More established scents -- think Dad's stocking stuffer circa 1975 -- have repositioned their products to appeal to a younger generation. Old Spice has a line called Red Zone. Gillette launched a body spray called Tag in 2004.
Brett Goyne, a physical education teacher at Loiederman, said he noticed the body sprays turning up about three years ago. Before that, he can't remember seeing a middle-school boy use anything except maybe the occasional stick of deodorant.
"It's priced perfect for the middle-school student," he said of the body sprays. "But, boy, if they sweat a lot and then put it on -- ohhhh, it just takes over the whole locker room."
Axe retails for about $5 and has become such a part of James' life that he spends half of his monthly allowance on it.
For mothers who preach the importance of good grooming, Axe's arrival has been greeted with both horror and amusement.
"It started in my house last year," said Karen Clarkson, whose sons are 15, 11 and 6. "And it has been passed down from brother to brother.
"Earlier this year, my 6-year-old got ahold of it and decided to test it out himself and then decided to spray it everywhere. If you've ever had a quarter of a bottle of Axe sprayed around your house, you know it takes forever to get rid of it."
What's the appeal?
"I wish I knew," Clarkson said. "I was born in the '60s, and we were into the natural and not the overpowering. And there is nothing really natural about" Axe.
