How to Find Your Signature Scent
Have you ever walked into a room and been instantly transported back in time by a familiar fragrance? Or felt a surge of confidence when wearing a perfume that just feels ‘right’? A signature scent is more than a mere accessory these days! Today, we are going to dig a little deeper into the psychology of smell and how to select your own signature scent out of the thousands of fragrances available.
The fragrance section at department stores seems to grow each week, and tiny boutiques are overflowing with them as well. It feels like everyone is coming out with fragrances these days, so the options can feel overwhelming.
Understanding Fragrance Types
Perfumes come in various concentrations – Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, and Eau de Cologne, to name a few. The key difference lies in the concentration of oils in the fragrance. Eau de Parfum, with its higher concentration of perfume oils (15-20%), offers a deeper, longer-lasting aroma, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a lasting impression. As we age, our skin’s chemistry evolves, subtly altering how fragrances react. This change makes it essential to re-explore and possibly redefine our scent preferences.
The Psychology of Scent
Scents have the power to evoke emotions and memories. A fragrance can uplift, soothe, or even empower you! For instance, the aroma of jasmine is known for its uplifting properties, while sandalwood can bring a sense of calm. I love the scent of lavender for a calming feel, and clove transports me back in time.
As we age, our preference for certain notes might evolve. Notes like rose bring a timeless elegance, while vanilla and amber offer a comforting warmth. Bergamot and other citrus notes can add a fresh, energetic feel to your day. These notes offer complexity and depth, embodying a sense of luxury and maturity.
One of the best ways to start discovering what notes you like is by determining what type of fragrance you’re looking for floral, fresh, fruity, warm & spicy, or woody & earthy. If you have no idea where to even start, I highly recommend taking Sephora’s fragrance finder quiz. You can do so by clicking here. This is a great jumping-off point!
Tips for Finding Your Signature Scent
- Start with a sample: Fragrances can be expensive, so don’t feel pressured into buying a full-sized bottle immediately. A lot of perfumes have travel or sample-sized bottles. I’m a big fan of fragrance discovery sets so that you can sample lots of options.
- Test it out: Wear it over several weeks. Make sure it doesn’t give you a headache or overwhelm your senses. See if you get any compliments on your scent when wearing it. Everyone has a unique body chemistry, so it’s best to see how the scent works with your own body and skin. Pay attention to the base notes that a fragrance dries down to because that’s what lingers.
- Ask for advice: The staff at your local fragrance counter or beauty store are often very knowledgeable about the scents they have available. It’s much easier for them to narrow down a few selections for you to choose from than trying to smell one hundred perfumes yourself.
- Don’t get overwhelmed: Ask for coffee beans to sniff when you’re sampling scents. They are a great nasal palette cleanser to help prevent olfactory fatigue.
How to Apply Your Fragrance
To apply a fragrance correctly, start by targeting pulse points such as the wrists, behind the ears, and low on your chest. These areas are warmer and help to diffuse the scent throughout the day. I avoid spraying directly on my neck because the sun can interact with the ingredients making it hard on the delicate skin. Hold the bottle 3-6 inches away from your skin and spray lightly. Avoid rubbing the fragrance into your skin, as this can break down the perfume’s molecular structure and alter the scent. Instead, let it dry naturally.
For a subtler effect, spray the fragrance into the air and walk through the mist. This technique allows the scent to evenly distribute across your body. Remember, less is more; it’s better to start with a light application and reapply if needed.
Layering fragrances is very trendy right now. It allows you to create a unique scent profile. Start with a base of a deeper, musky scent, then add lighter scents like floral or citrus on top. This method can produce a complex, multifaceted aroma that evolves throughout the day.
Caring for Your Fragrance
Perfumes are delicate compositions. Store them in cool, dark places to maintain their integrity. A perfume past its prime might change color or emit a sour smell, indicating it’s time to find a new favorite.
Jennifer’s Signature Scent
Two years ago, I wrote, “While I think it’s incredibly romantic and sophisticated to have a signature fragrance, I don’t have one. It’s not for lack of trying. New perfumes are always coming out, and I love to sample them as much as I do new makeup.”
If you’ve been reading AWSL for any length of time at all, you know I love using products made with clean, vegan ingredients, which has complicated my search in recent years. I discovered Maison Louis Marie No. 04 several years ago and keep coming back to it because it reminds me of a very special time in my life.
I carry the small spray when I travel, use the matching deodorant, and just bought the body lotion to try.
