How to Choose a Perfume: A Guide to Notes, Scent Families & Personal Style
Standing in front of dozens of perfume bottles can make even a simple choice feel difficult. Start with scents you already enjoy: perhaps you love fresh citrus, soft florals, warm woods, or something sweet. Then test a few options and give each one time to develop on your skin. This guide will help you understand the terms on the label and decide which fragrance you’ll actually enjoy wearing and it will help you to choose a perfume.
How to Choose a Perfume: Start With What You Already Like
As there are countless fragrances, choosing a perfume may feel difficult. With all various options out there, how to choose a fragrance is an important question. Make your choices smaller with your preferred scent profile. Don't ask which fragrance is the best. Ask what type of fragrance I naturally love. Do you like warm, sweet, cool or refreshing scents? Do you prefer flower, wood, fruit or amber fragrances? With this question you will find not only the family scents but also fragrance notes in perfumery. And you will be able to match your personality and preferences to them.
Understand Fragrance Notes Before You Choose
To choose the perfume you like most, firstly you should have some information about fragrance notes. In general, the main notes in a fragrance are base note, middle note, top note. Perfume notes are like layers of musical notes which are combined and added one by one to create a melody.
Top Notes
The top note is the first scent you feel and it has a huge impact on you. Despite the impression it fades faster than two other notes, about 10 to 30 minutes.
Heart Notes
The heart note, also known as the middle note, forms the core of fragrance and spreads out when the top note fades. Also the heart note longevity is more than the top note.
Base Notes
The last note is the base note. It is the body of the perfume and the most important fragrance for choosing the right perfume. You feel it when the heart note has receded. The base note has the greatest longevity and would be as a scent signature for you.
What’s the Difference Between Fragrance Notes and Scent Families?
According to Perfume Society, “ fragrance families are a classification system the perfume industry has used for years, to place individual perfumes into olfactory groups, based on their dominant characteristics.”
So briefly perfume notes are the individual smells you can detect in a fragrance; while scent families are the overall category or style that a perfume belongs to.
Find the Fragrance Family That Fits Your Style
To select a perfume that suits your style it is better to know more about the fragrance families. What fragrance family is right for me? This question may come to your mind. You can find it by knowing the categories of perfume scent families.
Floral – Soft, Romantic and Versatile
Its name expresses itself well. Imagine you are walking in a flower garden, you feel the aroma of rose, lily, jasmine and magnolia. It is more feminine.
Fresh – Clean, Bright and Energizing
The best choice for summer due to its sensation of coolness and freshness. Lemon, orange, grapefruit, bergamot and etc. could be good examples of that.
Woody – Warm, Earthy and Sophisticated
Men are much more interested in woody families than women. It is created from aromatic woods such as sandalwood, agarwood, and cedar. Also some roots and leaves can be used for that.
Amber Warm, Rich and Sensual
It is heavy and warm with a rich diffusion, so it is mostly used for after-dark wearing. It has heavy base notes and is longevity on skin.
Gourmand – Sweet and Comforting
By its sweet and warm scent, it suits for cooler seasons. A reminder of chocolate, caramel, toffee, coffee, milk, bubblegum etc.
Fruity – Juicy, Bright and Playful
It features the smell of fresh, juicy, sweet, or tart fruits. It can range from extremely fresh and sparkling to rich and candy-like.
Aromatic – Herbal, Crisp and Fresh
It is built around herbal, green, fresh, and sometimes spicy-smelling ingredients. It often gives a feeling of cleanliness, nature, and freshness. It may contain the fragrance of lavender, sage, rosemary, mint and basil.
Match Your Perfume to Your Personal Style
Your perfume should feel like an extension of the way you dress and carry yourself, rather than something that simply smells pleasant. A perfume for your personality is one of the essential parts of your style. Think about the impression you naturally give: polished and understated, relaxed and sporty, confident and sophisticated, or creative and unconventional. A well-chosen fragrance can reinforce that style without overpowering it. As a simple rule, fresh and clean scents tend to suit casual and minimalist styles, woody and aromatic fragrances work well with a polished, masculine wardrobe, while richer amber and spicy compositions can complement a more elegant or expressive look. The table below shows you how to know what perfume suits you and how to choose perfume based on personality
|
Personal style |
Fragrance profile to look for |
Typical notes |
The impression |
|
Classic and Elegant |
Woody, aromatic |
Cedarwood, vetiver, bergamot, iris |
Polished, timeless, sophisticated |
|
Minimalist and Modern |
Clean, fresh, understated |
Citrus, violet leaf, light woods |
Crisp, effortless, contemporary |
|
Casual and Relaxed |
Fresh, aquatic, citrusy |
Lemon, marine notes, lavender |
Easygoing, clean, approachable |
|
Sporty and Active |
Fresh, aromatic, invigorating |
Grapefruit, mint, aquatic notes, herbs |
Energetic, fresh |
|
Business and Professional |
Woody, aromatic, balanced |
Vetiver, cedar, pepper, bergamot |
Confident, dependable |
|
Creative and Individualistic |
Spicy, woody |
Cardamom, leather, amber |
Distinctive, expressive, memorable |
|
Warm and Sophisticated |
Amber, spicy, woody |
Tonka bean, vanilla, sandalwood |
Warm, sensual, elegant |
Choose a Perfume for the Occasion
The other factor you should consider about choosing a perfume is occasions. For each place you want to go or for each event you are going to attend, wear a perfume that suits. The fragrance you use at work is better to be different from the one you use for a party. Thus, be careful about how to choose a perfume on occasions. You are going to find more details about how to find the right perfume for occasions in the following.
