Perfume stores and perfume shopping are changing in 2018

Perfume shopping has always been about hitting the department store and sifting through scented squares of cardboard. But now, thanks to technology and the niche fragrance trend, there are a bunch of other ways we can now choose and buy perfume. Check out some of our favourite fragrance developments below...

Online only

You’d think it’s necessary to sniff a scent before purchasing it, right? Well, not anymore. Some fragrance brands are exclusively online. But, that’s where the fun comes in. Because no one can smell their scents, online brands have thought outside the box when it comes to expressing what their fragrances are all about. One brand, Phlur, allows you to explore each of their scents through an individualised Spotify soundtrack. Fashion brand Maison Margiela’s launched a series of fragrances almost exclusively online in the United States and used memories to capture their customers. Each fragrance in their Replica series had a memory and image attached to it, like By The Fireplace, Lazy Sunday Morning or Beach Walk. Part of the fragrance descriptions online are about the memory of the fragrance. For instance, 'the memory' for Replica's Jazz Club is "deep leather armchairs. Cocktails and cigars. Light reflecting on a piano." This kind of creativity taps into the sensory experience that fragrances provide – a useful tool for those who live too far away to do their perfume shopping in-store.

Fragrance finder tools

Technology took out some of the guesswork involved in picking a fragrance. There are plenty of tools online that can help you narrow down your preferences. Some, like The Perfume Society’s (www.perfumesociety.org) Virtual Fragrance Adviser gives you a list of six fragrances similar to one you already wear and love. Others, like The Body Shop Fragrance Finder (www.thebodyshop.com.au) ask personality-based questions to figure out where your preferences lie. The online Sephora Fragrance IQ quiz (www.sephora.com) is a mix of what scents and sensory experiences you favour. And others, like the Boots Fragrance Finder (www.boots.com) ask you a mix of questions on scents, colours, architecture and scenery. So much fun and so helpful, too!

Immersive experiences

Have you ever just picked a perfume because the bottle was pretty? Or you knew the brand was nice? Same. But there’s some perfume stores that are trying to fight the influence of brands and bottles with blind scent testing. In New York, Mindy Yang opened Perfumarie, which is one of the stores that specialises in blind perfume shopping. The store is lined with 32 fragrance spouts, each with a different scent and no hint of brand, price or packaging. Customers test perfumes in numerical order, select a favourite and then get a sample vial. Sometimes the choices even surprise Mindy. “I have a friend who works in the industry, for an exquisite fragrance house,” she told The New York Times. “She picked the Pitbull [Pitbull for men cologne] as her favorite out of all of them. She couldn’t believe it when she found out. But then, that is what this place is all about.” If you’re also a fan of celebrity fragrances, beautyheaven loves Britney Spears Circus Fantasy and David Beckham Aqua Classic.

Blind perfume shopping isn't the only immersive fragrance experience around. You can attend plenty of make-your-own perfume workshops or even, in a previous London pop-up store, customers were given a scent to match their personality based on how they behaved during different stages of the experience.

And for the future?

Given the increasing popularity of niche and individualised scents, Gill Smith, Managing Director at the The Perfume Shop, wouldn’t be surprised if we saw DNA testing brought into the world of fragrance. “Recently we’ve seen skin care embrace the possibilities that DNA testing can offer to personalised and bespoke products,” she said in an interview for The Perfume Shop. “I can see a similar approach for perfume in the future. Customers could bring in their DNA profile to store and our team could identify the scents that will most appeal to them and work with their skin. This made-to-measure approach is going to take bespoke from Savile Row and bring it to everyone.”

What do you think of these new processes for perfume shopping and perfume stores? How do you choose and purchase fragrances?

47 Member Comments

talk-a-lot 27 Apr 2020 8:16 PM

The Virtual Fragrance Adviser would be handy giving suggestions for fragrances that is similar to the ones you love.

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peachsbeauty 3 Dec 2019 3:46 PM

The blind scent test sounds awesome. Always trying to find something different but inevitably get influenced by bottles and marketing.

lynx 18 Nov 2019 12:00 PM

I resort to buying perfumes online at times because sometimes there are fragrances I just can't seem to find anywhere around me.

S-P 4 Nov 2019 2:44 PM

I'd only buy a fragrance online if it was one that I had already tried on instore and it was cheaper online.