When I’m not using my Maison Louis Marie, I’m wearing Jake’s House by Henry Rose. Henry Rose is unique because they use only safe ingredients that don’t contain any of the unacceptable personal care products on the Environmental Working Group’s list.
Henry Rose fragrances are Peta certified cruelty-free, and Cradle to Grave certified, which “considers impact at each stage of a product’s life-cycle, from the time natural resources are extracted from the ground and processed through each subsequent stage of manufacturing, transportation, product use, and ultimately, disposal.” They also meet Nordstrom’s sustainability and responsible manufacturing criteria. These are all a huge plus in my book!
I spent several days going back and forth sampling the fragrances and brought small samples home to try before I zeroed in on Jakes House Eau de Parfum. Here’s how they describe it…watery, clean freshness encounters honeyed neroli for a light and clean, musky finish. It’s a rather unique scent that’s fresh and non-toxic, which makes me happy. It turns out they also make a candle and body cream in this scent.
Iconic Scents for Women Over 40
There are fragrances that have stood the test of time and become iconic among mature women. Here are a few of the popular ones:
More Popular Scents and Fragrances:
Have you discovered your own signature scent?
Channel #5 was my scent until I became a critical care nurse and was not allowed to wear anything scented. Then I had several unfortunate experiences with other people wearing perfume in the same room with me. I found out what it was , Red Door. Then my DIL wore a very lovely scent to visit us and after they left and I went into the guest bathroom, I had an acute asthma attack from the scent in the shower from her body wash. My husband washed down all of the walls, we had to throw out the bath mat, shower curtain and liner as washing them didn’t remove it. My doctor said that I have developed sensitivity to all scented products and must switch to unscented. I can’t have plugins, sprays or diffusers. I, like Lee, use unscented products. I had to warn people in my spiritual group not to wear scented products to the meeting. One woman got angry and said it was a very expensive perfume and she didn’t come back. Like I was doing it on purpose! I don’t like to impose on people but it is a serious health issue for me.
I don’t understand why she would behave that way. The expense of it has nothing to do with your sensitivity!
This happened to my daughter (she was only about 14 at the time) a few years back. We were walking through a large shopping centre and outside a department store they had young ladies spraying everyone and everything with a perfume. My daughter had an asthma attack and when I went and complained they could not understand why I was becoming angry and one of the “young ladies” actually laughed at me.
I have always loved Jo Malone but when I stared nursing we were told to never wear perfume as many are allergic.
I have witnessed severe allergic reactions so I now believe perfume should not be worn if one is going to fly or be in any crowded area. We have a responsibility to be aware of those around us.
However a good perfume is amazing and I still have Jo Malone ! Just another take on how we affect others.
I thank those who acknowledge folks who are highly sensitive to any and all scents. That would be me and it makes me feel terrible to be around any perfumes, etc. I appreciate that we are becoming more aware of this.
We all need to be sensitive to others.
I have been wearing Lancôme’s Tresor for years now and always get compliments. On occasion I switch it up to La Vie et Belle. I wish I could put essential oil diffusers in my home, but they are really bad for pets (I have a dog and a cat).
I had no idea they’re bad for pets.
For years I’ve worn Chanel Coco in the wintertime and Ô de Lancôme in the spring and summer. As I came into my 40s and beyond I found that I can’t tolerate certain scents, and these are the only ones that don’t give me a headache – although, having said that, I haven’t looked any further for a while!
Donna Karan Cashmere Mist has been my one and only since I discovered it while working for a time at Holt Renfrew in late ‘90’s. Always complimented on my fragrance , and mostly by men 🙂 even though I use it sparingly . Like your favourite, Jennifer, there is a deodorant too…never without it…the absolute best! Sometimes mini sizes are available for travel, but less so more recently.
I just visited Holt Renfrew for the first time and was bowled over their fragrance department. Wow!
I worked in lingerie at HR and then in men’s sportswear, at a difficult time for me while in Calgary when I needed a job. The lovely young women in fragrance introduced me to my favourite scent. Never looked back!
I love reading what everyone’s favorites are! Henry Rose Queens and Monsters for me….or Jo Malone Myrrh and Tonka.
Those sound fabulous!
Eden Perfumes is a wonderful company that uses natural ingredients to replicate the scent of most popular perfumes of today and yesterday. I’ve been happy with all I have tried, such as Flowerbomb and Light Blue. All perfumes are cruelty free—no animal ingredients or testing! Feels good to wear a lovely scent and know no harm was involved in its creation. https://edenperfumes.co.uk/
Thanks for that resource Kathryn. I’ll check it out.