Everyday Wear
For everyday and casual wear choose something light and easygoing. In this case it will feel pleasant and noticeable without filling the room. The fragrances can be: citrus, bergamot, lemon, orange; and fresh, clean musk, green notes, light florals. Fruity or soft vanilla can also work. Keep them in mind and you will know how to choose perfume for everyday wear,
Work and Office
At work you need to seem confident and professional, so your fragrance should be sophisticated, clean, subtle, fresh, woody and musky.
Date Nights and Evenings
It should express romance. You can choose something warmer, more noticeable and long-lasting. Fragrances like vanilla, amber, musk, rose, sandalwood, tonka, or spices are suitable for nights and evenings.
Special Occasions
You need a perfume which feels elegant, memorable, and a little more luxurious than your everyday scent. Fragrances such as rose, iris, jasmine, saffron, sandalwood, oud, leather, amber, rich woods and … .
Consider the Season and Climate
As you know the climate affects how a perfume wears. Heat makes fragrance more strongly, while cold tends to mute it and makes richer notes easier to wear. So when you want to buy a perfume, think about the season you are in. The following shows you how to choose perfume by season.
Spring and Summer
For spring and summer you need floral and fresh fragrances. Something that is not warm and strong but cool and light. Spring is a great time for fragrances that feel clean and moderately light. In summer use cool, refreshing and transparent scents.
Fall and Winter
Warmer and sweeter fragrances are preferred. Cold air generally makes heavier scents easier to wear. Fragrances like vanilla, amber, tobacco, leather, woods, spices, praline, or oud.
Choose the Right Fragrance Concentration
When it comes to intensity, longevity, projection, and price, concentration would matter. Concentration is the percentage of fragrance oils mixed with water and alcohol in a fragrance. The fragrances with stronger, longer-lasting, and typically more expensive fragrance have a higher concentration of perfume oils. For knowing how to choose the right perfume, it is better to know about fragrance concentrations in detail. Here you can find out about three concentrations.
Eau de Toilette (EDT)
Typically has about 5 to 15% fragrance oils. Its longevity can be up to 6 hours. You can choose EDT if you like a lighter fragrance. Also for everyday wear or warmer weather EDT is a better choice.
Eau de Parfum (EDP)
It contains 10 to 20% fragrance oils. The longevity is hours. For cooler weather and a long-lasting scent choose EDP.
Parfum / Extrait
Parfum has 20 to 40% of fragrance oils. Its longevity can be even more than 8 hours. Usually it is the most concentrated format, the most expensive and the longest-lasting. Particularly appealing for cooler weather or special occasions.
Eau de Parfum vs Eau de Toilette: Which Should You Choose?
If you want a richer scent with more longevity choose EDP. If you want a lighter and fresher choose EDT.
Moreover, EDP is a better choice for fall and winter. That's because Cooler air makes fragrance evaporation slow. Know that an EDT can still be used in fall and winter if you are indoors. EDT can be a good option for spring and summer, due to warmer weather, using a lighter and freshness scent is suggested.
How to Test Perfume Before Buying
If you want to know how to choose a perfume you should know how to test one. Testing perfume has several steps and points to care about. If you follow it, the result would be pleasant for you.
Start With a Blotter Strip
This gives you an initial impression without committing your skin to it. It is better to spray it from a distance, about 20 cm.
Test Your Finalists on Skin
After blotter strips, test it on your skin, mostly recommended on pulse points such as wrists. You can feel the scent on your skin better. To avoid crushing it, do not rub it on your skin.
