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Tag: Fragrance blind buying

Posted on May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by Jean-Baptiste Grenouille · 10 Comments

Follow Your Nose: How to Build a Collection You Love

Editorial illustration of a vanity table covered in fragrance bottles including Vetiver Noir and Sparkle Breeze with a TikTok influencer visible on a phone screen and a single bottle labeled Intention spotlit apart from the chaos — a cautionary image about blind buying fragrance based on influencer recommendations

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.…

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10 responses to “Follow Your Nose: How to Build a Collection You Love”

  1. Flaconneur Avatar
    Flaconneur
    May 14, 2026

    Blind buys in the last thirty days? One. I’ve been scoping the fragrance out since 2016. I’m not an impulse buyer by any means. I really didn’t pay for it because I made the purchase with gift cards. I was pretty sure about this one, and it was perfect.

    Make a purchase at the advise of an “influencer?” Zero and never. I know my sources and if I’m considering a fragrances, I find a sample if possible. In the very few blind buys I’ve made, it’s been a positive experience.

    Reply
    1. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille Avatar
      Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
      May 14, 2026

      Yeah, I think the community I’ve found here, and who are commenting on my posts, are a lot more mature in terms of their relationship with and understanding of fragrance, than what’s going on in the social media spaces. In terms of this particular essay, I am hoping this reaches others like myself who have become frustrated with those platforms and being misled. It’s primarily why I migrated to this space: long form reviews/commentary, writers and enthusiasts who really know and are passionate about fragrance: I’ve learned more in the several posts I’ve read here than most of the time I’ve spent on social media. This was the right move for me. Thanks for reading, Flaconneur. By the way, the name is very clever!

      Reply
  2. Daniel Paterson Avatar
    Daniel Paterson
    May 14, 2026

    I never blind buy anymore. It’s probably been well over ten years. I was burned one too many times early on, that I simply don’t do it anymore. I understand that’s not always easy, particularly if you live far away from a major city, so I can understand blind buying. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a perfume bottle because of an influencer. Like Flaconneur, I have to sample first. Basenotes and Parfumo and online blogs are good starting points to research scents. Some great advice, Grenouille.

    Reply
    1. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille Avatar
      Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
      May 14, 2026

      I think I am at that point too now, Daniel. In some ways this essay was as much a “note to self”, as it was “buyer beware”.

      Reply
  3. Nose Prose Avatar
    Nose Prose
    May 14, 2026

    Sound advice! I have only bought samples and decants in the last 30 days without smelling them first, for the purpose of discovering new things. Even these I’ve tried to minimize in recent years. AI can certainly offer recommendations, but humans are still a great resource for finding fragrances you might like based on what you already like.

    Reply
    1. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille Avatar
      Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
      May 14, 2026

      Samples and decants are the way to go, Nose Prose. For me they serve 2 purposes simultaneoulsy: becauee I review perfumes, it allows me to buy many times more than I could buying 50 or 100mls; and 2, avoiding spending exuberantly on a ascent I may not like. Now, if I could just shake this cold and smell again, I could write those reviews!!

      Reply
      1. Nose Prose Avatar
        Nose Prose
        May 15, 2026

        Hope you feel better soon!

  4. fragroom Avatar
    fragroom
    May 17, 2026

    Insightful read. I’m not one for one for a blind buy, especially if it’s new and over-hyped.

    Reply
    1. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille Avatar
      Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
      May 17, 2026

      Hi Fragroom! Thanks for taking the time. I have learned my lesson; thankfully, it didn’t cost much. All the blind buys I’ve been disappointed with have been dupes or cheap middle eastern brands. They are not all bad, but there is too much incentive for influencers to hype something for profit. And I am still in that early phase where this is all very exciting, discovering new worlds and all that. The hype is why I created vetiver and verse; if I couldn’t find the type of content I was looking for, I might as well create it, right?

      Reply
      1. fragroom Avatar
        fragroom
        May 29, 2026

        Exactement!

  1. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's avatar
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  2. Daniel Paterson's avatar
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  3. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's avatar
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  4. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's avatar
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  5. Flaconneur's avatar
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