How To Find The Perfect Signature Scent

The Prelude

As I continue to work towards refining my personal style...I often find myself thinking of developing my own signature scent. Growing up I use to always love buying Bath and Body Works lotions and perfumes because they always made me feel and smell amazing. However, now that I’m older, I would rather have a couple of key scents that I can rotate between that are made with clean ingredients and make people say without a doubt “that’s Breyana!”. So I’m taking you on this journey with me as I find the perfect signature scent that highlights both me and my brand Styled by Breyana. Along the way, I plan to teach you key steps to finding your own signature scent so you can add another layer of trust, authenticity, and brand recognition to your brand and stand out in your own industry. So if you’re ready to begin our journey, then meet me below and let’s build out our timeless, signature scent collection together!

How To Find The Perfect Signature Scent

Know Your Personal Style Like The Back of Your Hand

Before you even think about getting dressed up and purchasing different scents... I need you to truly understand and get acquainted with your personal style. Knowing your personal style sets the standard for everything in your life and that includes a well curated selection of signature scents. When you know your personal style, not only are you able to know what types of scents you’re looking for when shopping, but you’re able to create an unforgettable scent profile that can be used on your clothes, in your car, in your home, and in your office to help you enhance your productivity and strengthen sensory branding. Not to mention, knowing your style makes simple conversations around cologne and perfumes much more beneficial because it shows that you’re confident in yourself as well as what you’re talking about (which can be an attractive trait for potential clients and business partners!). I’ll use myself as an example. My personal style is classic and timeless with an emphasis on sustainability. So when it comes to finding the perfect signature scent, I’m actively searching for scents that are subtle, elegant, stand the test of time, and are made with clean ingredients (and as you can see, knowing this information helps me find my signature scent faster because I can bypass everything that doesn’t align with these characteristics).

I feel like it’s also important to note that at this point in my life, I’m not really interested in perfumes at the moment (I just don’t like all of the chemicals and putting it on my clothing/skin so I’m taking a break from them until I can sit down and find plant based alternatives). So when it comes to developing my perfect signature scent, I’ll be focusing on laundry detergent first since that’s something that I love and am passionate about. Then I’ll rinse and repeat when it comes time to find complementary lotion and fragrance to layer with.

Conduct Some Extensive (but fun) Research

Now that you know your personal style and most of the characteristics you’re looking for in your signature scent, it’s time to do some extensive research (but make it fun!). When you have some time, say on the weekend or during the evenings, open up your phone or laptop for an hour and Google some scents that align with your style. The key is not to go straight into looking for brands, but to take the time to get to know what kind scents you gravitate towards while simultaneously making sure that they align with your newly developed style. For example, are you more spicy and bold? Fresh and citrusy? Woody and earthy? Fruity? Floral? A man that has a classic and timeless sense of style, for example, would do extremely well at giving scents like Mahogany Teakwood (my personal favorite), Sandalwood, or Cedar a try. Although they all come from the woody and earthy family, each scent offers a different type of feel and caters to the different personalities that make up the classic and timeless style aesthetic.

Sample Until You Find a Scent That You Absolutely Love

When it comes to finding the perfect scent, many times we want to rush the process by picking the first thing we like and then committing to a big bottle of it. Not this time. Since we’re working on finding the perfect signature scent, we’re going to take our time, actually take in all the scents, and enjoy the process. There’s no better way to do that than by sampling every scent that we put on our list when we conducted our extensive (but fun) research. For me personally, I tend to gravitate towards fresh and floral scents. In fact, a little before I thought to write this article, I’ve been working on launching my new French, plant based laundry detergent so I started with sampling the scents from our luxury laundry trio for a few weeks at a time (I do this to ensure my client’s safety and take the time get to know the product inside out) and along the way I ended up finding the perfect signature scent for myself (which was completely unexpected!). I ended up falling in love with Rose Française (French Rose) and made it my signature scent for my personal and professional brand. Something important that I learned during the sampling process is that it’s not enough to just smell the scent(s). You have to test them multiple times as well (especially during your daily routines!).

So for you that might be taking a few sample scents from the store (or purchasing a sample kit collection online) and using them on your clothes throughout the week to see how you truly feel about about the scent, how strong it is, how it makes you feel, and if it truly aligns with your personal style. For me it looks a little different (since I’m finding my perfect signature scent via laundry detergent). Here’s what my experience looked like. Out of all three scents from the trio, French Rose started out at the bottom of my list when ranking the scents. However, when I spent time washing my laundry with it (you get up to four washes from each sample bottle so that was like four weeks), I couldn’t deny that I loved that scent the most over the others. In fact, French Rose gave me an entirely different experience once I actually washed with it (when you first smell French Rose it’s very feminine, soft, and subtle, but when you wash with it, the scent still keeps it’s feminine and soft elements, but the smell is much stronger and more powerful without being overpowering…if that makes sense).

Take Mental Notes Of Why You Loved Your Chosen Sample Scent

Now that you’ve sampled and tested a couple of different scents, it’s time to take mental notes on why you love the one you chose. These mental notes are going to serve as a final test to see if what you’ve chosen aligns with your lifestyle, personal style, personality, business, and most importantly your budget. If it does, then cue the confetti because you just found your perfect signature scent. If it doesn’t, then that’s perfectly fine too. Take this time to reset, recharge, and then start the research and sampling process over again (I’m positive you’ll get closer to the signature scent you’re looking for the next time you do it. Remember, you’re starting from experience this time!). The mental notes that you take are also going to serve as strong talking points any time you mention your brand. Because not only will your signature scent serve as the perfect marketing tool, but once you share solid reasons why you love your signature scent with your prospect, it creates a deeper connection with them and also makes you more memorable to them in the future (should you meet again). To help start you off, here are some of the mental notes that I took when I discovered that French Rose was my signature scent: I loved it because it has a very feminine smell (and if you truly know me then you know that I’m super feminine), I loved the scent because it was noticeable but not overpowering (which is exactly what I was looking for in my signature scent!), and I especially love it because it makes me feel poised, wealthy, and elegant (there’s something about this scent that makes me feel like the highest version of myself which is probably why my laundry days feel much less like a chore and more like a self care session).

Invest In A Big Bottle of Your Signature Scent

Now’s the time where you pull the trigger and invest in a big bottle of your signature scent. You’ve used it in your daily routine, tested it multiple times, and ensured that it aligns with the five major components (lifestyle, personal style, personality, business, and budget). Now it’s time to make the full commitment. I always suggest purchasing the biggest bottle you can afford of anything that you plan to use regularly (especially if it’s on the expensive side) that way you restock less and can comfortably navigate product sell outs, but always do what works best for you and your budget. As for me, I made sure to put a full size bottle of French Rose aside for my self care sessions (formally known as laundry day) and it’s been one of the best investments I’ve made in 2026 so far.

Do You Need Help Finding Your Signature Scent?

If you’re building out your signature scent through laundry detergent (like me), then our style advisor team would love to help you discover plant based scents using detergents from our luxury garment care store. We have three core scents to choose from (French Rose, Fresh Linen, and Moroccan Fig) and our collection is ideal for men and women. Click here to chat with a style advisor to find the perfect signature scent for your brand or you can sample all three scents by purchasing our Luxury Sample Trio here.