Fantastic topic! I enjoy searching for a new scent. I was fortunate this past summer to be in Provence and visited a perfume factory. Smelled unbelievable perfumes. Found one that is the most beautiful scent. It is a perfume not a cologne so two drops and I’m good for the entire day. However, my standby scent is Lancôme La Vie Est Belle.
For my home, I prefer vanilla & apple scents.
Have a great day
I’m a fan of vanilla scents too. My daughter always wears one.
`I wear Obsession and get compliments on it all the time.
That’s a classic!
I just love L’Occitane’s Lemon Verbena. So light and fresh. Heavy perfumes bother me as I get older.
Verbena is a favorite of mine too. I love so many scents.
I have been using Pure Grace by Philosophy for about 15 years. It also has a body cream! So I layer both. I have been given many compliments!
I wore that too. It’s beautiful and the brand is now cruelty-free!
I wore Chanel #5 for years. Then I met my husband to be, who is very sensitive to perfumes and has asthma. After years of being unable to wear Chanel (or any other scent) I found that I too had become sensitive to it and to many others. A few years ago on a river cruise in Europe I found what is supposedly “the original eau de cologne” (reportedly first made in the 1700’s?) in Cologne Germany. It was light and fresh, and my husband could tolerate it. I use it sparingly and infrequently. I’m running low, so I’m on a quest to find a source that doesn’t require a trip to Cologne!
On a serious note, it’s truly disheartening and uncomfortable for people who suffer a sensitivity to be in a theater or on an airplane seated near someone wearing a heavy scent. We should all be mindful of that.
I agree! I have had to cover my nose and mouth more times than I care to remember. Some fragrances are extremely cloying and strong.
I’m sure no one would be happy listening to my husband sneeze 25 times in a theater!! 🙂
Lol
I think you are thinking of 4711 by Mäurer & Wirtz. The original 4711 store at Glockengasse 4 in Cologne is a popular tourist attraction.
4711! I also love this light fragrance, Sarah. This is available on Amazon.
I regularly buy perfume samples from The Perfumed Court. You can shop my note, by season by perfume house…. I just bought the Cashmere Sweater Sampler. 8, .5ml vials. I try them one at a time and they last a surprisingly long time. It’s my little treat. Haven’t found a signature yet. Perhaps my sense of smell has dulled, but perfume just doesn’t have the projection/longevity it used to.
I’ve bought from them before too. It’s a great resource. Thanks for reminding me.
I’m in my late 50s, and my signature scent (at least in the cooler months in Connecticut) is Coco Chanel. I wear it almost every day of the week and even bought a small dorm refrigerator for my bedroom closet, which is where I store it, so it isn’t exposed to light or heat. I find it’s a bit too heavy for late spring and summer, so I wear lighter scents then and enjoy rotating them (Le Labo Another 13 and Narcisso Rodriguez For Her, among others). I’ve put the Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt fragrance on my list to sample the next time I’m at Nordstrom.
I prefer lighter scents in the warm weather too. That’s when citrusy and airy fragrances feel best to me.
I’ve been wearing Donna Karan’s Cashmere Mist for years. I’ve found as I’ve gotten older that I’ve become more sensitive to scent–some make my throat and eyes burn, for example. We’ve even switched to unscented laundry detergent.
I wore that one as well. Very pretty.
After years of wearing and loving perfumes, I developed a histamine reaction to perfumes. Anything with scents began to trigger skin and other reactions. That was almost 40 years ago. I cannot be around or use anything with added scents. From what dermatologists have told me, this is becoming increasingly the case as more scented products become available and more people become sensitized. I now use unscented soaps, shampoos, detergents, etc., and feel great discomfort from inhaling scents. Just another side of the issue.
I’m sorry to hear that. I know many people struggle with it as you do.
Interesting post, and yes, how true that scents can take us back in time. I once loved Joy and L’Air du Temps, and Grace by Philosophy. But I no longer wear fragrance due to so many people having sensitivities, including a close family member. I do miss it!
I wore both of those fragrances. They really do transport me back when I smell them.
I’ve been wearing Jo Malone’s Blackberry and Bay for the last ten years. My daughter gave it to me as a gift at her wedding. I guess it has become my signature scent!
I do love Jake’s House and have a sample I am using. So refreshing!
Jo Malone fragrances smell divine. I love so many of them.
I noticed a wonderful fragrance on a co-worker when I was in my 20s and after asking her what it was found Chanel #5. I’ve been wearing it for over 40 years. Classic and it smells good on me, at least that’s what my husband says. Nothing else I’ve tried has ever smelled so good.
That’s fabulous! So classic.