How to choose your signature scent

A signature scent is the one people start to recognise as yours. Finding it isn't about the most expensive bottle — it's about how a fragrance develops on your skin and how it makes you feel.

Understand the three layers

Perfume unfolds in stages, often described as a pyramid:

• Top notes: what you smell first, for roughly the first 15 minutes — often citrus, spices or light florals.
• Heart notes: the character of the perfume over the next few hours — rose, jasmine and other florals live here.
• Base notes: what stays on your skin at the end of the day — woods, musk, amber, vanilla, oud.

Think about mood, not just smell

Ask yourself how you want to feel. Fresh and confident? A bright rose works beautifully. Warm and close? Try vanilla and sandalwood. Bold for the evening? Oud and amber.

Many people end up with two favourites — one for daytime and one for night.

Test it the right way

• Smell no more than three perfumes at a time — your nose gets tired.
• Test on skin, not just paper. Perfume reacts with your skin's warmth and oils.
• Wait at least an hour before deciding. The base notes are what you'll live with.
• Wear it for a full day before buying a larger size.

Start small

That's exactly why small sizes exist. A 6 ml lets you wear a fragrance for a few weeks and see if you still love it. A set of three lets you compare side by side.

Not sure where to begin? Our four-question scent quiz suggests a starting point in 30 seconds.