta stay up to date on the content they are posting, because well you’re part of the problem too.
Accessibility initiatives: Create sampling programs or smaller-sized options that make quality fragrances accessible to teen budgets.
For Parents and Educators:
Media literacy curriculum: Use cologne TikTok as a case study for teaching teens to identify sponsored content even when the person is not disclosing it is sponsored content.
Consumer education: Encourage conversations about value, quality versus quantity, and responsible consumption.
Entrepreneurship lessons: Discuss how teens might ethically monetize their interests through content creation if this is the avenue they want to take.
What Parents Should Consider
For parents observing this trend, there are several considerations:
Cost awareness: Premium colognes can be expensive, making this an opportunity to discuss budgeting and financial priorities.
Moderation conversations: Many videos glorify excessive application, which can be overwhelming in real-life settings like classrooms.
Positive aspects: This trend encourages personal hygiene and grooming - generally positive habits for teenagers to develop.
Media literacy: Help teens understand that influencers often receive free products, creating unrealistic expectations about what constitutes a "normal" collection.
Influencer economics: Explain how content creators monetize their platforms through partnerships, making their collections more business investments than personal splurges.
While the cologne trend will eventually fade (as all trends do), the underlying social dynamics it reveals about teenage development in the digital age are worth noting. For now, parents need to have honest conversations about influencer marketing, realistic budgeting, and the difference between curated social media personas and everyday reality. And if you're not a parent, you might need to look in the mirror and have that conversation with yourself. The things you are being sold will not make you happier, a better person, or love you back.
They are things; if you are buying into all of the hype, it's time for some self-reflection. It's time to stop letting an algorithm tell you what you like and how you are supposed to feel because the majority of the content is sponsored, but people are not disclosing that as they need to.