There’s a phrase I hear in the perfume world that would be deemed wholly unacceptable in other areas of beauty or fashion: “old lady scent”. Ageist, clickbait pieces circle my feed with headlines like ‘Your Perfume Could Be Ageing You – Here’s Why’ and ‘7 Steps You Can Take So You Don’t Smell Like An Old Lady As You Age’. Ironically, they read like some finger-wagging Manners For Women manual written a hundred years ago – the very era that many of the classic scents these articles refer to were launched. Meanwhile, a video on TikTok features a young person dressed as an older woman, doubled over and play-retching after spraying a perfume. The caption reads: ‘Why would anybody want to smell like an old lady?!’
*Raises both hands* I do. And I’m not alone. Chanel No.5 (launched in 1921) remains the bestselling fragrance in the world, with one bottle sold every 30 seconds, and the limited-edition Millésime versions of Guerlain Shalimar (also created in 1921) sell out every year. Such fragrances remain in circulation for a reason. They’re unashamedly ballsy and were groundbreaking in their day; aeons ahead of their time. Now, new generations are discovering the perfumed powers of true icons and reclaiming the ‘old lady’ insult. On TikTok, ‘best classic perfumes’ has 121 million searches – in one of her videos, Ms Southern Tea (@_justyoshi) says, “It’s a trend to wear ‘old lady’ perfumes at twenty!” while Steph Toms (@itsstephtoms) proudly declares, “Smelling like an 80-year-old rich lady is the best,” in her ‘Top 5 Old Lady Perfumes’ video.
Pia Long, perfumer and co-founder of fragrance consultancy Olfiction, recounts how her personal trainer, who is in their late twenties, “recently called Victoria’s Secret fragrances ‘old lady scents’. It’s a reminder that the concept is a shifting window not tied to an odour profile, but the need for a new generation to define their own olfactive signature.”
Why is there now this time-travel resurgence of vintage scents among Gen Z? Brooke Belldon, vintage fragrance expert and niche perfume proprietor at Sainte Cellier explains: “Perfumes in the first half of the 20th century were complex, dynamic and not afraid to take up space. People are gravitating back to this style of perfume because it’s as multifaceted as they are, and they’re discovering fragrances that can truly align with their diverse personalities.” So why not dare to take up space? Aspire to smell like these grand dames...
5 Classic Fragrances To Try Now
- Chanel No.5 Eau de Parfum – Regarded as shockingly abstract in 1921, its champagne sparkle of soapy clean aldehydes remains contemporarily chic; £99 for 100ml, Selfridges
- Molinard Habanita Eau de Parfum – Scandalously once used to scent cigarettes when it was released in 1921, lipstick notes segue to bone-dry vetiver and nuzzle-me-closer oakmoss; £80 for 75ml, Allbeauty
- Robert Piguet Fracas Eau de Parfum – Deliberately diva-esque, this swaggeringly sensual tuberose, created in 1948, kicks the door open and still rules a room; $127 for 50ml, Selfridges
- YSL Rive Gauche Eau de Toilette – Marketed as a ‘working woman’s fragrance’ in a sturdy metal cannister when it was released in 1966, it radiates nonchalant vibes while being the boss; £85 for 100ml, Harvey Nichols
- Clinique Aromatics Elixir Eau de Parfum Spray – The world’s first ‘wellness’ scent, created in 1971, is swooningly soothing and woody yet totally kick-ass in character; £87 for 100ml, Boots
Suzy Nightingale is an award-winning fragrance journalist who has written for The Perfume Society, Grazia Middle East, Rakes Progress, and is the co-host of On The Scent podcast
