Scent Survey:
From Green Tea
to Ambergris
There Are No Rules for Choosing
the Perfect Fragrance
Fragrance is at once one of the easiest things to shop for and one of the hardest. On the surface level, it’s a one-size-fits-all product (don’t believe anyone who says “perfume” is for women and “cologne” is for men—scents are for anyone who wants them). But wearing the wrong fragrance is like wearing an ill-fitting suit: a terrible experience that can only be remedied by removing the offending item. Unlike tailoring a suit, however, there are no rules for what “works” when it comes to perfume; only the wearer can decide when a fragrance is the right one.
The hardest part then might be getting started. These fragrances represent some of the best in class from their respective categories, from classic florals to modern minimal concoctions.
Featured In This Image: Matiere Premiere perfume.
It’d be easy to assume a tuberose from a third-generation perfumer would be staid and boring. But MATIERE PREMIERE’s French Flower introduces unexpected green tea and pear accords to the rich white floral.
Featured In This Image: Tom Ford perfume.
British perfumer Louise Turner created this sweet scent for Tom Ford in 2018 and it’s still enticing noses years later. Even with a different name there’d be no mistaking the stone fruit that delivers the beguiling top note here.
Featured In This Image: D.S. & DURGA perfume.
Don’t be confused by this “fragrance enhancer”: I Don’t Know What is a simple Iso E Super blend, to be worn alone for a minimal fragrance or as a cozy, woody base for other scents. Those who get it, get it—and those who don’t will still be wondering what smells so good.
Featured In This Image: STORA SKUGGAN perfume.
Stora Skuggan doesn’t craft perfumes so much as stories in fragrance form. Silphium is based on an extinct herb used in antiquity, interpreted as spices and leather for a creation as mysterious as its namesake.
Featured In This Image: Fueguia 1833 perfume.
Elogio de la Sombra is a masterful take on two classic notes: rose and iris. A burst of lemon keeps the powdery facets light and fresh, with a naturalistic aroma that is the Argentinian brand’s signature.
Featured In Top Image: Régime des Fleurs perfume.
At once clean and animalic, with musk, ambergris, and oud, Al-Dukhan is hard to pin down. It’s a sort of spice-market-meets-church-incense that is, in a word, alluring.
Featured In This Image: 19-69 perfume set.
Sometimes it’s hard to choose just one scent. So choose three from 19-69 in travel-friendly sizes, with a patchouli-hippie blend (Purple Haze), a juicy citrus (Capri), and an irresistible herbaceous gaiac (Rainbow Bar).
Featured In This Image: Aesop perfume.
The combination of juniper and sage gives Karst an aquatic, mineral feeling. Imagine a gin and tonic sipped on a rugged wooden ship (ideally one with Aesop hand soap in the bathroom).
Featured In This Image: NONFICTION perfume.
There’s a reason sandalwood and fig scents are everywhere: It’s a winning duo. Korean brand Nonfiction gives dimension to the combo with ginger and vetiver. It’s another way to wear a santal when you’re tired of that other santal.
Featured In This Image: Byredo perfume.
From March to April the Mohavea confertiflora flowers in the Mojave Desert. It’s a special nectar-less flower that mimics the appearance of Mentzelia involucrata—which does produce nectar. With this clean fragrance from Byredo, the desert-flower scent—top notes of ambrette, woody base notes—is available all year round.
- Date: December 7, 2022
