The signature scent used in Hollister Co. stores was SoCal. The fragrance became closely associated with the brand’s beach-inspired retail atmosphere, making the smell of a Hollister store almost as recognizable as its dark interiors, surf imagery, and loud music.
Hollister Co. launched in 2000 as an Abercrombie & Fitch brand built around an imagined Southern California lifestyle. SoCal fit that concept directly: its name abbreviates “Southern California,” the setting the company used for its marketing, even though Hollister Co. was founded in Ohio rather than the California city of Hollister.
The scent was sold as Hollister fragrance products as well as being used around stores. Customers sometimes confuse SoCal with Surf Spray, a styling product, or with Abercrombie & Fitch’s better-known Fierce fragrance. Those products belong to related but distinct brand identities. Store scenting practices also changed over time, and some locations later used other fragrances or reduced the practice, but SoCal remains the canonical answer for the classic Hollister store aroma.