Perfume:A Journey From a Beginner to a Perfume Collector

What do we think when we hear the word 'perfume'? Maybe it is just a pleasant smell or a famous perfumery brand we know. But what if I say perfume is so much more than just smelling good? It's a memory trapped in essence which gives us flashbacks of a moment or a person with whom we have shared our lives.

My perfume collection

I started collecting perfumes in the year 2021. It has been 2.6 years now. Since I started collecting perfumes I never stopped. I found something new, a new hobby. I just had a random thought in that COVID phase that as I was trying different grooming products for hair and face but I never ever explored the world of perfume. Then, I dived into videos of perfume reviews, groups and pages from where I can buy the perfumes I am looking for.

My first buy was from the house of Mancera. It was Mancera Cedrat Boise. I didn't quite like it at first and thought it was a waste of money. But little did I know that I have to give time to perfumes to grow into me and it did. To me, Mancera Cedrat Boise is a very subtle perfume. It is not overwhelmingly strong nor very light. Making it perfectly suitable for an office environment or classroom wear. It has a good performance and longevity is good as well. Mancera is a niche brand but their pricing is quite affordable which is why people can enjoy the perfumes they have to offer.

Then, there is my most compliment getter Yves Saint Laurent Y. It has a sage note in it which is actually beneficial to our health. Though people like the smell of it so do I but I am just not a fan of it. But it lives up to its name. Its projection is none like any other perfume. In one sentence, it is a beast. Its projection is 2-3feets making it more noticeable. The performance and projection of a perfume depends on various things such as batch, concentration, brand, skin chemistry, ways of spraying perfume, season etcetera.

My first niche fragrance was Parfums de Marly Layton. It has complex notes. Niche perfumes are very distinctive from those of designers and have a bad name for not being a mass pleasure. The quality of the juice and the presentation and packaging make it a high-end product. It has a prominent apple note in the opening. In the middle notes, there are geranium, violet and jasmine; base notes are vanilla, cardamom, sandalwood, pepper, patchouli and guaiac wood.

Then comes one of the most unique perfumes I ever bought. It is called Escentric Molecule 01. It has been called a pheromone perfume. It consists of only one single note Iso E Super. It was a groundbreaking release of Geza Schoen. It can be layered with another perfume or can be used as it is. When layered the Iso E Super note boosts the other perfume to perfume better than it usually does. People say that you might not find the smell of Escentric Molecule 01 on you but people around you can smell it. Perfumes usually have many notes but this is a unique one in this case.


Being a perfume enthusiast has its pros and cons. You have to be careful while buying a perfume. Especially when buying a niche or designer perfume. People or stores you are buying from might sell a fake or a masterpiece to you. Even trusted shops try to do it from time to time. To avoid it always buy perfume from trusted sources and check the perfume and batch code when buying. If a perfume's price looks suspicious don't buy it. It is also an expensive hobby to pursue. Designer and niche perfumes are costly. If you don't want to pay that price to buy a full bottle, try to buy a decant of it. Decants are made by transferring the perfume from its original bottle to another bottle. You can find decants of 5ml,10ml,20ml and 30ml. It's less costly than buying a full bottle.