How To Pick A Scent Like a Perfumer

The room itself is much more sterile than you’d think.

Yet, it serves as a place for the most vulnerable and delicate introspection.

The three perfumers are gathered, giddily opening up new samples, interrupting each other with excitement. “Oh wow, this has macerated really well,” one exclaims.

But as the scent permeates the room, the bustling gives way to silence.

How can you know if a perfume is good for your soul, if your soul doesn’t get to speak?

Distracting social media feeds. Busy stores. Our soul retreats and hides away from them.

“Hmm.” The perfumers look pensively at the room’s blank walls, which disappear behind the moving pictures of their colorful imaginations.

The conversation picks up again. This time quieter. Slower and more vulnerable. “This one feels right.”

The promise of the art of perfumery is not merely a good smell.

Aristotle famously defined friendship, phila, as “a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” Always by your side, reminding you of who you are despite all the noise around you.

So, find a good quiet room. Maybe bring your favorite people. Take the time and space you need to discover what scent is right for you. Away from all the chaos.