Aftershave for 20 yr old boy at uni

[Grammar]

My son asked for 'perfume' or Eau de Toilette for Xmas. He did not say aftershave ( i was wondering whether he was trying to tell me something, like he wants to be on Rupaul's DRAG Race, but no. He honestly sees men's fragrance as just that,.
I bought him Paco Rabanne last year, but he finds it too 'alcholy'.
I have advised him to try going into a dept store and trying out fragrances, ( he's too inhibited to do that; I also suggested he ask anyone else he likes the smell of to tell him what they use, again, he wouldn't do that)
Any ideas..?.I have told him I can't really choose for him, but have resigned myself to having to do it.
Is Antaeus too dated?
It's an almost impossible question, I realise

Issey miyake pour homme is lovely, not too over powering.

Yves Saint Laurent Y

Ckone by Calvin Klein

It's suitable for a man or a woman.

Our male cleaner at work was wearing it, it smelt good so I asked him what it was & when I realised it's a unisex fragrance i bought myself some!

Is he sporty? I'd look at 'sporty' style bottles and designers. Ie. Lacoste?
Outdoorsy? Eau Savage is nice.
More homely? Fashion conscious? Traditional?
All depends on his likes and his personality as to what I'd choose.

Thanks, all noted. I'll have to try them on myself now, they sound lovely and up to date. I realise fragrances smell different on different people, but sometimes, it's the only way to choose, like you Lily Jade

He's not sporty, more homely. I'd forgotten about Eau Savage!

Eau Savage quite recently had a bit of a comeback and is considered on trend I believe.
I'm a fan of Dior and I'd also check out Farenheit.

Ultra violet pacco robanne smell beautiful

He’s a man not a boy !
My son (22) likes Eau Savage and Paul Smith one in the striped box.

Yes to the striped Paul Smith one.

There's one by (I think) Victor and Rolf which is nice, but I've forgotten it's name. Will try to find it.

DS23 has asked for this this year.

Spicebomb - it's nice. Not too in yer face.

Ha, you're right SpeckedlyHen, he IS a man, not a boy.
Some lovely suggestions, Thank you.
He couldn't remember the name of his last aftershave.
When I tried to ask him what his last one was, ie what was written on the bottle, he wrote SHO. So I googled it, and it was his WATER bottle.
He managed, in the end to remember it was Paco Rabanne ( XS).
I will look forward to smelling these fragrances, they're often better than some perfumes for women.

I often wear the Paul Smith striped one myself - it's lovely.

Sauvage
Or something by Tom Ford x

Bleu de Chanel is nice. Dior Sauvage is very common and you smell it everywhere so BdC is something a bit different and very nice. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is also nice

My 20 yr old DS loves Eau de Baux by L'Occataine & I have to agree!!

Is it Invictus he's asking for?

Grey V is lovely but £££

Oh Eau des Baux is amazing. Especially if he doesn't want to smell like everyone else. Everyone wears Sauvage, Paco Rabbane etc. Dior Homme is a great one, as is Farenheit.

If you wanted to get him something a bit different, look at niche small business rather than high street. 4160 Tuesdays is a great example, Invisible Ben or The Lion Cupboard are excellent unisex ones.

If he really doesnt know what he likes what about getting him a box with some of the mini ones? Then he can try them out and let you know for next year what his favourites are!

I work in retail selling perfume. Some of the fragrances popular with this age group are, paco rabanne one million, Invictus. Armani code, lacoste, , paul smith, Jean Paul Gaultier, le male, , boss bottled, and most of the other boss scents, Tom ford black orchid, Diesel, , Ralph Lauren Polo, Burberry, Chanel allure sport. Versace Dylan Blue and Versace homme.

Go onto the Perfume Society website. On the shop page there's a men's discovery box with lots of samples and minis in. It's about £19 and comes in a nice box. He's quite right not to call it aftershave because it's not. It's eau de parfum or eau de toilette. It's a kind of cultural habit we've got into where women wear perfume and men wear aftershave.

Thank you, Iwillrun, that's a really good idea.
Yes, MissBattleaxe, I'm realising that, fast.
It's outdated to call them perfumes and aftershave. I'm trying call them fragrances.

Eau Sauvage is gorgeous. So is Molecules 02 (and 04) But if he doesn't like the fresh 'alcohol-y' smelling ones, how about something more musky and spicy? If you want a fancy one as a main present, Penhaligons Paithani and a few others in their spicy range are lovely. My DS who is very fashion conscious loves the Comme des Garcons range which includes concrete and candy and all sorts of smells in between.