THE STRONGEST FRAGRANCE IN THE WORLD?

Followed — the stuff of perfume legend and meme-worthy fear. This one’s got a reputation in the fragrance community — and not a dainty kind. No, people straight-up associate it with the movie It Follows… because, like that creepy entity, this perfume will track you across time, space, and possibly the afterlife.

WHAT DOES IT SMELL LIKE?

I got my sample many moons ago — a dabber, not a sprayer (thank God) — and never dared apply it on skin. Why? Because I could smell it through the cap. It was basically threatening me. Even perfume shop associates refuse to spray this one indoors. They go outside. That alone tells you everything you need to know: this thing is clingy.

Now, apparently people fall into two distinct camps when it comes to Followed. The first group smells coffee and maple syrup. The second group smells… curry. Specifically fenugreek powder. Guess which group I’m in? Yep. Fenugreek all the way. I opened that vial and BAM — instant recognition. You see, I’ve got history with fenugreek.
Once upon a time, back when I was young, impressionable, and hopelessly vain, I fell for an urban legend: that taking fenugreek capsules could help enhance certain feminine features. Let’s just say I committed. Daily doses. The results? It worked! I was out there living my fantasy... But the glow-up came at a cost: a body odor so strong it could clear a yoga class. I smelled like a roasted maple curry snack at all times.
And when I smelled Followed, all those memories came flooding back. The trauma. The powder. The regret.
Because of that PTSD, the sample lived in quarantine: first in a separate compartment, then in a plastic baggie inside another box. It was my stinky little orphan. Forgotten. Banished.

But then… YOLO. I recently reorganized my sample stash, stumbled across the vial, and decided it was time. I was fresh off a week-long migraine marathon — scent-starved and desperate for a hit of something strong. Possibly not the wisest decision post-migraine, but hey, what doesn’t kill you makes you... anosmic! Haha! So I dabbed it. Generously. Like, droplets visible on my skin. And then — shockingly — I was hit with a glorious aroma. Rich coffee. Chocolate undertones. Creamy, caramel-y, even a little milky. It was thick, voluptuous, and frankly delicious. Like a choco-mocha-latte cuddling my arm.

Within five minutes, things took a turn. The dreamy café moment was replaced by the smell of burnt coffee. Like someone forgot the French roast on the stovetop. Woody, bitter, dark. And then came the sillage. Not coffee. Not chocolate. Nope. Fenugreek curry bomb. Up close? Lovely. In the air around me? Smelled like I was cooking spicy breakfast for fifty. There’s a particular aromachemical used to simulate maple syrup that, when overdosed, turns into fenugreek’s evil twin. And boy, did they OD. It overpowered everything else and created a scent trail so big, Baccarat Rouge smells like a shy introvert next to it.

Two hours in, the bitterness mellowed. The sweetness made a shy return — maybe a whisper of syrup or caramel. But the sillage? Still curry. Still fenugreek. Still haunting me.
Then something weird happened. The scent migrated. I’d only applied it to one arm, but now both arms, my dress, and even my hair smelled like it. I was possessed. Like the perfume equivalent of glitter — it won’t leave.
And then came the final confirmation: a friend walked into my place and wrinkled their nose.
“Smells like food in here. Were you cooking with fenugreek?”
This friend, by the way, is no stranger to the stuff — they also took fenugreek supplements back in the day.
I said, “Nope, it’s this perfume I’m testing.”
They blinked. “Who would want to smell that strong — and like fenugreek?”

WHAT MAKES FOLLOWED SO POWERFUL? AROMACHEMICAL BREAKDOWN

The aromachemical in Followed that most likely causes that fenugreek/curry/maple syrup effect is sotolon (also spelled sotolone).

Smells like: maple syrup, curry, fenugreek, lovage, burnt sugar, caramelized nuts
Occurs naturally in: fenugreek seeds, maple syrup, aged rum, sherry, and lovage
Used in perfumery to evoke: warmth, sweetness, edible/nutty/spicy tones (especially in gourmands)
Problem: Even in tiny amounts, it’s super potent and diffusive. In high concentrations, it shifts from sweet/syrupy to distinctly curry-like, even savory and sweaty.



In the case of Followed by Kerosene, it's likely that sotolon (or a material very high in sotolon) was used to mimic that rich maple syrup/coffee warmth, but it was overdosed, pushing it into that unmistakable fenugreek curry bomb territory — especially in the sillage.

This also explains why:

- The scent travels aggressively
- The drydown clings to fabrics
- It’s polarizing: maple syrup lovers vs. "why do I smell like brunch?"

Another powerful aromachemical is caramel furanone. Caramel furanones (maltol & ethyl maltol) have incredibly low odor thresholds — your nose can detect them in concentrations as low as a few parts per billion.

That means:

- Even tiny amounts dominate a blend.
- Overdosing turns sweet into cloying, sticky, and sometimes metallic.
- When combined with sotolon, the diffusion is nuclear — it projects far, clings forever, and lingers in the air long after you’ve left. This is why ethyl maltol is a signature in powerhouse gourmands like Mugler Angel, Baccarat Rouge 540, and Mancera’s sweet bombs.

Followed probably has caramel furanone (ethyl maltol) in the formula, helping boost the coffee/caramel/maple sweetness. But the real sledgehammer here is sotolon. Together, those two are like gourmand steroids: diffusive, long-lasting, and impossible to ignore… whether you like it or not.

CONCLUSION

So, is it really the strongest fragrance in the world? I’d say it’s strong, but there are — or were — fragrances just as powerful. Original Angel Eau de Parfum , pre-reformulation (especially the ’90s to early 2000s formula), was probably even stronger. One spray on a coat could make the entire closet smell like Angel for months, and it would practically punch you in the face when you opened the closet door. Alien Eau de Parfum , before reformulation, was another powerhouse. Many Mancera and Montale fragrances are also heavy hitters — Instant Crush , for instance. Kerosene’s Followed is definitely up there with the legends, for sure!

What do you think? What was the strongest fragrance you’ve ever experienced??