Take everything you know about AXE body spray and products and throw it out the door — this isn't the smell from your middle school days. A new lineup of reimagined, quality AXE scents is here and ready to take the Toronto market by storm (or spray!).

Introducing the new Fine Fragrance Collection from AXE, a lineup of accessible and premium scents for men. Crafted by some of the most recognized fragrance makers in the game, these body sprays, deodorants, and body washes are flipping the fine fragrance world on its head.

High-quality scents made by master perfumers 

Working with the renewed perfume house DSM-Firmenich and legendary perfume experts in Grasse, France, AXE's new lineup guarantees a range of functional, high-end, and unique fragrances at an accessible price.

I had the special opportunity to visit the DSM-Firmenich House and factory and take a deep dive into how these scents were conceptualized and crafted for consumers today.

The DSM-Firmenich House, also known as Villa Botanica, hosted the Axe Fine Fragrance team.

Taking an almost 360-degree approach from the old AXE scent profiles, fragrance masters blended and tested out hundreds of combinations of fine-quality oils and essences until the new lineup was perfected. 

Visiting the DSM-Firmenich House I was surprised at how the process of creating a signature scent is much like crafting a piece of music or writing. It's trial-and-error or draft after draft. As different oils are added to a scent, the smell changes and builds into something completely different - truly an art form! 

The lineup's newest star is the irresistible Black Vanilla, crafted with over 20 essential and premium ingredients. It combines fresh citrus and gourmand notes thanks to a blend of lavandin, sage, basil with cocoa, vanilla, tonka beans, and sandalwood for an irresistible yet bold scent.

As AXE has grown and sophisticated over the years, so has its target market, hence the turn towards premium scents made with superior ingredients.

The new dawn of AXE

AXE hasn't forgotten its past, it's simply turning a new leaf more in line with what consumers want: a high-quality fragrance with the effectiveness of a deodorant.

But don't get it twisted!

Here at the DSM-Firmenich House where I got to blind smell test the new Axe Fine Fragrance Collection.

Just because AXE's new products are available at a lower price point than a traditional fine cologne, doesn't mean it lacks in quality or power. In fact, the Fine Fragrance Collection uses the same exact premium ingredients as some of the fanciest colognes in the world.

Some of these ingredients were shown to me at the DSM-Firmenich House, like vanilla pods from Madagascar, dried pieces of bergamot, and slices of thick sandalwood. Holding these sought-after ingredients really revealed how much time and quality went into creating the new AXE scents. 

A tour of DSM-Firmenich House showcased quality ingredients used in the AXE Fine Fragrance Collection.

Master fragrance developer and the brains behind the AXE Fine Fragrance Collection, Ann Gottlieb, explains that the oil type in AXE "is the same as fine fragrances but the amount is less" and that "it has nothing to do with a lesser quality."

That's a statement to be trusted, after all; Gottlieb has a decades-long run in the fragrance market and has developed some of the world's most beloved scents including J’ADORE by Christian Dior, CK One, and the cult-classic Japanese Cherry Blossom from Bath & Body Works.

Ann Gottlieb says AXE isn't forgetting its past, just turning a new higher-quality leaf. 

"[AXE] doesn’t pretend to be something that we aren't,” Gottlieb tells blogTO, adding, "We're inspired by fine fragrance — not knocking it off."

The perfume masters have used their expertise to create a lineup that is unique but also gives off the vibe of a high-quality cologne. Visiting the DSM-Firmenich House, I learned that this isn't an easy task to pull off.

Some scent combinations work better than others, while it takes a discerning nose to determine the base, middle, and bottom notes of all scents from the Fine Fragrance Collection — a task that I, unfortunately, did not do very well with. 

It's true, noses love the AXE Fine Fragrance Collection

Don't just take my word for it. In a blind scent test conducted by AXE last October, 74 per cent of a group of 220 men aged 16-34 said they preferred AXE Black Vanilla to Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille.

This tracks with consumer trends, as Gottlieb indicates that AXE customers tend to be more "sophisticated and more familiar with fine fragrance."

This has resulted in a first-of-its-kind collection: a high-quality scent with the effectiveness of a deodorant, giving people the ability to feel confident and self-assured without worrying about odour.

Meet the lineup

While Black Vanilla is the newest star in the Fine Fragrance Collection, it joins three other premium scents available in Canada: Blue Lavender, Aqua Bergamot, and Green Geranium.

The newest addition to the AXE Fine Fragrance lineup, Black Vanilla, uses a blend of lavandin, sage, and basil with cocoa, vanilla, tonka beans, and sandalwood.

Using an icy mix of lavender, mint, orange blossom, and geranium, Blue Lavender is a clean and smooth scent that builds with warm cedarwood, vanilla creme, and amber for an inspiring and long-lasting scent.

If you're looking for something sharper, I suggest the sparkling and clear Aqua Bergamot, which uses a blend of bergamot, sage, and juniper for a refreshing smell. This is my personal favourite scent, which I think gives off a clean yet crisp finish. 

My favourite scent, Aqua Bergamot, is classically clean and crisp. 

Green Geranium is your bright and modern scent with top notes of Moroccan spearmint, French lavender, Canadian Balsam Fir, and herbs and spices for a sharp and head-turning vibe.

Go forth and smell

This collection marks a new and exciting era of AXE, where quality and affordability meet for premium and powerful scents.

Ready to try it out yourself? Check out the all-new AXE Fine Fragrance Collection today, available nationally, and get to smelling!