How to compare two perfumes with samples
A simple routine for choosing between two perfumes: one at a time, same conditions, a few notes, three checkpoints. With three example pairs.
Comparing two perfumes with samples works well when you treat it like a small experiment. The problem is rarely that you cannot tell the perfumes apart; it is that your nose gets tired after a few sniffs, your skin changes through the day and your mood affects what you notice. A simple routine solves most of this. It needs two vials, a notebook or your phone, and four or five days.
The routine in six steps
First, change nothing else: wash with an unscented soap, skip other fragrance and wear a plain top. Second, wear one perfume per day, not both at once. Third, use the same spot and the same number of sprays each time, for example one spray on the inside of each wrist. Fourth, check at three moments: right after the spray settles, in the middle of the day and in the evening. Fifth, write one line at each moment, using plain words such as sweet, dry, clean, loud, close. Sixth, repeat on a second day, swapping the order, so the first perfume is not always the one with a fresh nose. How to test perfume on skin explains each step in more detail.
Example 1: two close relatives
Some pairs are almost the same and you need the routine to see the difference. Rayhaan Aquatica and Rayhaan Azul share a base of tonka bean, patchouli, musk and rum, and a heart of sugar cane, hibiscus, gardenia and jasmine. Aquatica opens with lime, coconut milk, bergamot and mandarin; Azul opens with marine notes, bergamot and citrus. The question the pair answers is how much creamy coconut you want against how much marine freshness.
Example 2: same note, different weight
Both Ex Nihilo Iris Porcelana and Frédéric Malle Iris Poudre are built on iris. Porcelana is tagged light and reads violet leaves, iris and rose, sandalwood, musks and cedarwood. Poudre is tagged moderate, filed for women, and reads rose, violet and ylang-ylang, iris, sandalwood, musk and tonka bean. The pair answers a different question: do you want your iris cool and airy, or powdery and warm?
Example 3: same house, opposite seasons
Rasasi Hawas Ice and Rasasi Hawas Tropical are both summer, but they take different routes. Ice is apple, Italian lemon, Sicilian bergamot and star anise; Tropical is fig leaf, coconut water and ginger. Ice is apple, lemon and moss, Tropical is fig and coconut. Wear them on the same kind of warm day and note which one you still like in the evening.
Common mistakes
The first is judging on a paper strip, which shows the opening only and none of the skin. The second is testing too many in one session, after which every perfume smells the same. The third is comparing a morning perfume with an evening perfume on the wrong day. The fourth is deciding in the first ten minutes, before the top notes have gone. Keep the notes short and honest; a line such as "sweeter than expected, gone by evening" is worth more than a score out of ten. For why the same perfume can differ between people, read why perfume smells different on skin, and for how far a vial goes, how many sprays are in a sample.
What to write down
Five short questions are enough. How did the opening feel in the first few minutes? What had changed by the middle of the day? What was left in the evening, and did you like it? Did you notice it yourself, or only when you lifted your wrist? Would you put it on again tomorrow without thinking? If you answer yes to the last question for one perfume and no for the other, the comparison is over, however the notes read on paper. Keep the answers somewhere you can find them, as a month later you will not remember which was which. If you want to compare more than two, add one perfume at a time and compare it only with your current leader.
After the comparison
When one pair is settled, you can build outward. How to build a sample set shows how to add a third and fourth perfume, and blind buying perfume: why samples help explains why this extra step is worth the patience. FragranceGems decants every vial and puts on the label itself, and the houses play no part, and the steps are in how we fill your sample and the FAQ, while sample sets shows how to combine vials.
FAQ
Can I wear two perfumes at once to compare them?
You can, one on each forearm, but it is the weaker method. The scents mix in the air and your nose tires. One per day, in the same conditions, gives a cleaner answer.
How many days should the comparison take?
Two days per perfume is a fair minimum: one day for the first impression and one to confirm it. If you are torn, repeat each on a third day with a different outfit or in different weather.
What if I like both?
Then compare what each does at the end of the day. If one fades into something you would like to keep wearing and the other fades into nothing, you have your answer. If both do, keep the one that suits the season.
