Fragrance School

What Is a Fragrance Discovery Set — and How to Actually Use One

A fragrance discovery set is the smartest way to buy perfume — trial sizes of a full collection, worn on your own skin, on your own time. Here's how to use one properly, from the perfumer who built...

Coconut Perfume, Grown: How to Wear It Without Smelling Like Sunscreen

Most coconut perfume smells like sunscreen. Perfumer Karen Young on what coconut smells like when it's an ingredient with a history — creamy, skin-close, grown — and how to find one that lasts past...

What Is a Gourmand Perfume? A Perfumer Explains

A gourmand perfume is built around notes you could almost eat — vanilla, honey, milk, spice. OUI the People founder and perfumer Karen Young explains what separates a grown gourmand from a dessert,...

What Does Neroli Smell Like? The Orange Blossom Note Behind Luxury Fragrance

If you have ever caught a scent that stopped you mid-stride — something white and floral but somehow also warm, almost honeyed — there's a good chance neroli was involved. Neroli oil is the essent...

What Does Jasmine Smell Like in Perfume? Floral, Sensual, Iconic

There is a reason jasmine is called the "king of flowers" in perfumery. The plant genus called jasmine (Jasminum), especially species like Jasminum officinale and Jasminum sambac, is iconic and ess...

Bergamot Scent: What Does Bergamot Smell Like? A Guide to Bergamot in Perfume

If you have ever sprayed a perfume and felt an immediate lift — something bright and clean that makes the air feel lighter — there is a very good chance bergamot was hard at work. Bergamot is one ...

What Does Sandalwood Smell Like? Creamy, Warm, and Timeless

Sandalwood is the note that makes a fragrance feel expensive. Not loud. Not flashy. Just undeniably rich — in the way that something well-made feels different in your hands even before you know why...