Don’t just sample: Use discovery sets

By Anton Constantinou

Buying a fragrance you’ve never tried before is a big gamble. Not all scents smell as you expect them to smell, so sampling beforehand is key. Thank god for discovery sets!

A form of fragrance sampling, discovery sets invite curious noses to dig a little deeper. To try out fragrances you’d never normally try. To experiment with groups of perfumes, not just standalone releases. To get to know a brand better.

As great as single samples are, they’re no match for discovery sets. Read on to find out why.

Why discovery sets?

A discovery set is a collection of mini perfumes showcasing a brand’s fragrance range. A sample bundle pushing you to spend time with and get to know scents. Often gift-boxed, discovery sets are both a cost-effective and creative way to try fragrances and help acquaint us with all sorts of brands, niche, indie and designer.

Discovery sets make great birthday gifts. They’re also great for other festive occasions like Christmas, anniversaries and Valentine’s Day.

For spontaneous types like myself, discovery sets are especially fun as they throw a little randomness into the equation. A chance to stumble on something unusual or surprising. Discovery sets are also a great way to step outside of your comfort zone. To dabble in fragrances you wouldn’t usually go near.

One company I would recommend for their discovery sets is The Perfume Society: a website and subscription organisation specialising in fragrance content, with links to perfumers, brand creators and fashion designers.

I’ve tried four of their discovery sets to date: two from 2023 - 'The Scented Gent' and 'The Autumn Box'; a 2022 set called 'Exquisite Essences'; and a set from 2021 by the name of ‘The Sharing Collection’.

The Scented Gent

The Scented Gent is a male-marketed discovery set featuring samples for all seasons and all occasions. The collection is well-balanced and boasts scents for morning, evening, formal and casual settings, including freshies, spicy scents, sweet scents and everything in between. Included in the set are Percival by Parfums de Marly; Kenzo Pour Homme Intense; Bvlgari Man Rain Essence; Mont Blanc Explorer Platinum; Jimmy Choo MAN; Shay & Blue’s Dandelion Fig; Bentley For Men Intense; Continuum by TUMI; Eau de Parfum Éclat by Brioni; Floris’s No. 007 and Floral Street Black Lotus.

Its freshies arrive in the form of Percival by Parfums de Marly; Kenzo Pour Homme Intense; Bvlgari Man Rain Essence and Mont Blanc Explorer Platinum. Percival and Kenzo Pour Homme Intense share a blue and sporty aroma that energises the senses and evokes a professional man on the go. Mont Blanc Explorer Platinum and Bvlgari Man Rain Essence have a cold and metallic vibe that conjures morning walks at high altitudes.

Jimmy Choo MAN keeps things fresh but veers in a fruity-sweet direction with a melon-pineapple combo that calls to mind tropical drinks and tropical smelling shower gel.

Shay & Blue’s Dandelion Fig heads in the opposite direction by combining sharp and grassy notes. I get a gin and tonic vibe from this fragrance, which is probably its combination of tomato leaf, lemongrass and juniper.

Bentley For Men Intense and Continuum by TUMI are similar fragrances done slightly differently. Both are boozy and woody with citrus tops and smoky bases, but comprise a different note breakdown and a slightly different scent profile. Bentley For Men Intense is sweeter and fiercer with a lively rum and leather combo that makes me think of a boozy work do in a city bar. Continuum by TUMI is smoother and airer with a rum-coffee accord more evocative of a coffee shop than a bar.

Eau de Parfum Éclat by Brioni gives me Terre d’Hermes vibes and is an obvious choice for inbetween seasons. Like Terre d’Hermes, Eau de Parfum Éclat is dry and woody with a noticeable pepperiness that let’s you know it means business.

Floris’s No. 007 and Floral Street Black Lotus share a dark and exotic vibe that conjures evening gatherings and evening wear. Floris’s No. 007 does this by layering sweet orange and geranium; Floral Street Black Lotus goes in more of a Middle Eastern direction by combining saffron, rose and a sensual note of black cherry.

The Scented Gent is, in my opinion, a thoughtfully curated discovery set that fulfills its brief of smelling like it’s for a man. The box has something to offer for just about every man, and quite a few of its samples would smell lovely on a woman.

The Autumn Box

The Perfume Society’s Autumn Box is a pick n mix box of floral sweetness, with a few surprise twists, that reawakens brighter days. A young-at-heart, mostly girlish smelling sample selection that leans modern, fun and outgoing. Its fragrance samples are Aphrodite by Suki London; Baniyas by Widian; Bake by Akro; Moonlight Cypress by A La Lune; Wild Mint and Lavandin by Molton Brown; Insignia by Thameen; and Abundance V8 by Map Of The Heart.

Aprodite and Baniyas, the floral-fruity numbers in the set, smell of partying, holiday drinks and tropical sun spray. Like a girl’s holiday to the med, where the main focus is to get tanned or to get laid.

Bake ups the sweetness of the collection with a gourmand accord that smells remarkably like Werther’s Originals - a hard caramel sweet that was all the rage back in the day. I don’t much care for its sweetness, but it’s an obvious choice for people who like fragrances that are edible smelling.

Moonlight Cypress, the most autumn smelling sample in the collection, is an earthy heavy-hitter that layers juniper, cade oil and cypriol oil. A menthol-forward fragrance that smells like a cross between antiseptic and a middle-eastern business man in a high-end hotel.

