Olfactif is a monthly perfume sampling subscription. Every month, you’ll receive a curated collection of three niche fragrances each month (2.25 ml sprays of each) from perfume artists around the world. You will also receive an $18 credit toward the full-bottle purchase of a featured fragrance.
Olfactif sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Olfactif
The Cost: $18/month
The Products: Three 2.25 ml sample spray bottles of 3 niche fragrances from perfume artists around the world.
Ships to: US
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your Wish List or Subscription List!
Every Olfactif box contains an informational card detailing the fragrances and theme for the month. This month’s theme is “The Change in the Air.”
There are a couple things that are very important to keep in mind when sampling perfumes: First, perfumes literally smell different on every person due to the way the fragrance oils play with an individual’s body chemistry. Secondly, there are many notes in each fragrance and perfumes are designed with a story and progression of notes in mind. The top notes are what you smell right away, the middle notes are what you smell about 10 minutes after spraying, and then the base note is what you smell about 30 minutes of wearing it and what stays with you throughout the day.
Ginger Ciao from Yosh – This fragrance is actually named after the protagonist in its perfumer’s unpublished novel, who is described to be daring, direct, confident, and adventurous. It’s definitely potent, slightly floral, and certainly spicy. I love the story and inspiration behind it, but unfortunately this scent is really just not for me. I do like this scent more as it wears, but I just don’t think this is one that wears well on me.
Yesteday Haze from Imaginary Authors – This company has an interesting concept: apparently, the perfumer creates scents he feels are creative and polished, and then imagines a backstory for each one, as if he had been inspired by a novel to create the fragrance. Hence, “Imaginary Authors.” The main note in this fragrance is fig. I definitely prefer the way this scent smells on my skin rather than on a strip of paper. With my body chemistry, it smells very creamy and lightly sweet.
Aperture from Ulrich Lang New York – With notes like pink, black, and white pepper, tobacco, cedarwood, musk, etc, this fragrance is definitely spicy and woodsy! This is one I think I would like a lot more on a man – this fragrance doesn’t wear well with my personal body chemistry. The inspiration behind it is a photograph of a stark silhouette of a young man in front of a sunset, and part of the proceeds from this fragrance actually goes to a non-profit supporting the advancement of photography.
Verdict: The world of fragrance has always seemed similar to the world of wine to me – both involve the intentional creation of something with multiple layers, notes, and flavors. Both also require practice and attention to determine the many notes and intricacies of each. Fragrance isn’t something I’m highly practiced in, so I like the breakdowns and information Olfactif provides with their boxes (quickly reading the website for each scent is also a very helpful thing to do).
I like the idea of a perfume sampling box, and I think Olfactif does a great job of it: I adore the packaging and the fact that the cost of the box gets attributed to your account as a credit towards a full-size fragrance each month. Part of me wishes that there could be some light customization of the fragrances sent to you, but I know that this would limit/complicate their ability to present themes to you every month. Also, like I said before, there’s definitely some value in exposing yourself to more fragrances and learning more about them.
What do you think about Olfactif? Are you familiar with any of the fragrances this month?
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