Last year, fragrance was among the fastest-growing sectors of the beauty industry, despite being one of the smallest.
There are many online recommendations and tempting new launches out there, but it can be difficult to decide which fragrance to purchase and really make your own.
So, Business Insider asked fragrance brand founders and developers for their best advice on finding your perfect signature scent.
Train your nose
Before entering any fragrance shop, it’s important to train your nose and determine what scents you naturally gravitate toward, Brianna Arps, founder, CEO, and designer at Moodeaux, told BI.
Note the fragrance categories you enjoy — like gourmands, florals, or citrus — then narrow it down to specific notes, like line items in a recipe, Arps said.
“As you become more familiar with what certain things smell like, you’re able to quickly weed out things that wouldn’t work for you,” she added.
Understand the feeling and intention behind your scent
Scent tells stories through layers of notes, Carlos Huber, a fragrance developer and founder of Arquiste Parfumeur, told BI.
He said it’s important that people ask themselves how a scent makes them feel and where it takes them. For example, certain notes can make you feel energized or relaxed when wearing them.
“We associate our life experiences with the stuff we put on us, whether it’s fashion or a perfume. Figure out your intention for that,” Huber said.
Try to test fragrances on both paper and skin
Romano Ricci, founder and artistic director of Juliette Has a Gun, advised testing fragrances on both paper and skin when shopping around.
Paper can offer a more neutral palette, but since everyone’s bodies react differently to scents, it’s important to test a fragrance on your skin to see how it will really sit.
Beware of olfactory fatigue
Olfactory fatigue can make it harder to describe a scent’s notes, Ricci said.
To avoid this, he suggested limiting your testing to three to four scents and spreading your sniffs out by about 10 minutes. That way, their middle notes (also known as heart notes) have time to come out.
Some fragrance shops also have cups of coffee beans for customers to smell between perfumes to “reset” the olfactory sense, but Arps said this might do more harm than good by clouding your nose’s judgment.
Instead, she recommended smelling clean skin on the inside of your arm or the back of your hand between fragrances.
Give your test fragrance time to settle
Whether you spray a fragrance on paper or your skin, Arps recommended letting it settle to draw out the complexities of the top, middle, and bottom notes.
For example, some scents that you may initially adore could unfurl into something you don’t actually enjoy.
“You’re gonna live with it, and it’s gonna live with you for a little bit. You may like something immediately, but then if you don’t like it within an hour, then it’s not meant to be your signature scent,” Huber told BI.
Take note of positive or negative feedback you get while wearing a new fragrance
Sometimes, testing a fragrance once is enough, especially if you receive positive feedback.
While wearing a fragrance, see if anyone offers a compliment or reaction to the scent, like how someone would mention a flattering new lip color or hairstyle.
“It’s the same way as your makeup or your outfit. It’s a way of expression,” Ricci said.
Look into a fragrance discovery kit before purchasing a full-sized bottle
Before you dive into a full-size, or even travel-size, bottle of fragrance, Arps suggested trying a discovery kit of multiple scents in even smaller quantities.
Ricci recommended using a platform like Nose, which uses your past fragrance preferences to build a kit of new scents you might like.
Keep a log of fragrances you try
Arps also recommended keeping a list of the scents you try as a concrete way to analyze common scent notes that you’re drawn to.
This can help point you in the right direction for a fragrance you’ll love.
Consider alternative methods for finding a new fragrance
Although your first thought when looking for a new signature scent may be to run to a department store, Arps told BI that swap meets are becoming more popular among fragrance fans.
While there, people swap perfumes (including partially used ones) with one another.
“It’s another way to help find a scent that you truly love, because just as a fragrance evolves, we as people evolve,” she said. “These types of events allow people to honor growth and find things that speak to them now.”
Determine the kind of longevity you want to have
A fragrance’s longevity depends on its oil concentration: the lower the concentration, the less time the scent will last.
A pure parfum, for example, should last the longest — up to eight hours — because it has an oil concentration between 20 and 30%.
After parfum comes an eau de parfum, followed by an eau de toilette, an eau de cologne, and an eau fraiche, which has the lowest oil concentration.
However, don’t worry if you fall in love with a scent that doesn’t last. Longevity can be a little overrated, Huber said, as you can always re-apply a fragrance.
Remember to keep your budget in mind
The price of a fragrance can depend on various factors, from scent longevity and ingredients to brand name. The popular fragrance brand Le Labo, for example, has bottles that retail for up to $1,095.
Although it’s probably the least fun part of finding a signature scent, Arps recommended keeping a realistic budget in mind when deciding which fragrances to add to your collection.
Have fun searching for your signature scent
There’s no right or wrong way to find your signature scent or “olfactory personality,” Ricci said.
His best advice: Visualize your fragrance as an “invisible dress and not as a composition of ingredients,” and reflect on what you want to express through your scent.
