How I Learn and Remember 100 Perfumes (And You Can Too)

As I step into a new role that blends emotional intelligence with sensory insight, one of the biggest challenges is learning how to recognise, recall, and match a large fragrance collection to the right person. With hundreds of perfumes to remember—each with their own story, mood, and olfactive fingerprint—I needed a system that was human, memorable, and joyful.

So I built a method using a mix of:

• Classic journalist questions (Who? What? Why? How?)
• My background in sensory research
• Emotional connection
• A few tools: pen, paper, and a perfume someone I love wears

Let me walk you through how I’m training my nose—and my brain—to learn and love 100+ fragrances. You can use this approach whether you’re working in retail, studying perfumery, or just deepening your appreciation.

Start With Someone You Love

Begin with a perfume worn by someone close to you. In my case, I started with my wife’s signature fragrance: Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau de Parfum.

1. Grab their perfume and spray it on a blotter or card.
2. Ask yourself:

• Who wears this?
• Why do they love it?
• What emotions or memories come to mind?
• How would you describe it in five words?
• What do you smell immediately? What appears later?

3. Don’t rush to the official description—first trust your own words.

Then Break It Down

After your own impressions, try to structure what you’ve smelled.

Top (0–10 minutes): First notes (floral? citrus? peppery?)
Heart (10–45 minutes): Florals, spices, musks—what opens up?
Base (1 hour+): Deeper notes—woods, resins, amber, vanilla?

Then look up:

•  Fragrantica or Basenotes for note structure – The three diagrams show the approximate times. The last diagram on the right can be interpreted by bringing a horizontal ruler down to show the approximate mix of evaporation lifting up and the mix of head, middle and base notes.

• 

From: Introduction to Perfumery by Curtis & Williams

• Who designed it (perfumers often have signature styles)
• Other perfumes by that perfumer

Bonus tip: Discovering a perfumer’s other creations helps you link olfactive memory to their creative DNA.

A Quick Case Study

My wife loves:

1. Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP
2.  Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming
3. Coco Mademoiselle

What’s in common?

• Powdery white musk
• Warm, velvety amber
• Elegant florals (rose, iris)
• A creamy woody base (patchouli, sandalwood)

These preferences show she’s drawn to soft modern sensuality—perfumes that are close to the skin, emotionally warm, and classically feminine with a contemporary twist.

Pattern Spotting Questions

Once you’ve analysed a few favourites, ask:

• Are there recurring notes? (Rose? Musk? Patchouli?)
• Do they lean warm or fresh? Loud or quiet?
• Which note families come up often? (Amber? Chypre? Gourmand?)

Start building a note family map for yourself or the person you’re shopping with.

Tools I Recommend

• Notebook & pen – for scent journaling and impressions
•  A loved one’s perfume – your emotional anchor
• Fragrantica / Basenotes – for structure and comparisons
• An aroma glossary – to learn terms (especially for amber, musk, etc.)
•  Book: Introduction to Perfumery by Curtis & Williams
•  ChatGPT or AI – for quick note analysis or perfumer bios

Closing Thought

Training your nose is like learning a language—you start with things you love, repeat them often, then build structure and vocabulary. The more you connect fragrance to emotion, memory, and imagination, the easier it becomes to recall and match scents with people.

If you’re curious about fragrance but overwhelmed, just begin with what’s on your shelf and ask: Why do I love this? What does it remind me of? Who would love it too?

Smell with intention. Remember with heart. And let perfume become part of your story.