How many blind buys have you made in the last thirty days?  How many of these were impulse purchases based on some influencer who said it’s going to change the game in 2026? How many of these purchases will rarely or never get worn again?  Landing on this site probably means more than a few. Imagine spending all that hard earned money on something that’s already on the wish list. Stop listening to the perfume peddlers, each one shouting for the most likes, clicks and revenue. And don’t worry about trying to smell like everyone else. Instead, follow your own nose. 

First, stop using socials to find new fragrances.  Now, I’m not saying drop them entirely; there are some creators producing genuinely good content; but, like a 10/10 dupe or value purchase, they can be hard to find and are likely producing long-form content.  d’Orange you glad you found this website?  Also, recognize that many influencers, especially if they have affiliate links right on their page, those click to buy links, are receiving a cut of whatever fragrance they are pushing.  They are motivated by profit, not because they have persisted for six or eight hours through the dry down. If the entirety of their post involves spraying the perfume in the air and reciting the notes on the package, keep scrolling; it’s a waste of time. As Vergil implores Dante in the Inferno: “It were best to go another way around … if your hope is to escape this savage ground” (Inferno 1.91/93). 

Instead, look at the shelf. Which fragrances do you reach for the most?  What’s the scent profile?   If you love incense or florals, fougères or chypres, start there and branch out slowly.  (If these terms are new to you, or you are still in the process of learning the basics of fragrance, like me, check out the Frag U link at the top of my homepage: there, the families are defined.) Go darker, go lighter, go fresher or greener, but don’t pull a 180. It is unfair to expect that going from something smokey and leathery like Maahir Black (an Orto Parisi Terroni dupe) with beast-mode projection and longevity, to a delicate rose- or tea-inspired fragrance that may be engineered for a more personal experience, is somehow going to be an inspiration. It genuinely takes time to develop the nose and if dark ceremonials were the original seduction, a scent at the opposite end of the spectrum may be genuinely difficult to appreciate. When trying something new, it can be helpful to include an old familiar note or accord in the new family or scent profile.

So, where to begin?  The sheer size and variety of the fragrance world may be intimidating. After visiting Frag University, of course, try using Google, Claude, ChatGPT, or some other AI to help find a new scent. Tell or show it what’s on the shelf—AI can read images— or what gets worn or reached for most often.  Then, give it a command: “I want to branch out a little to increase the variety in my collection.  Can you recommend a green or fresh fragrance I will like based on my collection?” Lots of families overlap and that’s a good starting point.  For instance, incense may be found in greens, florals, citrus, and animalics, among others. Start with the familiar; cross-reference the families, notes and ingredients. It is much more likely something familiar combined with something new will please more than something entirely new. There is inherent risk involved in moving from Encre Noir to Coolwater, or from Red Flag to Chanel Chance Eau Tendre, but much less in going from Maahir Black to Encre Noir, or from Red Flag to Azzaro Pour Homme. The website and app Parfumo also has a “smells similar” section that may provide a good start. Move slow and take the time to learn rather than buying everything you can based on someone else’s recommendations. Remember, they are making money to influence.

The most important principle, though, is to keep an open mind. This journey seems to only end in one place: the niche/ultra-niche market.  Discovering the niche or ultra-niche market can be super exciting. However, it’s important to understand that fragrances in those markets often have very different geneses than designer brands. Designers, on average, are creating very safe scents.  Their goal is to sell, sell, sell, so everything tends to lean toward mass appeal: bright citruses, clean fresh linens, vibrant fruits or tropicality.  Niche brands often leave those concerns behind, and the nose (this is what the industry calls the person creating the perfume) will often have a very specific idea in mind.  Quentin Bisch, for example, when creating Red Flag, was thinking about irrational attraction.  He wanted to create the feeling of being drawn to something that better judgment might say ought to be avoided.  Ashley Eden Kessler, when designing Riders, was thinking about horses and the exotic leather of a Bentley.  The smell of hay and urine in Riders may at first be off-putting. And yet, once it’s understood that Kessler’s goal was to create a barnyard feel, how does urine not play into it?  So, the question to ask regarding the niche market is not so much, “is it good?”, instead, the question becomes, “does this smell like what the nose intended?”.

And, while there are exceptions, niche fragrances often have a much heftier price tag.  Bottles can range from under $100, to many hundreds, even thousands.  It’s best to buy decants or discovery sets when not able to test in a store/boutique.  These can be got for a fraction of the price of a full bottle, and if it’s not what was expected, it won’t hurt so much. 

I am by no means suggesting anyone cease blind buying altogether.  First, blind buys contain the excitement of knowing a package is on the way.  It’s anticipatory. Blind buys are also nostalgic for people of a certain age—ahem, I assure you I am not part of this group, nor do I know them, and as an influencer, you can tooooootally trust me.  Some of us remember what it’s like to finish an entire roll of film, then drop that off at a shop to be developed, and wait hours or days to see the outcome.  So, blind buy to your heart’s, and wallet’s, content.  But for the love of all that’s good and fragrant, stop trusting influencers without doing a little research.