16 Scents That Transport You Right Back to the Teen Years


You might be in your twenties or thirties, but when you walk by one of those stores you used to flock to as a teeny-bopper or smell the perfume you basically bathed in during high school, you’re flooded with memories of your ninth-grade crush and body glitter. Lots and lots of body glitter. Don’t worry, though—you’re not the only one. Here are some of the nostalgic scents that transport all of us to that sweet, awkward phase of life. Take a whiff. 

1. Dr Pepper Lip Smacker
Yeah, it didn’t really smell like the soda, but that sugary scented tube was the closest thing to lipstick you owned as a small fry—and you rocked it ’til the plastic tube scraped those chapped lips. 

A photo posted by Becky Vieira (@wittyotter) on May 23, 2015 at 9:31am PDT

 

2. The Beach
Family vacations smell like salt water and sunscreen. Today, a sniff of that sea breeze probably brings back fond memories of arguing in the car and your mom chasing you with gobs of SPF in her hands. (P.S.: Thanks, Mom!)

3. Taco Bell
You were hitting up the fast-food palace before Regina George’s all-carb diet. And even if it’s been years since you last hung out there on a Friday night, you can still distinguish scent of taco meat and that special quesadilla sauce from any other fast food establishment’s condiments. You know it’s true.

4. Locker Rooms
The combo of sweaty gym clothes and soapy showers comes together in that exquisite smell called locker room. That odor brings up fond memories of comparing your late-bloomer body with the other girls’ full-blown boobs. Good times.

5. Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Lotion
The fragrance, which came in about 50 million products, was the basis of your very first beauty routine. Thank goodness that green stuff is back in Bath and Body Works stores from now until July 5. Time to stock up for the next 10 years.

A photo posted by Kari Emmons (@klemmonsss) on Jun 8, 2015 at 1:56pm PDT

 

6. New Sneakers
A new school year meant a new pair of leathery-smelling shoes. Let’s bring this tradition back, people. 

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7. Pleather Seats in Cars
This is what carpool in your dad’s sedan smells like.

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8. Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner
No beauty routine was complete without the urge to herbal. You probably still crave that thick rose-scented lather. Ahhh.

9. Soccer Balls
The plastic, rubbery goodness pretty much defined your athletic career before you’d ever heard of indoor-cycling classes.

10. Jelly Sandals
Another heavenly plastic scent you can’t get enough of. If those shoes didn’t make your feet so insanely sweaty, you’d probably still own a pair.

A photo posted by Bibi Bencash (@aeimah) on Jun 8, 2015 at 2:37am PDT

 

11. Abercrombie and Fitch
Whether or not you actually spent money in the sandalwood-doused store, you could probably smell the shirtless models a mile away. We still want to know if the employees had to spray bottles of the stuff on all of the clothing racks before the store opened. We wouldn’t be surprised.

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12. Aussie Sprunch Spray
The goo that held your noodle-y curls in place had such a heavenly scent that it was acceptable to rock ramen hair.

13. Camp Beverly Hills
Though it was created to smell like a summer in California, it probably reminds most people of their shoulderpad-clad babysitter.

14. Drakkar Noir and Calvin Klein Obsession Colognes
That Axe body spray has nothing on these potent teenager-trying-to-smell-like-a-man scents. It brings back fond memories of the first time you got close to a guy.

 

15. TCBY
Before weigh-and-pay froyo was a thing, TCBY was your go-to. You basically got a sugar rush from just walking in the door. Yeah, we’re craving chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, too.

16. Sebastian Shaper Hairspray
Does it smell like Texas beauty queen hair in here, or is it just us?

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