I Paid $65 to Get Matched With My Perfect Fragrance
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
I’ve been a devoted personality test-taker since the pre-“Buzzfeed quiz” era of my youth. I learned Which Love Song I Am (Yellow by Coldplay), Which Sex and the City Character (Carrie, for better or worse), and What Style Are You (I think it was “Boho-Chic,” regrettably). Now, quizzes and other algorithm-based surveys are popular across direct-to-consumer brands selling everything from ThirdLove bras to Prose hair care.
They’ve also successfully made their way into the perfume sphere. Brands like D.S. & Durga, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, and Penhaligon’s all have quizzes on their websites to help consumers decide which scent is right for them. There are also plenty of multi-brand retailers who offer the service: The online and in-person shop Nose Paris has an “olfactory diagnostic” that uses AI to gather data about your favorite listed perfumes, and churns out five fragrances they think you’ll like. Other services ask abstract questions: “I am feeling like:” and a photo of a grapefruit, a monstera leaf, and a hand against a clean white wall appear on the screen.
Although these fragrance finders can be useful tools, and definitely fun for the personality quiz-loving tween in me, they don’t come close in effectiveness or enjoyment to scent consultations online or in-person with real human beings. As we move deeper into the world of AI and algorithms, we risk losing these connections. Luckily, a new crop of brand-agnostic creators has stepped in to guide followers to their new favorite scent.
Fragrance experts are all over TikTok. Some provide recommendations in public videos, based on comments they receive with specific asks. (“Favorite smoke bombs? I’d like to smell like I sat by a bonfire the night before,” was requested of Scout Dixon West on TikTok.) Others do personal consults for a fee that promise in-depth research and recommendations based on their client’s preferences and aesthetic. One #PerfumeTok creator, Maria Helen (@thetopnotes), charges $45 for an online consultation; another creator, @perfumerism, charges $35; and @nearlynoseblind does consults for free, but encourages a donation to organizations that are meaningful to her.
About a year ago, I did a scent consultation with Emma Vernon, host of the podcast Perfume Room. Vernon is a fragrance expert certified in Advanced Olfaction through fragrance house Cinquième Sens. Vernon’s consults cost $65 and are primarily done virtually.
Via a digital form, Vernon asked my age, astrological sign, which fragrances I love and hate, the purpose of the perfume, budget (she can work with any price parameters), my current aesthetic, and my aspirational one. Vernon suggests including your favorite celebrities, colors, style trends, and fictional characters for inspiration.
Since Vernon usually doesn’t meet with her clients in-person, which would allow for back and forth conversation, she wants as much clarity and detail as possible. Even your Instagram handle, which Vernon gives the option to include, can be a useful clue.
Occasionally, Vernon asks follow up questions if her client’s responses indicate they’re a fellow “frag-head” (in which case, she might reach out to check on their familiarity with perfume suggestions she’s considering) or if their answers are too vague.
Vernon knows that some of her clients use perfume as a tool to embody their truest self, and others use it like playing dress-up, sharing a different iteration of their identity. One such client is Alexandra Pauly, a beauty editor at Highsnobiety with an extensive fragrance background, who had a consultation with Vernon in New York.
Pauly uses perfume as an accessory, complementing or contrasting with what she’s wearing. She also links it to her mood. “If I’m in a really good mood maybe I want something that’s really bright, sparkling, and citrusy; if I’m a little moody maybe I want something darker,” she says. “I think it’s about creating a character, just the way you do when you get dressed.”
Pauly thought Vernon’s consultation service was the perfect way for a scent newcomer to learn, but also saw its merit for an experienced perfume lover. “I think if you’re a collector who maybe has a gap in their collection, or if you’re looking for a certain fragrance for a specific occasion, it can be a very valuable service,” she says. After her own session with Vernon, Pauly ended up purchasing a bottle of Nasomatto Baroanda, which she mostly wears at night, due to the scent’s woody, whiskey top notes.
Nasomatto
Nasomatto Baraonda Extrait de Parfum
Nordstrom
Three main points inspired Vernon to recommend Baroanda: Pauly told Vernon she wanted to smell like an Olsen twin, wanted something unlike anything she owned, and was willing to spend up to $200. While her favorite notes vary (iris/violet, rose, galbanum, patchouli, leather, spices) Vernon picked Baroanda because Pauly’s favorite fragrances evoke a similar energy: “chic, but approachable.”
