How Dedcool's Taunt Fragrance Gained A Cult Following On PerfumeTok

When it comes to the perfumes beloved by fashion-forward residents of the world’s most bustling cities, noses familiar have likely encountered quite a few Santal 33 trails when roaming said popular streets. And while the beloved Le Labo fragrance is technically considered an indie creation, the scent has somehow defied the norm, acquiring a cult following from all genders (even garnering the attention of A-listers like Ryan Reynolds, Bebe Rexha, and Justin Bieber who have called it their signature perfume).

With the Santal 33 obsession — on TikTok and IRL — many fragrance lovers are on the hunt for a new go-to scent that has a similar universal appeal (albeit, one that’s less likely to be worn by every person at your local bar), and DedCool Taunt is primed to take its place as the gender-bending perfume that most everyone can’t get enough of.

“Taunt was one of the first scents I ever created [in] 2007,” Carina Chaz, DedCool’s founder and perfumer, tells Bustle. Believe it or not, Chaz was only 13 years old and navigating middle school at the time, all while rejecting the overly-sweet body mists that clouded the locker-lined halls. “I had this adversity to the Pink Sugar scent. Not to say the scent isn't great — to me, it’s one of the most distinguishable scents out there — it just wasn't the scent I gravitated towards for my everyday wear.” As a new teen, she was allowed to create a perfume for herself (Chaz’s mother has a background in beauty manufacturing) as a gift. “With the help of a formulator, I was able to identify scents and notes that evoked an aura of confidence — warm tones of amber, sweet notes of vanilla, and fresh hits of bergamot. This is how Taunt came into the world.”

Confidence is a feeling that countless unsure middle schoolers are often working so hard to grow within themselves. Chaz knew she had created something beautiful in Taunt yet perhaps didn’t realize just how far one single fragrance would take her throughout the next decade or so. “There were only two iterations [before] Taunt came to life. The scent was never supposed to be anything mass market — it was a scent for me to share with the people closest to me.”

As of 2023, Taunt is what Chaz declares a clear “fan favorite,” making its way into every single category the brand currently offers: fine fragrance, candles, air fresheners, laundry “dedtergent,” body washes, hand creams, and odor-fighting poop drops for toilets (because, why not). What’s more, Chaz teases that there will be some more products that lovers of the scent can expect to see soon. In other words? Taunt is more than a go-to scent, but a truly genderless signature aroma that can be threaded throughout one’s everyday.

While there are a few celebrities who have picked up their own bottle of Taunt — Chaz confirmed that A-listers have made purchases but was tight-lipped about exact names — perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that the DedCool love is still a bit more on the low. Because although it’s recently made its way onto Sephora shelves, there’s still a pretty good chance that you’ll smell entirely unique in a sea of Santal 33.