Susmat 18 Jun 2020 3:26 PM

I agree as I like to smell how the perfume reacts with my skin before I buy

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Ameena0805 4 Oct 2019 5:26 PM

I like to go shopping in store because you get to smell how the perfume really smells and its also fun to choose which scent you would prefer.

merrydreams 14 Sep 2019 8:24 PM

I like to smell and buy but that is also a bit of a process as most of the times there are lot of options

Chicklet 17 Jun 2019 7:33 PM

How interesting! I’ve smelled most of the Replica scents at Sephora in the US, and despite their evocative names, I wasn’t a fan of any of them. I like the idea of the perfume shop offering blind scent testing.

angie_robyn 4 Jun 2019 11:31 AM

Some online retailers will send a sample vial with any full size purchase. You try the sample first, then if you change your mind you can return the sealed and unopened full bottle.

Rpear 4 Mar 2018 7:47 AM

I need to do it in person!! Unless it's one I know I love already!

But I spray and leave it on my skin all day.. See how it works with my natural oils and smells on me. The scents can change slightly when on different people. Gotta make sure it works and lasts on my skin before I buy!

Hafeazh1 20 Feb 2018 6:42 PM

Never go for the hype brands they might be wackk , actually love the idea of blind tests it gives u a smell which u never heard of its brand or seen the bottle , Nice idea.

neha.gamine 12 Feb 2018 1:03 AM

It’s fun to try various perfumes in store and then pick one up. I like to add different fragrances to my already huge collection... I personally prefer woody fragrances but have all sorts of fragrances apart from woody in my collection and I wear one according to my mood and occasion. I guess perfume finder techniques wouldn’t be that useful in my case.

IndieAna 11 Feb 2018 4:05 PM

The perfumes I buy, I can't by instore. Fortunately they offer sample sets, so I can't go wrong, plus it's fun testing different perfumes!

BigMama18 8 Feb 2018 10:48 PM

This is so interesting, Ellie! I would never have thought to order perfume online. I guess I am a bit hesitant to drop my hard-earned cash if I haven't smelled the product. But maybe for my birthday I'll get the hubby to buy me a mystery bottle!

duality 8 Feb 2018 12:54 PM

I’m addicted to perfume and mostly buy online as brands and types I like are hard to find locally or not stocked. I use fragrantica for perfumes I know I like as it recommends similar and that seems to work. I have had a few expensive mistakes though! Try before you buy us great if you can.

ronpunzle 6 Feb 2018 9:29 PM

I really struggle with finding new perfumes. They all end up smelling so different after a few hours on my wrist and I end up hating them! So frustrating Love the innovation that's coming out these days though, particularly with the online only options. They gotta sell their product somehow! For the price tags I would still rather physically try the product

ErinLady 4 Feb 2018 11:47 PM

I'm a firm believer in trying it on your own skin before buying. Perfumes react differently on each person and can be unpredictable in their final scent. Buying online seems like a terrible gamble and personality tests seem like a gimmick. I do love the idea of blind perfume shopping though!

TheUglyDuckling 5 Feb 2018 11:47 AM

ErinLady, you took the words right out of my mouth! Particularly about the blind perfume shopping! I love blind scent tests!

Tigerlily 4 Feb 2018 5:02 PM

Interesting developments but I’d still need to try before I buy. Everyone is different and the perfume can react different to individual skin chemistry so it may smell differently. I do like to read descriptions of the notes but overall I don’t find them particularly helpful.

freaky 2 Feb 2018 5:20 PM

Blind scent testing is a great idea. Im always a sucker for pretty bottles

Yohanna 2 Feb 2018 4:19 PM

Before my allergy to perfumes (synthetic ones) went loco, I use to pick like this ..."oh, this bottle is stunning" [buy, buy now!]

Snailor 1 Feb 2018 6:54 PM

I would never but perfume online! Sometimes you pick a perfume based on notes and then it doesn’t smell like it at all!

Laura M 1 Feb 2018 11:19 AM

omg buying perfume online gives me anxiety. Ya girl's got a picky nose!

skincare junkie 1 Feb 2018 8:18 AM

Oh come on! Anything you add the word "DNA" in it somehow some people would just willing to pay $$$$$ for it. Turn on a science brain and seek to understand how genetics really work. If one person can change the preference for scent over the course of his/her life, does that mean his/her DNA has changed?? Of course not.

dishonfj 31 Jan 2018 2:40 PM

I love to try them in person and sample them. Usually if I get positive comments and I also like the smell of it , that is the perfume for me. I think different perfumes suit different people. DNA testing would be really interesting!

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