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Even as our relationships to makeup and hair care have shifted over the past year, fragrance has remained a reliable way to transcend our homes, conjure closeness to faraway relatives, and find elevation in a string of mundane days.
As we emerge into more social situations, finding a signature scent may seem like a relevant search. But how to go about it? Unpacking the notes and recognizing how they work with your unique body chemistry is the first step, and one of the key classifications of a particular perfume is its scent profile. From detailing the layered notes to identifying its scent “family,” the profile is an easy way to understand a fragrance's composition while matching it up against the mood you want to be in when you apply.
Here, we spoke to a set of perfumers and fragrance experts to break down everything you need to know when it comes to deciphering a scent profile.
What is a scent profile?
“In the fragrance world, olfactive families are a way to break down and classify how a perfume smells rather than what it contains,” says Joan Tanis, national training director at Maison Francis Kurkdjian. “Simply put, there are eight olfactive families that are divided into two groups: in the Warm group, there is fougere, oriental, and leather. In the Fresh group, you have citrus, floral, and aromatic. Interestingly, the chypre and woody families are a cross between warm and fresh.”
Tynan Sinks, writer and co-host of the Smell Ya Later podcast, adds that while a profile can serve as the umbrella term for the main notes of a particular fragrance, it can also touch on the layers of a scent, such as the “top, middle, and base notes, or how the fragrance is built.”
Can it change over time?
“The profile itself does not change, as the notes it was created with will always be in the scent, but the way it smells on your skin often does,” says Sinks. “Some fragrances are linear, meaning they smell the same throughout the entirety of the wear. Most fragrances, though, do evolve on your skin over time.”
Beauty journalist and Smell Ya Later co-host Sable Yong explains that staying power is often dependent on the order of a fragrance's layer composition. “The bottom notes are going to stick around the longest on your skin, while the top notes often are the quickest to fade, and the middle notes—sometimes called heart—tend to influence both.” It's important to note that a fragrance will present itself differently over time when applied directly to the skin rather than spritzed onto clothing. You're more likely to experience the “tiered reveal” of a fragrance if you only apply on the edges of your wrist or collarbone, whereas you'll be able to smell the whole composition for longer if it's also added to fabric, Yong says.
What is the most important note: top, middle, or bottom?
“The customer's attention will be driven for sure by the top notes, simply because they are the ones he or she will smell first,” says perfumer Kilian Hennessy. “But the heart and dry down notes are actually more important as they are the true signature of the scent.” The “dry down” refers to the body of the fragrance, the final scent that emerges after the middle note has started to wear off and the bottom note begins to fully emerge.
Hennessy adds that finding the right signature fragrance ultimately comes down to your personality and the mood you're looking to access. “Some people like to wear strong perfumes on a daily basis whatever the weather, while others reserve them for special occasions. Furthermore some scents give courage, confidence, and other comfort and a sense of protection.”
How do you make the selection?
“I personally love wearing fragrances so much that I actually have a wardrobe of scents from the different olfactive families,” says Hennessy. “It depends on my mood, the way I am dressed, the season, etc.”
Bryan Edwards and Phil Riportella, co-founders of direct-to-consumer fragrance brand Snif, stress that the selection of a scent is a deeply personal one, based not only on our individual preferences but also perception of scent, or how we situate certain smells. “Everyone’s tastes are unique, especially when it comes to fragrance,” says Riportella. “Interestingly, we have a scent board that provides us feedback during our development process, and the responses that we get from them are all different. It shows the power and diversity of fragrance—something that smells masculine to one person can smell feminine to another.”
While settling on a fragrance will ultimately come down to personal taste, preference, and body chemistry, it's always fun to hear what those who live in the world of fragrance are leaning towards this season and next. We’ve already picked our favorite spring fragrances, but below the experts share the scents that, in their minds, capture the crisp, bright days and long, warm nights that lay ahead.
“I personally don't distinguish fragrances by seasons, although there are ones I wear more than others at certain times of the year. I've found that many people like a fresh, bright fragrance in warmer weather. Next month the Maison is releasing the newest additions to the fragrance wardrobe—the Cologne forte Collection. The three new scents convey the feeling of freshness and sensation induced by light.” – Joan Tanis
“For spring/summer, I like anything bright, tangy, sweet, juicy, maybe earthy and resinous, too. I love Debaser by DS & Durga because it smells like a field full of pungent, sweet grass on a humid summer evening. Armani’s Sun Di Gioia is a warm, creamy floral that smells like your body after a day at the beach, warm skin with remnants of sunscreen, cheap beer, and sweat.” – Tynan Sinks
“My favorite warm weather scent profile is somewhere between cozy and inviting with some freshness to it. I usually gravitate towards floral woody scents or something aquatic, juicy and green. Some examples are Byredo Gypsy Water, Hermes Sur La Lagune, DS & Durga Debaser, Krigler Abrakaadabra 221, and Bond No. 9 New York Nights.” – Sable Yong
“The fresh scents for sure! The warmer days make me want to wear Roses on Ice. It's part of The Liquors olfactive family but could also belong to The Fresh family as well. The fragrance opens with the aquatic freshness of cucumber and the aromatic uplift of juniper berries, creating an icy sensation, rounded in an accord with voluptuous Rose Centifolia. Upon a dry down of sandalwood and musk, the scent expresses the sharp—yet deeply infused—character of gin consumed in its ideal. I wanted to recreate the tasting of ‘Hendricks gin on the rocks’ with a slice of cucumber; isn't it the perfect refreshment for this season?” – Kilian Hennessy
“We're aiming to break all the conventional ‘rules’ of fragrance. Who says you can’t wear a citrus scent in the winter, or a vanilla or spicy scent in the summer? No matter the season, I like to change up my scent wardrobe depending on my mood or what I’m into at the moment!” – Phil Riportella