For avid perfume wearers, finding a signature scent involves trial and error. Fragrance fans may test many sample vials until they discover their signature smell—whether it’s powdery, herbaceous, heady, or delicate—and go home with a bottle.
But some prefer their smell to be so distinctive that they’re willing to invest time, energy, and money in a one-of-a-kind fragrance. Enter the custom scent, a distinctive blend crafted by a perfumer—or nose—and mixed especially for the wearer.
“Personalized, customized fragrances are growing because everyone wants to reflect their individuality,” says Sue Phillips, a fragrance expert who worked with brands such as Burberry, Tiffany, and Trish McEvoy before founding her custom-fragrance company, Scenterprises, based in New York.
Perfume wearers splurge on custom scents to brand themselves and be identified by one specific aroma as a reflection of their personality and style, which Phillips says she helps determine.