Exploring the art behind a scent at Olfactory New York, a boutique offering the perfect custom perfume for everyone.
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Perfume, like clothing, is an extension of your personality. Yet, while you can accessorize or style a sweater to compliment your tastes and make it unique to you, the same can’t be said for most perfumes. Yes, it’s true that our bodies can slightly alter a scent. But that’s a variable we have no control over. What we can customize- a hint of jasmine, a note of musk, or a splash of citrus- is oftentimes, not up to us to decide. It’s packaged and sold to us by brands and manufacturers. Not that there’s anything wrong with someone else designing a deletable scent for you. But every now and then it’s nice to have the option to craft something that is specific to you and your tastes.
Noticing this gap for women to have an opportunity to create a custom scent, Joseph (JJ) Vittoria founded Olfactory NYC in 2017. Coming from a family that works in the perfume industry, JJ had a profound appreciation for the scents we wear and a respect for the people who make them. He brought his British charm to New York, where he attended school and opened his first boutique fragrance store in Soho. Since then he has opened two more locations in NYC that guide customers on a journey to create a custom perfume.
Discover the World of Custom Perfume
Step into one of Olfactory’s locations and you’re met with a delightful, rainbow-themed store with a design that is both minimalist and whimsical. The space exudes a pleasant and subtle aroma, setting the stage for an olfactory adventure. And that’s exactly what JJ had in mind when he opened the first shop. He wanted to make the world of perfumes fun and accessible.
He was also focused on quality sourcing and premium scents. Along the walls are the core perfumes- the base scents- along with bios of each of the perfumers who created them. If you’re new to the world of perfumers, these might not be familiar to you. Yet, in the world of scents, they are world renowned talents handpicked by Joseph for their dedication to the world of scents. These artists understand scent profiles and how to layer and craft unique perfumes. It’s a great foundation to build a scent on.
Explore Your Fragrance Preferences
The journey begins with a set of simple questions about your fragrance preferences. Settling into one of the chairs by the countertop (that brings to mind a beauty counter at a department store in the future) a perfumer guides you. I was surprised at how accurately she was able to describe my preferred scent profile afterward.
Parker
$55
Riley
$55
Jayden
$55
Hunter
$55
Choose the Base Fragrance
To begin the customization process, a perfumer introduced me to the wall adorned with various base fragrances, each with its own unique personality. Ranging from sweet and floral to masculine and woody, these fragrances formed the foundation upon which I would build my custom perfume. Each is a beautiful scent on its own and is available to purchase separately. Yet, if you want to craft your custom scent this is just the beginning of the journey. I choose Lulu- a scent with notes of incense, cashmere, and peony.
Add Accords to Create Your Signature Scent
Next, the perfumer guided me through small vials called accords that would be layered onto the base scent. Using perfume test strips she added these different accords to my base fragrance, transforming them into nine different personalized scents. Allowing a few seconds for the notes to fully come together, I held each to my nose. There were four that I was quickly able to put into the “no” and “yes” piles. Yet, it was a little harder narrowing it down from there. In the end, I picked four that she dropped onto the insides of my wrist to fully experience and appreciate the scents.
Now, for the test of a truly personalized scent. As the perfumer expertly blended various combinations, she suggested that I smell my shirt and step outside to clear my nose before experiencing each fragrance. This did help to neutralize my nose, allowing me to fully appreciate the scents and easily choose my custom perfume. Once my dream scent was chosen, she guided me to what I like to call the ‘perfume factory’. Right before my eyes, she mixed, pressed, and sealed my custom perfume for me.
Customize the Packaging
With my custom perfume blend finalized, it was time to add a personal touch to the packaging. Olfactory NYC allows you to choose the color of your label and name. I opted for my favorite shade of pink and decided to have my perfect scent named after my favorite person – “Mirabella.”
A Fragrance That Truly Represents You
Leaving Olfactory NYC, I felt in love with my custom fragrance and couldn’t help smelling the inside of my wrists. I had learned so much about scents crafting a perfume that reflected my personality and preferences – warm, lightly floral, sweet, but with that cool-girl vibe that brings a little smokiness and depth. I was also thinking of who I could share this scent-filled adventure with- a friend’s birthday, a baby shower idea, or even Mother’s Day. The store itself had a joyful atmosphere that seemed like a perfect place to have fun with the people you love.
Can’t make it to a store? You can order your custom kit and try it from home. Within days you’ll have your custom scent delivered to you. $85
Sustainability and Eco-Consciousness
As I left the store, one thing that struck me was how simple the packaging was. The box was a minimalist white cardboard design with a single sticker going across it vertically. As someone who has reviewed and written about many different products, I know that packaging plays a role in sustainability. And, as someone who tries to live as sustainably as possible, there is something disheartening about getting a product you love, only to realize that all the paper, boxes, and plastic wrappings have filled up your trash can. This was not the case with my new perfume. The bag had one sheet of tissue paper. The box was paper. And, the bottle was glass. JJ reiterated this sentiment about sustainable packaging stating that minimal packaging was chosen to avoid excess waste and that paper was preferred over plastic.
Another sustainable aspect to note about the brand is sourcing. It’s well-known in the fragrance industry that some natural ingredients have led to over-farming, water waste, and pollution. This is one of the reasons that some ingredients have become so rare and hard to produce. This in turn leads to the luxury prices that we see for some perfumes. To counter this, perfumers have begun making scents in labs. To make his scents accessible, JJ, has worked to find both natural and engineered ingredients to create scents that are safe for the consumer, have the smallest environmental impact, and are accessible to a wider market.
*All fragrance oils used by Olfactory NYC are sustainably sourced and contain ingredients certified safe by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA)
Olfactory NYC is just the beginning of a fragrance revolution. The concept of custom perfumes is gaining popularity as more people seek unique and personalized experiences. The future of fragrance lies in the hands of the individuals who dare to explore their olfactory boundaries and create scents that are truly their own.
