Boys now want to smell good enough to eat: Gourmand deodorants from Axe and others redefine men's grooming
Dark chocolate, coconut vanilla, and a new "Marshmallow Smoke" limited edition from Axe are replacing oceanic freshness in men's body sprays, driven by Gen Z's demand for edible-sounding fragrances.
The gourmand invasion
At a drugstore on Düsseldorf's Königsallee, the shelves hold a new generation of men's deodorants and body sprays with names that read like a dessert menu: "Dark Chocolate," "Coconut und Vanilla," "Cinnamon Vanilla," and the just-launched Axe "Marshmallow Smoke." The scents, from brands like Bruno Banani, Old Spice, Balea Men and Axe, signal a shift away from classic marine profiles toward so-called gourmand notes that evoke sweets, baked goods, and candy.
Unilever's Axe rolled out the Marshmallow Smoke variant as a limited edition tied to the men's football World Cup in North America. Brand manager Nils Trott says the product combines sweet notes with a smoky twist, referencing the American tradition of grilling marshmallows in summer.
Our insights show that Gen Z increasingly sees fragrances as part of their personal expression and deliberately seeks out unusual, sensorially experienceable combinations.
Why younger noses want candy
Generation Z, roughly those born between 1995 and 2010, views scent as a tool of self-staging. Classic gender codes around fragrance are dissolving: young consumers no longer see a reason why vanilla, chocolate or even cookie notes should be reserved for women. The question "Why can't a deodorant smell like green apple or tonka bean?" is met with bafflement by many under 30.
Trott describes a strategic response at Axe: moving away from traditional profiles toward more experimental blends. The goal is to stand out clearly from conventional masculine offerings and appeal to both male and female consumers who are drawn to distinctive, playful scents.
Retail and social media accelerate the trend
Market data from the IFH Köln retail research institute underscores that men's cosmetics remains a significant growth area. Younger shoppers are being introduced to grooming products earlier than previous generations, largely through TikTok and Instagram. While classical perfumeries are under pressure, drugstores like dm and Rossmann as well as discounters like Lidl, Aldi, and Netto are capturing growth by making these products accessible and affordable.
The pattern is clear: consumers care about cosmetics and personal care but do not want to pay premium prices. In the deodorant aisle, a young man is far more likely to grab an Axe than an Armani.
The ice-cream extreme
Perhaps the most extreme example of the trend is the deodorant body spray "Magnum Gold Caramel Billionaire," named after the Unilever ice cream bar. The product description reads like a frozen treat: "a creamy ice cream with cookie flavor, interlaced with caramel sauce, wrapped in white chocolate with caramel and cookie pieces." The spray turns the edible-gourmand concept into a wearable statement that pushes the scent-snacking boundary.
