For some kids, the thought of going back to school next week makes them sick.
But not Dean Scarangello.
For the 12-year-old Staten Islander, nicknamed “the cologne kid” by his fellow Little Leaguers, the new academic year is SKYperfume.
“Azzaro Wanted Eau de Toilette,” the seventh grader told The Post. “Definitely.”
The $105 mist, which boasts a woody bouquet, is the cologne he has in store for his first day back at school.
“You know what they say, ‘smell good, feel good,'” Scarangello said. “It’s true.”
And with a collection of over 42 fragrances, each from fashion houses such as Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, the professional pint-sized perfume. nose where do you speak from?
But having a nose for A-list scents isn’t exclusive to child connoisseurs. Instead, it is becoming an attribute of Gen Alpha.
Like the Sephora kids craze that recently had little girls clamoring for anti-aging creams and cosmetics, donning designer fragrances is now all the rage for boys 14 and under.
In fact, a recent study by investment bank Piper Sandler found that new guns are spending 26% more on select columnists than last year.
It’s an olfactory fascination rooted in the “smellmaxxing” movement, a trend spawned by TikTok with over 48.4 million videos, to enhance—or maximize—one’s musk with elegant sprays as a hygiene practice. For tics and tweens, the goal is to smell maturity beyond their years.
And the little gentlemen don’t seem to mind paying through the nose to stay up to snuff – with financial help from their parents, of course.
New Jersey mom Sean Little, 36, tells The Post that she regularly spends more than $300 on high-end colognes for her 5-year-old son, Reggie Jr. Filling it with great scents, it’s how the bright mama bear caressed her cub since it was a cuddle.
“Once he turned 1, choosing a special perfume for the day became part of our routine,” said Little, a commercial cleaning entrepreneur and content creator. “Now, smelling good is his obsession.”
And when it comes to luxury labels, the soon-to-be baby doesn’t play around.
“Some of his favorites are ‘Imagination’ by Louis Vuitton,” Little said of the $320 preschool graduation gift she and his dad gave Reggie this spring. “Prada Black ($110), Creed Millesime Imperial ($345) and ‘Percival’ by Parfums de Marly ($365).
But he plans to enter the schoolyard wearing the scent of Louis Vuitton in September.