Popular Colognes and Perfumes from the 80s and 90s

Each year, National Fragrance Day is celebrated on March 21st. Yes, I realize that's a completely random holiday to observe, but it got me thinking about those iconic colognes and perfumes from the late '80s and early '90s.

For me, that's the precise time that I was making the transition from high school to college. That's about the age range where we all start wanting to smell good, right? I think finding the right scent starts to become important around the same time we start thinking about dating. Part of making a great first impression is making you sure that you don't smell like a landfill. That's where colognes and perfumes come in handy.

I was lucky to grow up in an era with some truly classic scents. So, here's a look at some of the most notable brands for men and women during that time period. We'll start with the guys because that's what my personal experience involves. I am pretty sure I either owned a bottle of each of these or, at the very least, I spritzed myself with them liberally at the cologne counter at my local Lazarus Department Store.

POPULAR MEN'S COLOGNES FROM THE '80S AND '90S

DRAKKAR NOIR

Come on, Guys! You know you tried this. You know you wanted to "feel the power!"

POLO RALPH LAUREN

There is no doubt that THIS was the most popular cologne at Daviess County Middle and High School.

FAHRENHEIT

I bought a bottle of this once primarily because it was made by Christian Dior and I am pretty sure I found it on sale somewhere. However, if memory serves me correctly, I didn't even really the like the smell of it. In retrospect, I suppose I should appreciate the fact that I didn't pay full price.

COOL WATER

I had two go-to colognes when I was in college at the University of Louisville. Davidoff's Cool Water was one of them. Anytime I was near a body of water, I recreated this . . .

JOOP!

Before you butcher the name of one of my all-time favorite scents, remember that the "J" is pronounced with a "Y." This not "Joop" with a "J." It's "Yoop" with a "Y." It's the fragrant edition of Hooked on Phonics.

It's funny. To this day, nearly 35 years later, I still LOVE Cool Water and Joop! In fact, I may run down to the TJ Maxx later and see if I can find me a discounted bottle of one or both of them.

Get our free mobile app

POPULAR PERFUMES FOR WOMEN FROM THE '80S AND '90S

Now for the ladies. I definitely remember some of these fragrances because of my female friends who basically bathed in them during our high school and college years. Here are five iconic perfumes from the '80s and '90s.

ELECTRIC YOUTH BY DEBBIE GIBSON

Yes, that was actually a thing. Debbie Gibson ruled the pop charts in the late 80s and she had a brief reign at the cosmetics and fragrance counter too. Her perfume Electric Youth was named after her best-selling album and hit song.

POISON

I had a high school friend (who shall remain nameless) who lugged a bottle of Poison around in her big old purse and crop-dusted herself with it constantly in the hallways of Daviess County High School. She was like the opposite of Pig-Pen from the Peanuts. Sure she had a cloud around her, but it at least it didn't smell like dirt.

OBSESSION

The commercials for Calvin Klein's Obsession were tiny works of short-film art. Heck, they even got famed director David Lynch to helm this one. I'm pretty sure my female friends thought they would be able to summon a Hollywood Adonis if they power-sprayed themselves with this stuff.

EXCLAMATION

I am not sure there was a more "80s" brand of perfume than Exclamation. And, look! Their marketing campaign encapsulated every single thing we loved about the decade- the music, the fashion, the hair, the smell, and that glorious exclamation point!

LOVE'S BABY SOFT

Everything about this perfume was weird to me in the 80s when my girlfriends were wearing it. It's still BIZARRE to this day. And this commercial is a FREAK SHOW. Why did anyone ever think smelling like a baby was sexy????? Another question. Why is she violating that sucker?

And, for your final consideration, I have to ask if you remember this. This is my honorable mention for this list. Chances are- if you couldn't afford the real stuff above- you bought the cheap-ass knockoffs from the Kmart. Do you remember . . .

DESIGNER IMPOSTERS

So, back in the day, what was your go-to cologne or perfume?