Wild Mint and Lavandin is for the dad of the girl who wears Aphrodite. The dad is sporty and uncomplicated and likes his fragrances the same way: blue, fresh and familiar. Like a shower gel or a deodorant in perfume form.

Insignia is for a different sort of man who likes his fragrances on the boozy side. The scent is a curious marriage of sweet and tart that comes off like a grown-up cocktail: an Old Fashioned with added notes of fig and bay leaf.

Abundance V8 is, for me, the most classic smelling sample in the collection, and evokes an upper class woman from yesteryear who smokes and is into fashion. A middle-aged high society woman with a propensity for spicy amber scents.

If I could summarise The Perfume Society’s 2023 Autumn Box, I would say it’s broadly for a young woman who likes to go out and have a good time. A young woman on the lookout for a sample collection that other people in her life can enjoy too.

Exquisite Essences

‘Exquisite Essences’ was a playful mix of floral-fruity fragrances and sweet-spicy scents, with some artsy freshies in between. 

Largely female-leaning, the collection featured modern and classic smelling fragrances that can be worn throughout the year and for different occasions. 

Its floral-fruity fragrance samples included La Perla Signature, Armani Sì and Voulez Vous Lite. 

La Perla Signature is a proper 90s smelling perfume, with a glossy jamine/flesh fruit vibe that conjures to mind hair salons of the decade. Armani Sì, on the other hand, is milky smelling and makes you think of apricot yoghurt. Voulez Vous Lite - my favourite of the three - employs an unusual coffee accord which, together with vanilla and magnolia, call to mind early morning in an office. Or, to be more precise, that first latte of the day when the sun is still coming up.

The collection’s sweet-spicy fragrance samples comprised of Oud for Hapiness, Electimuss Trajan, Widian LONDON and Contradictions in ILK Sincere. All bold fragrances, with a middle eastern feel. Oud for Hapiness and Widian LONDON for their use of oud; Electimuss Trajan and Contradictions in ILK Sincere for their saffron accord. Widian LONDON and Electimuss Trajan are definitely the most masculine smelling of the four. Oud for Hapiness and Contradictions in ILK Sincere are a little too sweet for a man in my view.

Memoize London Unitas, Sarah Baker

Far From the Madding Crowd and Prosody London Lissom Linden - the three earthy fragrances in the collection - are where things get most interesting.  Far From the Madding Crowd takes its name from a Thomas Hardy novel and puts your nose into green, rooty farmland. Memoize London Unitas packs a similar aroma, just more eucalyptus, and so is more medicinal smelling. Prosody London Lissom Linden is a photorealistic impression of linden trees, or lime trees as they’re better known. These honeyed smelling trees can be found all over and tend to bloom between June and July. My local park is full of them, so naturally the sample caught my attention.

Molton Brown Delicious Rhubarb and Rose, The Merchant of Venice Gyokuro and JUSBOX Spring Dance are the lightest fragrances in the box and possibly the most summery. 

Molton Brown Delicious Rhubarb and Rose is bright and fizzy, perfect for a hot day, and strikes the perfect balance between sweet and sharp. The Merchant of Venice Gyokuro has a different sort of freshness, which it harnesses through green tea and lotus flower. This green and watery fragrance has a dewy, pond-like quality, similar to Hermès Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. JUSBOX Spring Dance is the collection’s ‘eau de cologne’ (a name afforded to traditionally masculine smelling scents with citrus tops and lavender hearts). I get strong ‘4711’ vibes off this one, so anyone who enjoys that scent will like this.

As of November 2023, this collection is no longer available on The Perfume Society’s website, but its other collections are just as interesting.

The Sharing Collection

The Sharing Collection was a unisex selection of nine fragrance samples, each from a different fragrance house. 

Its fresh fragrance samples included Sel d’Argent (BDK Parfums), Eau d’Hadrien (Annick Goutal), Bohemian Lime (Goldfield & Banks) and Heroic Story (Vines House Parfum). All squeaky-clean fragrances with refreshing notes of citron, cypress, lime and orange blossom. And, on the earthy side of things, Undergrowth by Rook Perfumes: one of the most unusual fragrances I’ve ever come across, with an extraordinary soil tincture accord. 

Also in the mix were a floral offering - Kingdom Scotland’s Kingdom Botanica (with with its spiced blossoms, green botanicals and cassis bud) - and the deliciously spicy Egypt by EIGHT & BOB. 

The collection also featured quite a few sweet samples. Namely Rehab by Initio Parfums Prives – a woody aromatic with cosy notes of lavender and sandalwood – Voyage Story – a candy apple scent with an oud underbelly – and Atelier des Ors’s Lune Feline – a distinctly feminine fragrance with a noticeable vanilla warmth. 

Like Exquisite Essences, this collection is no longer available on the Perfume Society's website, but we sure to explore their other sets.

Smelly reflections

If you’re looking to sample fragrances and can’t do so in-store, discovery sets are an excellent way to go.

The Perfume Society offers all manner of discovery sets throughout the year, so be sure to check their collections out. Click here to start exploring.

Are you a fan of discovery sets? What discovery sets have you tried recently that you’d recommend?