JUMP TO: Risk vs. Reward // How to Approach Gifting Perfume // Perfume Gift Ideas
The Risks of Gifting Perfume:
I always warn that gifting anyone something as personal as fragrance, clothing, or makeup can quickly read as passive aggressive. In terms of scent, Pia offers this perspective: “Someone could interpret it as a hint that they don’t smell good already, which could feel insulting. However, the more common issue is that you accidentally buy something that is either too strong or that the person doesn’t connect with and doesn’t want to use.” And in that case, you might be out $100-500, which frankly sucks.
The Rewards of Gifting Perfume:
What could go right? Everything. “Scent is so deeply linked to our brain’s limbic system—which is responsible for retaining our memories—that fragrance plays an important part in stamping moments into our memory,” explains Velasco. “In that case, a perfume isn’t just a perfume but rather a key that’s guarding your most treasured memories with the person you’re purchasing it for.”
In short, you have got to get it right. But don’t just go with a gift certificate either, alright?
Read on for a few different ways to stick the landing, the next time you consider gifting perfume to your girlfriend, wife, mother, sister—any of ‘em. (Truth be told, most of this advice goes for everyone, not just women.) Pia even provides a few products that should strike a universal cord with women, too. I’ll offer up a couple picks, as well.
How to Gift Perfume (And Get It Right)
Following these three tips should ensure that you stick the landing. Key word: should. But don’t proceed with a purchase until reading this advice.
1. Do Some Research
I’ll repeat some of the above: Putting in a bit of research into your purchase only deepens the meaningful gesture—it shows how much time and thought you put into the gift. Even if it’s a scent she wears every few weeks, perhaps she gives it a little sniff every day just so she can have a happy recollection of you and the gesture. Use the web’s resources—again Fragrantica, or even the famed Match My Fragrance from Fragrances of the World are really useful.
2. Frame it properly to the recipient
I think the most personal gifts always deserve a preface from the giftee (a card, or some vocal framework as they open the gift)—some short explanation as to why you’ve chosen this particular thing. I find that it helps to explain your thought process and emphasize the thought that went into it. (This gets in front of any feelings of passive aggressiveness too, and helps attach a positive idea to the scent from the jump.)
Here’s a scenario: Let’s say she already has a scent that she loves. Your goal isn’t to stray her away from her favorite signature scent. Nor is it to get her a refill of that scent—that’s a gesture without any personal touch. Instead, you could get her a scent that is from the same perfumer, or the same house. Why not use a web resource like Fragrantica, where you can search by perfumer, label, scent family, and more. (Check out more tips on buying fragrance online, too.) Maybe she mentioned loving her boss’s specific perfume, so you can use Match My Fragrance from Fragrances of the World (mentioned above) as a resource to find something extremely similar to that perfume, without her copying the colleague’s scent entirely. This simple context can really elevate the gift so that she reveres it in a certain place—and the thought will go a long way.
You could use YouTube or any search engine to find out which secondary scent “layers” nicely with the perfume she already wears on any given day. It could be as subtle as a skin scent, or a fragrance enhancer—DS & Durga is a good example of this, with their aptly named “I Don’t Know What” EDP (think of the French term “je ne se quois”). This gives her a “secret weapon” to deploy with her chosen scent—and only when she chooses to.
3. Get a Sampler
You could buy a sampler pack from any one brand, or from a bigger retailer like LuckyScent or Twisted Lily, and then vow to upgrade her on whichever scent she chooses. I find this slightly less personal, but the gesture really lands if she has expressed interest in finding a new signature scent, or a scent for specific occasions. This is you vowing to get her the gift, but allowing her to pick the actual scent, which guarantees a win, too. LuckyScent takes it a step farther with its “Fragrance Fitting” offer and allows you to describe the giftee/what you’re looking for, and their team of experts will curate a selection of 6 sample vials for you—making the options all the more personal.
Many brands will even incentivize you with a discount after purchasing a discovery kit or sampler pack, allowing you to apply that discount towards the purchase of a full size fragrance once you/she finds a favorite. Take, for example, Arquiste: The discovery set also grants you a one-time $40 credit to apply towards your first 100ml purchase. (So that’s like having the discovery set for free.)
I had one friend who even went to the department store himself and sprayed just about every sample fragrance onto its own paper scent strip at the store. I’m sure his hand smelt awful after the fact, but he separated each strip from the others (to prevent transfer/mixing), wrote each name on each respective strip, and then, a week before her birthday, he did an at-home blind testing with his wife so she could decide which one was best. (I like the blind part of it; that way it’s a bit more fun than just walking into the store together, and she doesn’t bring any biases about brands into the selection.) Once she chose a favorite, he purchased the full size and gifted her that. I think the grand gesture of it all is what made it so special in this case; it gave them a cutesy activity to do at home, especially since she loved a bunch of them and hated a bunch of them (and now he has a short list of other scents she might like to own in the future.)
