Finding a new fragrance is more than just a matter of personal taste, there’s a science to it. Here's how to find your perfect perfume match, and how to get the most out of it

Finding a signature scent, a fragrance you fall in love with. is more than just a matter of personal taste, there’s a science to it. Here's how to find your perfect perfume match, and how to get the most out of it. 

Like fingerprints, we all have a unique natural scent. This is why no perfume smells the same on two different people. When you wear that one fragrance that suits you perfectly, it can truly become a part of you. But how do you find your ideal perfume? It all comes down to chemistry.  

The power of scent is undeniable—nothing can evoke memories, uplift your mood, or capture your personality so vividly. Finding your perfect fragrance match can be difficult. But when you do, the rewards are well worth the trying, testing and figuring out what works best for you.  

The key thing to understand, is that fragrances adapt themselves to the person wearing them, so just because you love your friend's new perfume, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work the same with your skin (and vice versa). Essentially, finding your ideal perfume is all about the chemistry between your skin and the notes of your fragrance. If you take into account things like your skin’s acidity and its natural scent, you’re left with a one-of-a-kind fragrance experience that’s completely personal to you.  

Scent notes  

The first step to finding your signature fragrance is to educate yourself about scent notes. Scent notes are the different layers that collectively make up a scent. Each perfume is a blend of top, middle and base notes.   

Top notes are the first notes you smell when you apply a perfume, giving you a first impression of the fragrance. These notes are generally fresh, light and volatile. Middle notes are the heart of the fragrance. They only become noticeable when the intensity of the top notes starts to fade. About 10 to 15 minutes after you’ve applied your perfume, the heart notes—often florals—will start to bloom. After the heart notes fade away, the base notes will linger on your skin. These longest-lasting notes are often very rich, such as woodsy notes, vanilla or musk.  

Fragrance families  

Once you understand the basics of fragrance notes, it’s time to narrow down your search for the perfect perfume by identifying your fragrance family. There are thousands of scents out there, so it helps to know what your type is before your start trying on perfumes.  

There are six main fragrance families, each sharing similar notes. The four most well-known are fresh, floral, woody and amber (which all the eaux de parfum in our Iconic Collection fall under), plus two more: aromatic, and fruity.  

• The floral family is a family of flower fragrances, with dewy, sensual, powdery, petally and delicate notes. This fragrance family is one of the most widely used in women’s perfumes.  
• The fresh family is predominantly citrus-based, featuring essences such as bergamot, mandarin, orange, lemon and lime. Its notes are delightfully airy and light.  
• The woody family is composed of rich, earthy, warm and long-lasting wood notes. These typically masculine notes are increasingly popular in women’s fragrances.  
• The amber family is a blend of warmth and sensuality. With the voluptuous notes of vanilla and balms, this family is characterised by a sensual combination of strength and softness.  
• The aromatic family is a family of herbs and spices. Its main constituents are sage, rosemary, thyme, mint and lavender, giving off strongly aromatic and energising notes.   
• The fruity family is fresh and playful, with a rich palette of fruit ingredients—from red fruits such as raspberry and strawberry to tropical fruits such as mango and guava.  

Layering 

One way to find a truly unique scent, and personalise it to your taste, is to layer perfumes on top of one another. Of course, this will come down to trial and error but could lead you to your winning combination. ‘There is no right or wrong way to wear scent, the only guideline is that it must make you feel inspired,’ explains the Fabrice Pellegrin, the nose behind our captivating perfume L’Éclat. This molecular perfume is a great scent to try if your new to layering. The woody and musky scent has been specially developed to combine perfectly with almost any perfume. 

Tips for sniffing out your signature scent  

If you’ve figured which family your ideal fragrance belongs to, then comes the fun part—trying on perfumes. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you go fragrance sniffing.  

1. Test perfume on your own skin  

Because fragrance is something deeply personal, it’s best tested on yourself—preferably when you aren’t wearing any other perfume. Always test a fragrance on an area of your skin that is naturally warm, such as your wrist, so that the essence of the scent really reveals itself.   

2. Wait ten minutes   

It takes about ten minutes before you can experience a perfume’s true essence, otherwise known as the heart note. This is the scent that will linger with you for the rest of the day. Before you decide to buy a particular perfume, make sure to spray it on yourself in the shop. Go grocery shopping, and then decide whether you like how the perfume smells or not.  

3. Go shopping at night   

Your sense of smell improves throughout the day, so it’s best to test perfumes just before closing time.   

4. Try not to test more than three perfumes at the same time   

At some point, our noses find it difficult to distinguish between fragrances, so limit your testing to 3 types of perfume at a time. If you really want to test more, make sure to neutralise your sense of smell with the scent of a coffee bean or go outside to get some fresh air.  

You’ve found the perfect fragrance: how do you make it last?   

Once you’ve found your signature fragrance, you want to make sure it lasts all day. Here are 3 spraying tips to prolong the scent of your perfume.  

1. Spray it on a pulse point  

It’s best to spray fragrances on the areas where you can see or feel your heartbeat. These pulse points are areas that warm up quickly because the arteries there are close to the skin, allowing the perfume to diffuse more easily. Think of your wrists, the inside of your elbows, the backs of your knees, your neck and your chest.   
 

2. Spray after a shower or bath  

Fragrance experience is further enhanced after a shower or bath because your pores are open, which disperses the perfume more effectively.   
 

3. Spray from the perfect distance  

Another good tip: hold the perfume bottle about 15 to 20 centimetres away from your skin when spraying, so that you cover a larger surface area. Finally, allow the fragrance to absorb into your skin before putting on your clothes.   

To help you decide which perfume from our Iconic Collection is perfect for you, we’ve created an online perfume tool. In just a few minutes, you can find your personalised scent match from the comfort of your own home.