Finding Your Signature Scent

Things we find chic, a signature scent.

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The importance of finding your signature scent. What is a signature scent and how do you even find one, especially with all the amazing options out there? Let’s start with why a signature scent is so important.

Having a scent has a lot of positive aspects. A signature scent is a fragrance that resonates with your personality and your style, one that you wear consistently that becomes a part of your identity and how people remember you. It is also important for first impressions as well. As smell is one of our senses and a strong one at that. People might not remember your name but they will remember the feeling your presence brings, including your smell.

A signature scent is not just for other people, it can be important to yourself as well. A smell can bring memories back to life. A scent that brings you back to somewhere. Just like how the smell of apple pie could bring you back to your grandma’s kitchen, or the smell of a bonfire can bring you back to that one spring break trip with your friends, a perfume can do just that. It is why some people have multiple scents for different occasions they want to remember. A wedding for example, some brides buy a special perfume that is used for their wedding so the smell of that fragrance brings them back to that day, and will often wear it during the anniversary to remember that wedding.

A fragrance is an important accessory, creating a sense of familiarity for you and those around you. You can have one or even a rotation of scents that align with the seasons changing, just like your wardrobe that changes with the seasons.

So how do you find one?

First is deciding which family you want to be a part of. Which family represents you the most. No not the family you’re born into but the ‘scent families’. Scent families are the easiest way to categorize fragrances into groups depending on their dominant notes and characteristics (the blend of ingredients).

Here are the six families you could choose from:

Floral: a popular one, these fragrances mostly have floral notes such as jasmine, lily, roses, or gardenia. Well known floral perfumes include, Marc Jacobs Daisy, Miss Dior, Gucci Flora, and Chanel Chance.

Fruity: This scent is often seen as youthful with sweet and juicy notes that include berries, lemons, apples, and peaches. Popular scents that fall into the fruit scents categories include, Kaylani Eden, Dolce&Gabbana Eau De Toilette Light Blue, and Jo Malone English.

Woody: These are warm and Earthy scents. With tops notes that you would guess given its name, being sandalwood, cedarwood, and vetiver. Popular fragrances with these notes include, Tom Ford Ombre Leather, Maison Margiela REPLICA Autumn vibes. A woody scent is not something a lot of people gravitate towards which can make it a great choice if you’re looking for something unique and memorable.

Fresh: If complicated scents are not your thing, either from being sensitive or other reasons, fresh scents are a great choice. Often light and have a crisp and clean feel, like you just got out of the shower. Top notes for these scents often include citrus like lemon, oranges and green notes like grass or other herbs. Popular fresh scents include Jo Malone Orange, and Dior J'adore.

Aquatic: As the name suggests, these scents are often watery and clean scents with notes that bring sense of the ocean. Perfect if your career is in marine biology or another field that includes working with water or sea animals. Popular scents that fall into this category include Replica Sailing, Tom Ford Costa, and Bvlgari Aqua.

Citrus: Last on our list and as the name suggests it will also have a scent similar to fresh but a bit more citrus since the top note will include limes, lemons, grapefruit, or oranges. These also tend to be the most long lasting perfumes. Popular scents include,Ellis Brooklyn West Eau De Parfum and Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit Perfume.

Having a signature scent is an extension of yourself and even your outfit. If you have a more whimsical cottage core style a floral perfume might just make perfect sense, if you work in some sort of aquatic industry then an aquatic perfume would make sense and it really speaks to who you are as a person. It is the perfect unseen accessory to your outfit.

So when you reflect on your style, lifestyle and scents you already gravitate towards, which one works best for you? You also want to consider a scent that will work with your other scents, which include soaps, lotions, and your natural body scent. Allow yourself to experiment as well, if you try one that is a popular scent and it doesn’t work for you, then that's okay, that allows the door to open back up for you to find the scent that works best for you.

I have learned that you can read the science of note perfumes and obsess over ingredient lists but the best way to really find your scent is to get out and smell them for yourself and experiment. It can be daunting and overwhelming with all the options out there but allow it to be fun.