How to test perfume properly

Okay, hands up. When testing perfume in a shop, who is guilty of spraying willy nilly on an area of the skin, leaving it for 5-10 seconds and making a snap decision? While this may seem like a good way to test perfume at the time, there’s actually a few more tried and tested ways to ensure you find the scent that’s right for you. 

So, today, we’re sharing some top tips from one of our Perfume People on how to test perfume properly. 

1. Ask our Perfume People

At The Perfume Shop, our in-store staff live and breathe fragrance! If there’s something to know about a scent, our fabulous team will know. So, your first step in finding a new fragrance is to talk to one of our experts. Let them know the kind of scents you like, what you currently wear, or a general idea of what you are looking for, and they will help you narrow down your search. Can’t make it in-store to test perfume? No worries, our virtual ‘Go In-store’ service enables you to connect to a perfume expert in one of our stores from the comfort of your very own home. 

2. Know how to spritz your perfume  

Once you have an idea of which perfume you’d like to test, it’s time to spray the blotter. You’ll only need one spritz to test the fragrance properly, and you should hold it around 10-15cm away from the paper. 

By doing this, you’ll get a more accurate representation of what the scent will smell like on your skin. This is a really exciting step as you’ll immediately get a feel for the top notes in your chosen fragrance. You could go for one of our bestsellers, like Armani My Way to start or maybe something more niche like the exclusive Mugler Angel Nova?

3. Smell it more than once

You must give your perfume test more than one sniff. When you first spray it, you’ll start to get an impression of the top notes, but to really appreciate how the fragrance develops you need to give it time. The heart and base notes will come out at different times, so don’t rush it! Keep hold of the blotter and wait 20-30 minutes before giving it another sniff. Ask yourself, would you like to wear the developing scent all day on your skin? Do you like the dry down? If the answer is no, then continue your search. But if you love the aromas coming from the blotter, you may have found your match! 

For example, the iconic Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier opens with fresh notes of mint and zesty bergamot before you are delighted with aromatic lavender and warming cinnamon in the heart and a creamy base of Tonka bean and amber. 

4. Test it on your skin too 

If your chosen fragrance has passed the blotter test, it’s now time to test it on your skin. We recommend spraying it on your wrists when trying perfume in-store and leaving it for 20-30 minutes again. Your skin has varying levels of oils, so the aromas may react differently on the skin compared to on the blotter. Take a walk, go for a coffee and come back. Still love what you’re wearing? Then, congrats, you have found your new signature scent! 

There are so many fragrances at The Perfume Shop we could wear all day long, but we’re firm believers everyone should have at least one Marc Jacob perfume in their collection, such as the beautiful, floral Daisy.