Gen X-ers share the 'scents' they wore in high school and get instantly drenched in nostalgia

Cecily Knobler
Wed, 17 Dec 2025 23:09:36 +0000
Boomers, Calvin kleins obsession, Ck one, Cologne, Cool waters, Diors poison, Drakkar noir, Japanese cherry blossom, Kurt cobain, Marlboro lights, New york times, Perfume, Ralph laurens safari, Threads, Unisex smell, Estee lauder, 80s, 90s, 80s nostalgia, 90s nostalgia, Generation x, Gen x

Like all generations, Gen X had a specific smell. Some might call it anxiety or Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers. But others liken it to the very strong scents we once wore. One whiff of it can instantly transport us back to the exact time and place when we doused ourselves in our smell of choice.

That memory lane is a blast for some to travel.

A recent post went viral on Threads after a person (@_lilimaris) asked, "Gen X peeps. What perfume did you wear in high school?" In just a few days, this query received tons of likes and over 4,000 answers.

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The OP gets things started with her '80s/'90s scent of choice, writing, "Exclamation for me!" This is a popular, inexpensive cologne packaged in a simple white bottle with a giant, black exclamation mark at its center. As described on Amazon, it has notes of "apricot, peach, rose, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, amber and more." Sweet, indeed.

In very Gen X fashion, one Threader responds, "I'm pretty sure I smelled of Marlboro Lights and Diet Coke." To which the OP questions, "Wait, but what did you spray on yourself to cover it up?"

Another shares, "I'm pretty sure mine was Camel Lights and Japanese Cherry Blossom." (Another popular sweet scent sold at Bath and Body Works.)

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But many answered in earnest, and some of the bottled smells were oh-so-familiar like Dior's Poison, Ralph Lauren's Safari, and Estée Lauder's Pleasures, which had so many offshoots from which to to choose.

For lots of guys, the cologne of choice was Drakkar Noir and Davidoff's Cool Waters. Another popular trend for all Gen X genders was the unisex option, shown by how lots of people answered CK One (made by Calvin Klein) and Calvin Klein's Obsession. (There is a man and woman's version of this scent, but many back in the day would switch them up.)

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In The New York Times article "It Smelled Like Gen X Spirit," author Vanessa Friedman proposes that perhaps Gen X flocked to the unisex smell to rebel against the heavy flowery scents of the Boomers.

She shares that the 1994 CK One "was the ultimate anti-1980s, anti-Boomer scent, a riposte to the showy perfumes of the 'Dynasty' and Wall Street years, including Calvin Klein’s own best-selling Obsession."

Friedman also points out why the smell became such a Gen X hit: "First, there was the concept itself: the first 'unisex' (unisex was the genderless of the ’90s) fragrance, a scent meant for the androgynous slackers that slouched around in one another’s thermals and plaids, that slunk into work in skinny black pantsuits over ribbed tanks and believed in combat boots for all seasons. It was billed as 'one for all,' though what that really meant was one for all in this age group, and was greeted as revolutionary."

Kurt Cobain brushes his hair back. Giphy

It's not shocking that even the mere mention of these perfumes and colognes drum up such intense memories. I explored the phenomena in a recent Upworthy article, "Scientists explain why that 'one smell' evokes the most blissful memory," which explains the neuroscience behind the olfactory system.

"The brain's olfactory bulb, which processes the sense of smell, has the strongest influence on conjuring up memories. A recent article in Harvard Medicine cites Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, Sandeep Robert Datta, saying, 'It’s now clear that even though our sense of smell is not as robust as that of a mouse or bloodhound, it is deeply tied to our cognitive centers, our emotional centers, and our memory centers. We’re dependent on it for a sense of well-being and centeredness in the world.'"

The Threads list went on to share thousands more Gen X favorites, and many note they could literally smell them at the mere sight of their pictures on the page.