When you smell Chanel No˚ 5, do you think of your grandmother? Or was she more of a Jean Naté gal? Did Grandpa reel her in with his Old Spice, or was it Brut? A signature is your essence; when people smell it, they think of you.
So, you want to find that fragrance that is “you” in a bottle. Where do you start? You might want to narrow down your choices by figuring out which fragrance family you identify with. Fragrances fall into families, which is basically a classification or group based on similarities. This fragrance family thing can get kind of complicated, as there are subgroups and classes, but the main families are Floral, Oriental, Woody, and Fresh. Let’s not get into the Gourmands, Fougéres, Chypres, and Leathers…
Nowadays, we’re less monogamous and tend to play the field with our fragrances, but we generally have a type. What’s your type? You can like fragrances from multiple families, but you will find that you tend to be drawn more to one fragrance family. Your fragrance type is similar to choosing a mate, you probably have a type, but can be attracted to someone who does not fall into that type.
Once you’ve identified your fragrance-family type, you can begin to test perfumes to determine which one matches your personality. Your signature scent should match your body chemistry; the same perfume can smell completely different on different people. It should make you feel like all eyes are on you when you enter a room. People should know you have been in the room after you leave.
We Asked, You Answered: How would you define a signature scent?
“A scent that creates a new smell when mixed with your body chemistry. It becomes your signature scent.”
“Goes well with body chemistry, isn’t too strong”
“A scent that's worn often, so you're known for it.”
“Daily scent regardless of occasion”
“Something within an olfactory family of preference”
“A scent you like and people compliment you when you wear it. It should match your body chemistry. For example my Mom wears white linen and it smells great on her. I tried White Linen it smells like crap on me.”
“One that matches your personality”
“A scent that instantly makes you think of a particular person/brand”
“The one you wear most often”
“When someone thinks of u... a specific scent automatically comes to mind.”
“Something that blends perfectly with your pheromones and smells amazing on you”
“A fragrance worn with enough frequency that your smell is what people recognize you by”
“One you can’t live without. People know you’re in the room/around when they smell that scent”
“Distinct, unique”
“A smell that catches both male and female's attention as you walk by. A smell that makes even the most standoffish person walk up to you and asks what are you wearing”
“Your go-to scent”
“Something unique to me, one that I am known for, it lingers with people, when they think of me they also have a pleasant memory of my scent”
Are you ready to find your signature scent? Take our fragrance-type quiz to begin the journey!