How to Find Your Signature Scent
Your signature scent is essentially the window to your personality and how you want to be seen. You can even rotate your favorite perfumes based on the time of day, year, occasion, and even your mood. But finding a certain scent that people can associate you with is a rewarding process, but takes time. Here are some tips on how to get started.
Start with fragrance families. To me, understanding the different families is like identifying different music genres. Like knowing the difference between rock and jazz music, scents can be differentiated and classified by different families and subfamilies. For the sake of simplicity, here are four main scent families:
Florals: One of the most common families, the floral scent family is used in many well-known perfumes. A well-known example is Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Floral notes are typically used in women’s fragrances and smell like fresh-cut flowers. Some common notes are rose, jasmine, and orange blossom. Because of their light profile, floral scents are perfect for warmer seasons like spring or summertime.
Ambers: Contrary to the former, the amber scent family consists of rich and exotic scents. Think of vanilla, herbs, spices, or musky, powdery notes. These scents are often described as sensual, warm, luxurious, often containing an “edge”, and are best worn at night due to their darker and intense profile. Some great examples are Chanel Coco Noir and Dior Sauvage.
Woody: Woody perfumes are warm and opulent. They are characterized by notes deriving from earthy materials, such as wood, resin, leaves, and moss. Common woody notes are patchouli, oud, and sandalwood. They often smell fresh and grounding, used in many unisex perfumes. Some trending examples are Le Labo Santal 33 and Baccarat Rouge 540.
Fresh: Bright, citrusy, clean, and oceanic, the fresh scent family is known to be used in men’s fragrances, although modern scents now lean more towards unisex and feminine. Common notes are sage, bergamot, and grapefruit. Some famous examples are Acqua Di Gioia by Giorgio Armani and Versace Man.
2. What’s your vibe? How do you want your signature scent to make you feel?
Are you feeling playful? Sensual? Or do you want to come across as clean and put together? Think about this as you take turns sniffing between different scents like leather accord or peony before settling on the one. When you spray on the scent, not only should it feel like it’s who you are, but who you want to be. So know your vibe, and don’t always fall victim to the trends. Why? See tip 3.
3. Spend time with it. Because of everyone’s unique skin chemistry, perfumes can smell differently on everyone. How it smells on sampler paper won’t necessarily be how it settles into your skin. A best practice is to use a sampler or travel-sized bottle and sit with the fragrance for a week or so. Take note of how it smells over a long period, as your body chemistry can change throughout the day. As a college student, I’m aware that fragrances lean on the pricer side of beauty products. To be sure you’ll commit to the right scent, I would recommend purchasing sample sets. They’re budget-friendly, and expose you to different types of scents so that you can decide what you like. It’s also important to note how long you want your scent last on you. The most common labels that you might see on fragrance bottles are Eau de parfum and Eau de toilette. An Eau de parfum has a stronger and long-lasting scent than an eau de toilette due to its high concentration of oils. If you are wanting a scent that can last you all day, an Eau de parfum may be for you. If you’re opting for a lighter scent and you’re around people who are sensitive to fragrances, an Eau de toilette may be a better choice.
You’re set! Do what you want with this information, whether you want to find your signature scent, or become a perfume connoisseur. To me, my go-to scent (Le Labo Another 13), makes me feel, clean, confident, and put together. I hope you can find a scent that’ll feel like an extension of yourself and help exude the type of feeling that you want to portray! Again, fragrances are expensive, so consider these steps to ensure that you can pick a scent that can last you for a lifetime.
What’s your signature scent?