Teen Times: Perfume: a liquid cosmetic worn for its pleasant smell. As young girls we all borrowed perfume from our mothers and sisters. It helped us to feel - or, at the very least, smell, grown-up. Nowadays, we're more likely to wear a celebrity's scent than a relative's. From Britney to Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez to Jade Goody, everyone wants us to smell like them.

It's 2006. By now we've invented the wheel, managed to circumnavigate the globe, cure the plague - and we've also discovered a scent for every mood. With the constant stream of celebrity-endorsed perfumes one is forced to wonder what's, or rather who's, next. Perhaps Hint of MRSA by our very own Mary Harney? Catchy - literally. Remind me to patent that one.

Smelling good wasn't always so complex, however. In Victorian times (the years of the former queen, not the former Spice Girl), people used to squeeze lemons and oranges under their armpits in a bid to "freshen up" in those dark, pre-deodorant days. I doubt such an act would be well received in a changing room today. For one, it would result in a terribly sticky mess. Secondly, all that waste of citrus would surely lead to a steep upsurge of scurvy cases.

Does the seemingly endless amount of perfume choices make it impossible for us to smell bad or impossible to smell good? You know what I'm talking about, girls - you walk into the perfume section of any pharmacy and your nose is instantly bombarded by ylang ylang, vanilla and rose petals. Everything's going rather well until you accidentally spray some beet-inspired musk onto your wrist, where it kindly lingers all day. Lovely.

In modern times, it's not just females who are in need of nostril protection. Yes, I was shocked too, but apparently men can also smell nice. Not to be left behind by their more feminine counterparts, male celebrities such as David Beckham and P Diddy (Sean Combs, the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy . . .) have unleashed their scents upon the suspecting world.

The former has also recently launched joint his-and-hers "Intimately" fragrances with his other half, Victoria (the former Spice girl, not the queen). Yet another string to add to the ever-expanding bow of "Brand Beckham". Somewhat surprisingly, the demand was much less than expected. As for the bottles that are selling, David is currently winning three to one. At least he's winning something three to one.

Does this wane in scent-related interest reflect the end of a trend? Are the other four senses going to receive some long overdue attention? Probably not. If and when this article is printed, I'm sure, due to the unprecedented success of the original, Hint of MRSA: The Sequel will already be in production.

Perfumes and aftershaves are so much more than just pleasant-smelling liquids. They are rites of passage. As adolescents, that means sugary sweet for the girls and strong stenches for the boys. We grow up and so does our taste. Sometimes we spend a lot of money on those few millilitres of liquid. Is it worth it? Well, if we need rose-tinted glasses every now and then, why not rose-scented wrists? After all, everyone needs to smell flowers - at least once in a while.

• Orla Ryan (17) is in Leaving Certificate at Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone, Co Sligo.
• 500-word articles are welcome from teenagers to teentimes@irish-times.ie. Please include a phone number.