How this perfume quiz works
The quiz checks your answers against the profile of 284 well-known perfumes: olfactory family, note pyramid, best seasons and trail. Each answer adds or removes points.
A note you like counts for more when it sits in the heart or the base, because that is what you will still smell an hour later. A note you dislike sinks the score. If it only appears in the top notes, the penalty is small, since it fades fast. The three picks always come from three different houses, so you never get three versions of the same bottle.
Start from an olfactory family
The safest route is a perfume you already love. Look at its family. Fans of Sauvage usually feel at home in the aromatic family and fougères. If La Vie est Belle is your favourite, look at gourmand perfumes next. Our guide to the olfactory families covers each family and its classics.
No idea which family you like? Start with notes. Vanilla, rose or sandalwood are enough to point you somewhere, and each note page lists the perfumes built around it.
Eau de toilette or eau de parfum
Concentration changes longevity far more than the smell. An eau de toilette usually holds 8 to 12% perfume oil and an eau de parfum 15 to 20%. An extrait goes higher. For the office or summer, an eau de toilette is often enough. In winter and at night, an eau de parfum lasts better on cold skin. More in our piece on eau de parfum vs eau de toilette.
Test on skin, not on paper
A paper strip shows you the opening. Your skin shows the rest. Spray once on the inside of your wrist or elbow and don’t rub. The heart settles after 20 to 30 minutes and the base after about two hours. That is when you decide.
Try three perfumes at most in one session. Past that, your nose gets tired and everything starts to smell the same. The coffee beans in shops don’t do much. Sniffing a wool jumper or your own forearm resets your nose better.
Pick for the season
Heat makes perfume louder. In summer, a citrus or aquatic scent stays pleasant where an amber one turns heavy. Winter is the reverse: amber and woody perfumes open up under a coat. Our summer perfumes and winter perfumes edits rank the best picks for each season.
After the quiz
Open each pick to read its pyramid and our verdict, then compare it with its similar perfumes. For a wider list, start with our rankings of the best perfumes for women, the best perfumes for men and the best niche perfumes. To train your nose, the daily perfume game asks you to guess a famous perfume from its notes every day.