9 Easy Tips for Finding Your Signature Scent

It can be quite the compliment when someone tells you that you smell good, and even more so when they say that they smelled it out of the blue and it reminded them of you. With a little time and research, you will certainly learn how to have a signature scent. 

What Is a Signature Scent?

A signature scent is a smell that encapsulates who you are. It’s a staple that reminds people of you and your personality. This fragrance, often a perfume, is typically worn every day so that you can leave a mark wherever you go and make an impression.

Having a signature scent is generally empowering, as it allows you to establish an image for yourself since people associate it with you. Pleasant fragrances can help you exude confidence and feel much more attractive in the long run. 

How to Have a Signature Scent

You can leave a great impression with an everyday perfume of your choice. Here are some tips on how you can find and have a signature scent. 

1. Understand the Basics

Perfumes have been around for quite some time, and there are so many variations of them out in the market. However, some fragrance families can help you narrow down the kind of signature scent that you want to have. Here are some examples:

• Fresh: Fresh scents have a very clean and uplifting aura. Think of how clean laundry smells or the saltiness of the sea. These kinds of notes are much more subtle and simple but are always reliable and welcomed. 

• Floral: Floral scents like rose, hyacinth and lilies are what people typically associate with femininity. You can also think of smells that remind you of pure nature, like lavender. They are absolutely timeless to wear. 

• Fruity: Fruity fragrances are much stronger, still sticking with the idea of natural notes but with a brighter tone. Any citrus, berry and tropical smells fall under this category. Some perfumes even have a mix of these together for a more complex scent. 

• Woody: Woody scents are the types that you would associate with warmth. Cedar and sandalwood are two popular notes you may see of these. Vanilla also falls into this category, though it has a creamier and more feminine tinge to it. 

2. Think About Your Persona

Next is to check out your persona. When people catch a whiff of your scent, what do you want to come across as? Some people like the fresh fragrance family because it’s very gender-neutral and simple. If you want to come across as more powerful, you may find yourself gravitating more toward the woody perfumes. 

3. Consider Your Natural Scent

Even if one perfume works for someone you know, it’s not a guarantee that it will smell the same or stick to you. Your regular odor can change the overall aroma of the product. Since your natural scent is also transformed by the sweat, oils and other secretions that your skin produces, it’s really hard to predict until you’ve worn it on your skin. 

4. Ask for Recommendations

People who know you best can give you a couple of ideas of what they remind you of. For instance, people associate you with freshly baked bread and pastries. Perhaps it’s one of your hobbies or you just have a personality that reminds them of it. From there, you can look for a hidden gem that encapsulates that complex sweetness.

5. Smell Different Fragrances in Person

Browsing fragrances and checking their notes online can be great for having a general idea of what you might like. However, it’s important to note that their composition can still be different. Two perfumes can both have cardamom in them, but one will seem more pungent. 

Visit a store in person and smell them for yourself. Dedicated stores like Bath and Body Works and Jo Malone London have a variety of different perfumes that you can sample. You could also go to a general distributor so that you can sample a variety of brands. 

6. Get a Tester for What You’re Drawn To

While a perfume may smell good from the first whiff, try to stop yourself blind buying it! Consider asking the salesperson for a tester first. A small sample size is a must to know before you commit to purchasing a full-sized fragrance. 

After all, a large perfume can be challenging to use if you suddenly realize that you don’t like the scent too much. Save your money for your actual signature scent in the future. 

7. Check How You Smell Across the Day

Use your tester throughout the day. Try to observe how it smells throughout the day. Perfume is made up of top notes, middle notes and base notes. The first two typically disappear after a while, and the dried-up smell can be a lot more different from what you imagined. 

For instance, maybe you bought a perfume because it has jasmine. The flower is often associated with romance and is capable of improving your mood and energy levels. However, if it’s part of the middle notes, it may be gone within 30 minutes or so of wear. 

8. See What Gets You Compliments

Waiting and seeing if your fragrance garners you compliments from loved ones is a great telltale sign that you’ve discovered your signature scent. After all, its main job is to have a smell that people around you can associate with you. Don’t forget to compliment yourself during the process, too! After all, your personal preference should still come up at the top. 

9. Take Time to Feel If It’s Right

Still hesitating? Give yourself time to wear it. If you finish a tester and you don’t feel like you’re clicking with the scent, you can always have a second trip to the store and try out something new. There’s zero deadline for having your signature fragrance, so just try and try again. You’ll know when it feels right!

Leave an Impression with Your Perfume

Some people say that a signature scent will naturally find you instead of the other way around. Have fun experimenting with different perfumes before seeing what you want to gravitate toward. With luck, you’ll find the fragrance for you and nail future first impressions.