Coming to the end of our journey of where to get a custom made perfume made, I’d like to add a few more tips and online services that can help you experiment a bit more on perfume.
Many brands offer consultations, personalisation and layering advice to help you achieve the level of uniqueness you want.
I need to make a special mention / thanks to The Perfume Society who through their “How to Improve Your Sense of Smell” workshops, events and Perfume Boxes plus the amazing magazine “The Scented Letter” they publish, help us train, explore and enjoy our sense of smell.
Diptique has a fragrance fitting service that through a series of blind sniff tests of their candles helps you narrow down the fragrances that appeal to you and the lovely boutique staff suggest fragrances for you to wear by themselves or layered with another to create a personalised scent.
Jo Malone
Fragrance layering is the heart of this brand that encourages you to mix different shower gels, body creams or colognes to create a bespoke scent for yourself.
Jo Loves
When Jo Malone decided to launch another brand she did it again with fragrances that can be worn together or layered. I would suggest you book an appointment at her store and try the fragrance tapas!
L’ Erbolario
L’Erbolario is another brand with rich heritage and a vast collection of scents. Their Islington shop is filed with all of them and the helpful staff will assist you in layering perfumes so you can find the perfect fragrant combination!
Penhaligon’s offers perfume profiling in all of their stores where through a series of blind tests you will be able to narrow down your fragrance preferences. You can also play a little “game” online that through a series questions and image selection you get a few suggestions on perfumes that will suit you. You can purchase 2 samples online and try them at the comfort of your home!
Merchant of Venice
I had the opportunity to attend an event where we learnt the history of the brand; more here. Apart from all the lovely perfumes they have, they offer The Perfumer Kit. Each incudes two bases and six facets to mix so you can create your own custom blend of fragrance. They have 4 sets on offer, the Chypre & Fruity, the Floral & Oriental, the Citrus & Musk and the Woody & Fougère, all great options if you like a little bit of experimentation; it makes a great gift for any perfume lover that wants to create something a little more custom.
Ex Nihilo
Ex Nihilo offers combinations enhancing the initial perfume and guaranteeing an optimal fragrance balance. You can find this service at Harrods on the 6th floor where in the bluest of surroundings you can get your chosen Ex Nihilo personalised with the use of a high-precision dosing machine: the Osmologue, a little jewel of technology and design, whose outer coating of highly-polished brass is a respectful nod to traditional alembics.
In addition to a profound dialogue around the perfumery raw materials, all the creations are presented, weighed, filtered, bottled and perfected in front of you.
Online: WAFT & Unique Fragrance
There’s a couple of online services that help you create a custom made scent and one of them is Waft. I have tried them and you can find my review of the scents here.
Another one is Unique fragrance (link here) which works in a similar way.
In both cases you answer some questions that will analyse your favourite moods, scents, and preferences and by using some materials yourself they will blend a perfume for you. In both cases you get your perfume sent to you in a personalised bottle with engraving of your choice.
My final suggestion is a “toy” I am really envious about as I really wish it was available when I was a kid.
Interplay's Invent-a-Scent Perfume kit available at Argos shows you how to mix top, middle and base fragrance notes just like a professional perfumer. Invent a scent to match your style or make great smelling and unique scents for your friends and family.
I dare you to buy it for your children and not end up playing with it yourselves!
This concludes our journey on custom made perfume! I hope I have covered all perfumers and creators that offer this service, however if I have forgotten to add someone do let me know and I will do so happily!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed it!