Let the Fragrance Reach Its Dry-Down
After the perfume has been on your skin for a while, the scent you feel is dry-down. Actually it can be described as the base note. It appears when the top note and heart note have faded. The important thing is that the dry-down can smell quite different from the initial spray. It's useful to wait a few hours before deciding whether you like it.
Wear It Before Buying a Full Bottle
It is good advice for perfume because the fragrance can change significantly from the initial spray to the dry-down. Wear it for a few hours, smell it for several times. After hours, notice how you feel about the scent and whether you enjoy wearing it throughout the day. If you still love the fragrance, it is a good sign to have a whole bottle for yourself.
How to Find Your Signature Scent
A signature scent is a perfume that turns into your personal and recognizable fragrance. A scent that everyone knows you by. It doesn't have to be the most expensive or popular. Consider it as your personal scent identity. It means a fragrance that feels especially “you”.
Now, the important question is how to choose a signature scent? Finding a signature scent is not about finding the best perfume. It is more about finding the perfume that feels like you, and you enjoy wearing it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Perfume
There are always some mistakes while purchasing a perfume. To avoid them, it is better to identify the mistakes, then you will know better how to choose a perfume.
Choosing Based Only on the First Spray
Never choose by the first spray. One of the common mistakes is deciding to smell the opening. The first spray is like reading only an introduction, while you don't know the whole story. Do not hesitate. Wait until the base note appears.
Buying a Perfume Because It Smells Good on Someone Else
Surprisingly a perfume can smell wonderful on someone but different on you. The reason is fragrance interacts with your skin, body temperature and natural oil. The result is affecting how it develops and feels on each skin. For this matter, if you like someone's perfume don't buy it immediately. Just test it on yourself then decide.
Testing Too Many Perfumes at Once
If you test several perfumes at once there would be some problems. For example, everything starts smelling the same, strong fragrances can overpower lighter ones, you have trouble remembering what you liked or you may make a purchase simply because you're tired of smelling perfumes.
Choosing Based Only on Popularity
When a fragrance is popular it does not mean that it suits you. You have to care more about your signature scent than popularity. Fragrances develop differently on different skin. Also, people have different tastes and preferences. A fragrance may be popular only because of trends and it will change soon. Find your own scent.
Assuming More Expensive Means Better
Brand name, packaging, marketing, ingredients, concentration, and production costs impact on perfume prices. And not that you enjoy the scent. Thus, expensive does not guarantee you will like the scent.
Choosing Based Only on the EDP or EDT Label
Another common mistake is thinking that EDP is always better than EDT only because EDP has a higher fragrance concentration. This shouldn't be the only factor you consider. Other factors are important as well. Factors like fragrance notes, fragrance families, season, occasions, and personal likes.
A Simple Perfume-Choosing Checklist
This checklist will help you to find how to choose perfume for yourself. Answer each question and check whichever is needed.
|
step |
question |
|
1 |
What scents do I naturally like? |
|
2 |
Which fragrance families match those preferences? |
|
3 |
Where and when will I wear the perfume? |
|
4 |
What concentration suits my needs? |
|
5 |
Have I tested it on my skin? |
|
6 |
Do I still like the dry-down? |
|
7 |
Would I actually want to wear it regularly? |
Conclusion
All in all, to know how to find a perfume you like, at first you have to get to know the language of perfumery. The next step is to consider your personal style, where you are going to wear it and which season you want to use it. The testing process is also a tricky part of choosing the right fragrance so that you better follow the structure of the perfume guide that this article has provided for you. Finally you are going to select the most pleasant perfume for yourself and enjoy it all.
FAQ
How Do I Know Which Perfume Suits Me?
Care about your personal style, occasion, season and family scent.
How Do I Find My Fragrance Family?
Collect information about the fragrance family, test some different kinds, and you will find yours.
What’s the Difference Between a Fragrance Note and a Scent Family?
Fragrance note is layers of fragrances to create a perfume, while Scent family is the classified category that a perfume belongs to.
Should I Test Perfume on Skin or Paper
First, test it on a paper to know about its opening. If you like it, test it on your skin to feel the base note.
How Long Should I Test a Perfume Before Buying It?
Wait for the dry-down phase to feel the base note and decide if you like it.
How Do I Choose a Signature Scent?
Your priority should be what you enjoy more. Not what is the best perfume.
Should I Choose EDP or EDT?
Although, EDP has a higher fragrance concentration than EDT, this shouldn't be the only factor for choosing between them.
Can I Wear the Same Perfume All Year?
Yes, if you enjoy it. If you feel comfortable with your fragrance use it. Fragrance suggestions for seasons are not fixed rules.
Does Perfume Smell Differently on Different People?
Fragrances develop differently on different skin.
