Personalized Perfumery
Fragrance these days is about self-expression: finding your unique flavor; your signature scent. As the trends embrace bespoke formulas, we have more options than ever to help us sort through the floral, amber, woody and fresh notes at our fingertips.
According to Bluemercury’s fragrance expert and consultant Roger Schmid, that’s a big part of why our relationship to fragrances is changing, and why signature scents are at the core of that change.
“Having a signature scent is a way to be recognized and make a statement of sorts, in a similar way as you would with a new haircut or your clothing,” Schmid says. “In the past, there were not as many new fragrances being launched, so you would find a perfume and stick to it. This is why we often link certain perfumes to a family member that always smelled the same. Today, with the thousands of perfumes being launched every year around the world, we are being tempted to experiment and change, or add a new scent to our wardrobe based on our mood, the season or a friend’s suggestion.”
In this case, you’re the collection.
Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation, explains that your personal signature is likely to change. “While it is exciting to experience scents and find that perfect one, those new to fragrance will also discover that there will be scents they will be more apt to wear in the daytime versus the evening, or in the fall versus summer,” she says. “Since it’s so individualistic to our emotions and transportive powers, one may start with a signature scent and evolve to a wardrobe of scents that reflects their personality, mood or a specific memory.
Starting Point: The Fragrance Families
“At The Fragrance Foundation, we have classified seven scent profiles that range from floral and fruity to fresh and woody,” explains Levy. “There are citrus, sweet and spicy categories, too, and within those scents you’ll find a wide range of intensities that take a scent from its softer, lighter side to a more intense one where the top notes dominate and envelope the wearer.”
What Makes a Signature
We’re not the only ones looking to make a signature mark. Fragrance houses incorporate the concept of a signature to tie a collection together or create a brand-wide mood.
“A scent becomes a signature scent when it narrates the brand’s story on an olfactive level, allowing one to perceive its unique essence and understand the brand’s ethos just by smelling,” explains creative director and founder of 27 87, Romy Kowalewski. “For us, it’s about capturing and living in the present moment, like in our newest launch, Per sē. This fragrance is unparalleled; it ebbs and flows with the dynamism of change, yet its core remains strikingly constant. For the brand, it’s about having a blank, white canvas for endless creativity, as well as celebrating one’s individuality and unique genetic code.”
The signature scent, then, creates an immediately identifiable note we can associate with that brand.
The latest launch from Christian Louboutin Fétiche accomplishes this through an undercurrent of spicy, woody notes. They unify the five new scents designed to create “audacious pairings and mystical blends that give way to a new addictive dimension of the sensory experience.” From Le Cuir’s leathery floral, to L’encens black pepper and incense; L’ébène’s cedarwood coconut water to L’ambre’s amber accord and tuberose; and ending with the spicy orris and patchouli of L’iris, the collection is designed to pair, complement and experiment with a thread of spice that brings it all together.
Fragrance, But Make It Fashion
With so many options, we recommend building a scent wardrobe. And like an outfit, you can experiment with different fragrance combinations.
“Combining scents allows you to personalize your trail rather than adding a perfume directly on another,” says Delphine Jelk, perfumer for Guerlain. “I love the idea to perfume your wrists with one scent, your neck with another, and then use another one all over your clothes. Create your own olfactive look like you do with fashion!”
And like a fragrance collection, you can use a signature scent as a uniting thread.
“When selecting a signature scent, make sure it’s something you love to wear every day,” explains Jessi Park, founder and perfumer of Elysian Parfum. “It needs to be easily layered and not so bold and polarizing that it can’t take on another scent.”