By Aliza Kelly
By Kara Nesvig
By Marci Robin
When a client describes a ~vibe~ the way Pauly did with the Olsen twins, Vernon goes with her gut. “It becomes less note-centric and more emotional,” she says.
Vernon looked for warm, edgy, unique, and tailored scents. “That led me to Baraonda: an impossibly cool scent that feels boozy but rose-y, with a magical cocktail of dry woods and fruit pulp,” she says. Pauly described it as “top-shelf whiskey in a Baccarat decanter.”
Vernon says she isn’t beholden to a certain brand, limited by a store’s inventory, or selling for a commission. “I’m Switzerland: There’s nothing I can’t recommend,” she says. Vernon does have a couple of affiliate codes for retailers (which means she gets a small percentage of sales generated through said link), but says she doesn’t limit recommendations based on those codes.
I loved both the process and the results of my consultation with Vernon. It felt like I was back in my MySpace or Tumblr days, disclosing my ideal aesthetic. I told Vernon that Zoë Kravtiz in High Fidelity and Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona were major style inspirations, and about my pension for green, fresh scents, but also a shameless desire for something creamy and sweet.
I loved both the process and the results of my consultation with Vernon. It felt like I was back on MySpace or Tumblr, disclosing my ideal aesthetic. I told Vernon that Zoë Kravtiz in High Fidelity and Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona were major style inspirations, and about my pension for green, fresh scents, but also a shameless desire for something creamy and sweet.
One week after I submitted my survey, Vernon recommended Wedding in Oaxaca by Kismet Olfactive, 10 A.M. Flirt by Kieran, and Parisian Musc by Matiere Premiere, all of which have pronounced fig facets. She also suggested Gorseland by Jorum Studios, a vegetal scent that smells vaguely like turnips (which sounds strange, but I swear it’s amazing). Lastly, she recommended Dulce by By Rosie Jane, a vanilla musk scent in tribute to my inner Bath & Body Works’ Warm Vanilla Sugar middle school girl. She sent affiliate codes for both Luckyscent and Twisted Lily, which offered a 10% discount on any fragrance they carry.
By Rosie Jane
By Rosie Jane Dulce Eau de Parfum
Nordstrom
I immediately ordered a sample of each, aside from Kieran’s 10 A.M. flirt, which I tracked down to smell in person, and shortly thereafter bought a bottle. I revisit all of the samples frequently, (you’d be surprised how long those teeny bottles can last!) and Parisian Musc is on my shortlist for my next full bottle purchase.
By Aliza Kelly
By Kara Nesvig
By Marci Robin
Vernon establishes a personal connection with her clients, and taking the time to discover their unique attributes and desires leads to much more reliable results than an online quiz. In my experience, AI recommending a fragrance purely based on its notes just can’t compare.
Later this year, Vernon plans to offer intimate guided tours of the perfume district in New York City. She’ll shop alongside you, suggesting individually tailored perfume along the way. For other in-person fragrance shopping experiences, you can turn to department stores, or independent perfume shops, carrying a single or multiple range of niche brands.
Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle has stores in over 50 countries around the world. Ramine Hajipour worked at the Los Angeles boutique for two years, and has been in the fashion industry for 20 years. He prides himself in his ability to find someone their perfect scent.
“It’s like having a dance partner: you take one step, they give you the next step, and you move on,” Hajipour says.
He learns as much about the client as they’re willing to share: their career and lifestyle, when and where the fragrance would be worn, and even what kind of food they eat. “Diet is so intertwined with your scent. [In my experience] sometimes if your diet is acidic, scents and fragrances will turn on your skin,” he says.
Trauvalya Wallace represents the best of both worlds: The fragrance consultant started working in beauty and department stores in 2009 and has since amassed a significant online following.
Wallace was trained in part at Sephora, who paid for her to take the Fragrance Expert Exam through The Fragrance Foundation. She is currently the only beauty stylist with a fragrance focus at the Nordstrom store in New York City where she works. In partnership with Nordstrom, Wallace started offering fragrance consultations online during the pandemic, and now offers them in-store too. The consultation is free, with the hope that the client will purchase a fragrance from the store.
Even on FaceTime, where she does the majority of her consultations, Wallace says she reads her clients’ energy and attitude. She asks their age, and more importantly how old they feel. Like Hajipour, she also asks where the client grew up,
- Last
News by day
27 of April 2024