The Best Universal Fragrances to Gift Her
Here are a few picks from Pia, in terms of surefire scents that could land you a win.
Sana Jardina Vanilla Nomad EDP
“Vanilla is a widely popular fragrance note, but there are vanillas and there are vanillas,” says Pia. “The best kinds will balance its innate sweetness with something darker, such as frankincense. It smells like how you’d imagine a dance, with complementary notes of cardamom, jasmine, and vetiver playing off each other for a scent that’s subtly seductive and greatly comforting.”
Get it: Sana Jardin
Sephora Perfume Sampler w/ Redeemable Voucher
“If you’d prefer to take the conservative approach, you can’t go wrong with a sampler. This set comes with 18 mini fragrances with brands such as Jo Malone, Gucci, and Prada that the person you’re gifting can sniff and sit with while they decide on a favorite,” Pia says. “Once they do, they can take the scent certificate that comes in the box and exchange it for a full-size bottle of the fragrance they liked the most at no extra cost.”
Get it: Sephora
Diptyque L’Eau Papier Refillable Solid Perfume
“Traditional eau de parfums fade over time, so having a travel-friendly solid scent you can take with you to touch up is ideal,” Pia says. “This scent has been widely applauded for its clean, subtle, and sophisticated aroma that suits a wide range of personalities. It’s a universal scent that smells good on everyone and is beloved by most. The fragrance itself is enough to make it a wise purchase choice, but the decorative perfume case is also a chic conversation starter and collectible item.”
Get it: Diptyque
Le Labo Santal 33 EDP
Yes, that Santal 33: “Cult-classics earn their badge for a reason. This iconic scent masterfully blends woods, spices, and musks for a seductive scent that has users begging for more,” she explains. “It’s as addicting as it is comforting, and it’s a scent that’ll never go out of style.” Still, I’d suggest gifting it with its notoriety top of mind: It could be layered nicely, or even be a nice change of pace for a woman to wear it, since it is more often prescribed to men.
Get it: Saks Fifth Avenue
Boy Smells Slow Burn Candle
Maybe a room spray or a candle is a good place to start—especially if she goes through them quickly and is guaranteed to use the gift: “Few candles in my collection have been so widely lauded as this one made in collaboration with singer Kacey Musgraves,” says Pia. “What started off as a limited edition collaboration swiftly made its way into the brand’s permanent collection after it became obvious that its popularity wasn’t just in passing but here to stay. (In fact, it even won a Fragrance Foundation award the year it launched.) It’s woody, a little spicy, and completely captivating thanks to a layered combination of notes such as amber, ginger, and sandalwood.”
And: 2 Picks From Adam
I don’t want to make claims about what women should be wearing (I am neither a woman, nor do I date them). However, of the hundreds and hundreds of fragrances I have tested this past year, here are two that really stand out from the crowd, and which I wanted in my collection just for the sake of appreciating how beautiful they smell.
Amouage Honour 43 Extrait
Of everything on this list, Honour 43 might be the greatest “risk vs reward” of them all. But if you know she loves something powdery, floral, and spicy (Amouage puts in its signature Omani frankincense)—wow, this scent is absolutely beautiful. I cannot stop thinking about it, ever since sampling it at their production HQ in Muscat. It feels fit for a queen, commanding attention with its 43% perfume oil concentration, but also commending reverence and providing calm. I could go on.
Get it: Saks Fifth Avenue
Lazarus Douvos We Met In Roma EDP
This one has great unisex wear—while I find it feminine leaning, I named it one of GQ’s 30 best fragrances for men, too. Its mélange of rose, orange flower, jasmine, sandalwood, and—again—frankincense give it this beautifully layered, lighthearted and stirring wear. Sophisticated, but not too self serious.
Get it: Neiman Marcus
More About Pia Velasco
Pia Velasco is a seasoned beauty journalist with over a decade of editorial experience. She has held positions at outlets such as Vogue and InStyle, and has written for other publications such as Elle and Coveteur. Pia is a columnist for The Fragrance Foundation, where she covers fragrance forecasts. Additionally, she sits on the Board of Directors for BeautyFor, a non-profit tackling beauty’s waste problem, and is an Advisory Board Member at Sparks + Honey, a cultural intelligence agency in New York City.
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Read More: The Best Signature Scents for Men
