The idea of giving a bottle of perfume as a gift may seem, to most, insincere. Beautifully packaged with a glossy marketing campaign behind it, a perfume, presented without thought, comes across as something you give when you are starved of time or ideas. The giver presumes something about the receiver’s likes and personality, and often, he or she barely scratches the surface.

It is no wonder that, instead of feeling loved or appreciated, recipients of fragrances often go away feeling patronised. But it doesn’t really have to be this way. For those who still love the intoxicating effect a good perfume has on those who catch a whiff of its notes, a mainstream fragrance option is clearly not enough.

“Having worked with fragrances for over 16 years, I’ve learned that a well-crafted scent speaks to us and affects us in many different ways. It can transform your mood, recreate a sense of place or a time, and allow you to present yourself in new ways,” says Gauri Garodia, creator of artisanal perfume brand Code Deco. “For some years now, there has been a disconnect between my expectations of a luxury perfume and what I see in the market. Code Deco was created to address these feelings of disconnect and discontent.”

Gauri Garodia, creator of artisanal perfume brand Code Deco

It is often said that your fragrance is the final layer of your clothing and your choice of scent is therefore an indication of your personal style. Which leads us to ask this question: do you want to be you, or do you want to remind others of a Hollywood celebrity?

 

Getting Intimate

With the growing appreciation for artisanal products, it comes as no surprise that people are demanding this same level of exclusivity in their perfumes. There is definitely a segment of the market that does not want to be led by the nose with a celebrity-fronted campaign. They want to express their individuality, not become a poorer version of a movie star.

Mainstream fragrance offerings are designed for maximum appeal and need to achieve sterling sales figures in a very short period and in an extremely competitive market. They are trend-driven, appeal to fans, and possess a fragrance profile that is less personal. Artisanal perfumes, on the other hand, pay a lot of attention to quality and individuality. “Artisanal perfumes tend to be distinctive and multifaceted. They grow on you slowly and never date as their complexity keeps them interesting,” explains Garodia.

Left: LP No.9 for Men EDT by Penhaligon's opens with fresh tops notes of mandarin, bergamot and rosewood, and soon darkens into a floral, spiced heart of ylang ylang, cinnamon, rose and pepper

Right: Described as soft, romantic, strange and beguiling, LP No.9 for Ladies EDT by Penhaligon's starts off creamy before warming to sensual base notes of musk, amber, cedar and vanilla

The investment in the scent juices and the focus on extracting the finest ingredients also mean that artisanal perfumes are produced in smaller quantities, hence their higher price tag. A mainstream fragrance can contain some 300 ingredients, whereas a fine perfume usually has six to 45 ingredients.

With their unconventional notes and nuances, it goes without saying that part of the process of selecting an artisanal perfume lies in a detailed fragrance profiling session. “At Penhaligon’s, we take a lot of pride in our fragrance profiling session,” says Michael-Brendan Ng, marketing representative for Penhaligon’s in Singapore. “Typically, most shoppers buy scents on a DIY basis. At Penhaligon’s, we help you discover what the fragrance means to you. We want to help you find a fragrance that speaks to your mood, personality and dreams, one that is you, without you working too hard to portray it.”

The Penhaligon’s boutique at Ion Orchard promises a haven of scent discovery

And when it comes to selecting your own Code Deco scent, the brand developed a proprietary tool called Decode for the purpose. “Decode is an interactive grid on which we slot fragrances by their character and vintage. A quick glance at the grid shows you if a perfume is a good fit with the personality, mood and occasion,” says Garodia. Decode is deployed at all Code Deco’s points of sale and on its website.

Left: Like a golden glow of a desert at sunset, Thar In Pink by Code Deco brings to mind Old World glamour with its notes of Italian bergamot, Tunisian orange flower and caramel

Right: Hoping to remind you of a rum-fuelled beach holiday, Kokomo by Code Deco kicks off with the crisp notes of mint and citrus before heating up to a heart of tea, rum and vanilla

 

You Wear the Scent

Artisanal scents also do not distinguish between genders. A scent originally perceived as “feminine” could be worn by a man, and vice versa. “I had a big, hunky male customer buy a bottle of our Lily of the Valley,” says Ng. “He told us he felt it had the effect of softening his image so he didn’t come across as too aggressive.”

With Armani Privé and La Collection Privée Christian Dior, this same message is delivered to the customer as well. As long as the scent attracts you and speaks out to you, your gender doesn’t matter. At La Collection Privée Christian Dior, extra care has even been taken to keep the test blind. A customer is taken through the profiling session without being shown the name of the scent or the bottle, and it is only after you’ve selected your scent that the expert will share the story of the scent’s inspiration with you.

Left: Inspired by Christian Dior’s childhood home, Granville by La Collection Privée Christian Dior opens with a burst of Sicilian lemon before calming down into a smoky, aromatic pine absolute

Right: With an air of mystery and inspired by the baroque atmosphere and balls of the 18th century, the combination of rose and amber in Ambre Nuit by La Collection Privée Christian Dior unveils an unexpected and intense scent

“At the end of the day, I like to tell my customers that you wear the scent; the scent doesn’t wear you,” says Ng. For your profiling session to work, Ng advises, you need to give your attending expert a lot of feedback. Don’t be afraid to react—both positively and negatively—to his or her suggestions. “Tell me if it’s too strong, too woody, too spicy, too sweet… tell me what it reminds you of. If one recommendation doesn’t work, we will move on. Don’t be afraid that you’ll offend anyone.”

 

Scent Shopping for Others

When shopping for yourself, it is easy to discern what you like and what you don’t like. But what about shopping for a special someone? Take note of the current fragrances he or she is using. This is a good place for the expert to begin. The expert will also ask you to describe the person, what he or she likes to do, where they’re most likely to be wearing the scent, and so on. Allocate 10 to 20 minutes of your time to the session if you really want to look for something that will speak to the receiver.

Another way to shop for a fragrance for someone is to remember that scents are powerful memory triggers. Research has shown that the olfactory nerve is located very close to the amygdala, the area of the brain that is connected to the experience of emotion as well as emotional memory.

In addition, the olfactory nerve is very close to the hippocampus, which is associated with memory. Your gift could serve as a reminder of the wonderful times you have spent together as a couple. Tell the expert about a holiday to an exotic destination, the sights, sounds and smells you associate with it. From there, he or she will be able to recommend a perfume that bears ingredients that replicate and reconstruct the memory in the receiver.

Left: Taking its inspiration from the Garden of Eden, Figuier Eden by Armani Privé starts with the vibrant notes of citrus zest and pink pepper before softening to a velvety green fig

Right: Reimagining the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Vetiver Babylone by Armani Privé is both fresh yet arid, creating a verdant scent that is cool, woody and elegant

To complete your fragrance gift, perhaps the best way to do it is to accompany it with another gift of a highly personal nature. A photo of you both in an exquisite frame paired with an exotic scent tells him or her you still remember the heady, intoxicating early days of your romance.

With a little of thought, effort and heart, what has long been perceived as a gift of convenience can, once again, be one of immense meaning and a personal touch.