7 Types of perfume wearers: Which one are you?
BY Sam Scriven
15th Sep 2022 Fashion & Beauty
From signature scent wearers to once-a-year dabblers, if there's a bottle of perfume in your makeup collection, you probably fall in one of these categories
Love it, hate it, you can’t ignore it. Perfume continues to reign supreme, whether it's fancy florals or luxe leathers, gorgeous gourmands or sassy citrus.
According to The Fragrance Foundation, the fragrance industry brought in £7.1 billion in 2021, and that’s just in the UK.
Between high streets and chichi boutiques, duty free at the airport and the Avon brochure on your doormat, the appetite for a waft of scent (and matching lotions and potions) shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.
After ten years of blogging about perfume, I have learned many revealing truths about the behaviour of the perfume consumer. From fanatical collectors to the one scent woman, I have now identified the seven types of perfume wearer.
Perhaps you know one? Perhaps you’re one of them yourself?
1. The signature scent wearers
For the signature scent wearer, their perfume is inextricable from their day-to-day smell
The signatures are those who are fortunate enough to have discovered their singular dream fragrance that they wear on all occasions.
"You can tell when they’ve just left the room"
You can tell when they’ve just left the room because they’ve left their trademark perfume drifting in the air behind them. They’ll be forever loyal to their solo favourite.
The signature scent wearers are the easiest to buy for. They’re loyal to a fault and they’ll never spray around.
2. The loud and prouds
We’ve all met or worked with a "loud and proud". These are the fragrance fans who love their not-so-subtle perfume so much that they want to share it with everyone in the lift, everyone in the office and all the commuters on the train.
They want to share it all day long, with a top up at lunch time just in case it wears off. It’s never a subtle skin scent.
It’s always a major floor filler that you can smell from down the corridor, even when you work in the next building.
3. The luxury lovers
The luxury lovers like it when you ask them the name of their perfume because they’re dying to tell you how expensive/exclusive/hard to get it is.
If it has a price tag that looks more like a phone number, and a flashy smattering of Swarovski crystals on the very limited-edition eye poppingly spendy bottle, then that’s what the luxury lover will be wearing.
Remember, always ask them what they’re wearing. You’ll make them very happy!
4. The niche lovers
If your perfume comes from a boutique, or you can't remember where you got it in the first place, you're probably a niche lover
The niche lovers don’t shop on the high street, and they swerve duty free with a determined stride. They like their perfume made by hand, by a sole perfumer in some sort of tiny lab.
"When you ask them what they’re wearing, they can’t pronounce it and you can’t remember it"
Nobody else smells quite like them and that’s the way they like it. When you ask them what they’re wearing, they can’t pronounce it and you can’t remember it.
5. The "whatever's in the bathroom" perfume wearer
These are the least enthusiastic among perfume wearers. Someone picked up something in duty free. They can’t remember the name, they just wear whatever’s in the bathroom, as if they’re using shower gel or tooth paste.
The good news? You don’t have to spend much on the "whatever’s in the bathroom" people. They probably won’t read the label or know the price of it anyway.
6. The birthday and Christmas people
These are the cautious perfume wearers who like to keep it for special occasions. A gift of perfume is a luxury, like a box of chocolates or a bottle of champagne, only to be enjoyed when the occasion calls for it.
They’ll gladly accept it as a present at Christmas or on their birthday, and that’s probably when they’ll wear it too. This is the type most likely to have dusty bottles on their dressing table.
7. The hoarders
The hoarder is a compulsive collector of perfumes, no matter how many fragrances are already in their arsenal
The hoarders are those who never get rid of a fragrance once it’s been added to their collection. Their biggest problem is having more bottles than they can fit on their groaning shelves.
"Like book collectors or wine aficionados, getting them to part with anything from their collection is not to be advised"
They smell different every day, choosing their SOTD (scent of the day) with equal parts of serendipity and randomness.
Like book collectors or wine aficionados, getting them to part with anything from their collection is not to be advised, even if they are sitting atop a fragrant goldmine (have you seen what vintage perfumes go for on eBay?).
And finally…
Did you spot yourself on this light-hearted list? Do you know a hoarder or a "loud and proud"? Are you a niche lover or are you a signature scent wearer?
Whatever kind of perfume lover you are, just remember, perfume is made to be enjoyed, so wear what you love and love what you wear.
Read more: 7 Surprising facts about fragrance
Read more: Finding a signature summer scent
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