The marketing directive for the fragrance of most men’s grooming products would seem to go like this:

“Team: The men in our target market have absolutely no discernment or taste, and we need to pander to that. When it comes to scenting our product line, we need something obnoxious, something that makes eyes water and nostrils burn – the perfect olfactive complement to a Jersey Shore or modern ‘bro’ look. If our customer tries to wear a more refined scent of his own, our products should totally overpower it and really dominate any room he enters. Anyone who shares an elevator ride with our customer should smell like us for the rest of the day. (A fun fact about the line: our deodorants and hair gels also work as insect repellent, but we can’t legally market them for that. That said, something that actually smells like Bug-Off or even a super sweetened sundae topping is not off the table.) Our sampling meeting is in four weeks. We’re looking for options that really melt our faces off. Dazzle us!”

If you’ve ever smelled any Axe product, you might conclude that the satirical memo above is not too far fetched. In terms of how they smell, most grooming products give men a raw deal. The scent is way too heavy and, to make it worse, simply horrible to begin with.