College dorms are typically redolent of musty towels and leftover pizza – not sandalwood and bergamot. Marquette University freshman Drew Goetz is working to change that.
In high school, Goetz noticed a trend among his classmates: a growing interest in high-end colognes and perfumes, many priced well beyond his budget. (“I’d buy whatever smelled good at T.J. Maxx,” he admits.) Sensing a business opportunity, he launched Urbane Aromatics in early 2024, a fragrance line offering affordable alternatives to luxury scents.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Having no prior experience in fragrance or entrepreneurship, Goetz got started in his parents’ garage in Rochester, Minnesota. With help from his father, a compound pharmacist, he created two signature scents: UA.1, a woody eau de parfum for men, and UA.2, a fresh, citrusy eau de toilette for women.
At $55 for 3.4 fluid ounces, they’re a fraction of the price of high-end brands like Jean Paul Gaultier or Chanel but still come in sleek, handsomely designed bottles. Soon, he was selling them at craft fairs and local independent retailers such as Milworks in the Third Ward.
Goetz’s business reflects a broader cultural shift. Gone are the days of 14-year-olds drowning themselves in Axe Body Spray. Now, young men are collecting fragrances with a fervor typically reserved for limited-edition Air Jordans.
According to a 2024 survey by investment bank Piper Sandler, teen boys’ fragrance spending jumped 26% year-over-year. And, as with most youth trends, they’re discovering these scents via TikTok.
On the platform, influencers share tips for “smellmaxxing,” or leveling-up one’s scent, and suggest fragrances for everything from exercising to clubbing to “rizzing up” your teachers. In one video, a high school senior known as TheCologneBoy (2 million followers) huffs an Yves Saint Laurent fragrance in front of his collection of 1,200 bottles.
Goetz uses TikTok reluctantly, acknowledging its uncertain future. (As of press time, the app has stayed online but is no longer available for download.) “I want to take things in a more sophisticated direction,” he says. But even he can’t deny its power to make fragrances feel aspirational.
Consider Urbane Aromatics’ own TikTok videos, in which Goetz’s marketing partner, a UW-Milwaukee student, conducts street interviews outside popular Downtown bars.
When asked to smell UA.1 and describe the kind of person who might wear it, the college-aged interviewees reference actor Timothée Chalamet, whose effortless style has made him a Gen Z icon of understated cool. Or, as one bargoer puts it, “It smells like a guy who’s, like, in business school.”
Ursa
2534 S. KINNICKKINNIC AVE.
Find curated oils and personal fragrances at this Bay View shop, including small-batch scents from West Third Brand, known for its masculine aromas.
Swoon Trinkets and Doodads
5422 W. VLIET ST.
This quirky Washington Heights gift shop defies categorization – just like its selection of TSA-friendly roll-on scents from Denver-based Vivistix.
Orange and Blue Co.
1809 N. HUBBARD ST.
Sharing space with Uncle Wolfie’s, Orange and Blue carries playfully packaged fragrances from brands like Blomb and Maison Matine.
