Give a fragrance time. The first impression isn't the whole story.
A perfume doesn't reveal itself in the first few seconds. It shifts and develops over time, and it can come across a little differently on every skin.
Sometimes it wins us over instantly; other times we have to find our way to it. So how do we get to know a fragrance before deciding whether it's the right one for us?
The first five seconds don't decide it
You know that moment when you try a fragrance in a perfume shop and know almost instantly whether you like it?
You sniff the test strip, form a first opinion and move on to the next perfume.
Almost all of us do it.
But in those few seconds, we only get to know a small part of what a perfume has to offer.
A fragrance isn't something fixed. It's a composition that unfolds gradually and reveals different sides of its character.
And that's exactly why I think a good perfume is worth a little more of your time.
Every fragrance has its own story
Perfumery often works with what's called the fragrance pyramid, which divides a composition into top, heart and base.
These three parts help us understand how a fragrance can develop over time.
The top is the first impression.
Right after application, we usually notice the fresher, more volatile notes first. Often these are citrus, aromatic ingredients or soft spicy accents.
These are the notes that can catch our attention instantly.
The heart reveals the character.
As the opening notes begin to fade, other ingredients gradually get more room. They can be florals, spices, green or creamy accords.
It's often in this phase that we start to really get to know the perfume's true personality.
The base completes the overall impression.
Woods, musk, vanilla, resins and other ingredients can create depth and a character that stays with us even after the opening notes have faded.
Of course, not every perfume develops the same way. The individual components blend into one another, and some compositions stay fairly consistent as you wear them.
So the fragrance pyramid isn't an exact timetable, but rather a tool for understanding the fragrance itself.
Creamy Matcha. One day, captured in a fragrance.
When I was thinking about my first perfume, Creamy Matcha, the way the fragrance develops was especially important to me.
I didn't want to create just a pleasant composition with matcha. I wanted the whole perfume to tell the story of my idea of a perfect day.
That's why its opening belongs to red mandarin, lemongrass and cardamom.
These fresh, energetic notes stand for the morning and the feeling of a new beginning.
Gradually, the mood changes. Matcha, milky notes and chai latte come to the fore.
This part of the composition is softer and creamier. It reminds me of a calm afternoon, when everything slows down a little and you finally find a moment for yourself.
Toward the end, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka come through more clearly.
The warm, woody base stands for a calm evening and the comforting feeling of home.
That's exactly the development I was after. I wanted Creamy Matcha to be more than the scent of a single moment and to gradually reveal different sides of one idea.
A test strip won't tell you everything
Test strips are a great way to meet a fragrance for the first time.
They can help us compare several perfumes and get a basic sense of their character.
But if you really want to find out whether a perfume is right for you, I recommend trying it on your own skin as well.
Each of us has slightly different conditions, and they can affect how a fragrance ultimately comes across.
Skin temperature, your skin's own properties, the environment and the amount of perfume you apply can all play an important role.
A fragrance that seems very sweet on a test strip can be pleasantly balanced on skin. And sometimes it's exactly the other way around.
That's why I personally don't think a few seconds of testing in a perfume shop is enough to get to know a new perfume.
Give yourself time to get to know it
When a fragrance catches my interest, I like to try it over an ordinary day.
Not just for a few minutes.
I want to know how it changes, how I feel wearing it and whether I'll still enjoy it once the first impression has worn off.
Sometimes a perfume doesn't grab me much the first time I try it, but after wearing it a few more times I discover something in it I hadn't noticed before.
That's also why I think perfume samples matter so much.
They give us room to get to know a fragrance in peace, without unnecessary pressure and without having to decide right away.
Because a perfume we like for five seconds in a shop isn't necessarily the one we'll want to keep coming back to.
Choose for yourself
These days, when we talk about perfumes, we often talk about how long they last, how intense they are or how many compliments they can earn.
I understand that. These qualities can matter when you choose, too.
But personally, I think we sometimes forget one thing.
How we ourselves feel wearing the fragrance.
It doesn't have to be the most noticeable one in the room. It doesn't have to be among the most popular perfumes, and not everyone has to like it.
If it can give you a pleasant feeling, remind you of something lovely or simply make an ordinary day a little nicer, it has value.
That's exactly how I think about the byRoman fragrances, too.
I don't want to create perfumes whose only goal is to impress in the first few seconds.
I want to create fragrances with their own character, atmosphere and story.
Fragrances you'll want to come back to.
Because a first impression can catch your attention. But only time will show us whether a fragrance truly deserves a place in our memories.
Scent is the key to memories.
Roman, founder of byRoman
