I can't just ask people why they smell so good
November 3, 2015 6:24 AM   Subscribe

Every time I'm in Japan, there is a certain scent that I really love, but I can't figure out what it is and where to buy it.

I'm in Japan again and would really like to buy that perfume/hair fragrance/whatever that I love so much, if only I knew what it is! I smell it everywhere and all the time, on youngish women. It's a somewhat sweet floral that I find heavenly, but I can't just ask them what it is - even if I wanted to, I usually only smell it after they have passed me by.
If it's a shampoo, it's not Tsubaki, whichs smell different (on me at least.) Not Asience, not Essential. Ichikami is a bit closer, but it's still not the same.
It's none of the body sprays I tested to far (cosm.net tells me Fiancée is popular, which smells more soapy, and Aqua Savon had one scent I liked, but I can't find it anymore - I think it was Shampoo? It's not quite the same anyway.)

I wish I could ask my Japanese friends, but none of them use that scent... I asked a sales assistant once and she gave me that "get away from me, gaijin" look, so I'm scared to ask again.

I realise this question is extremely vague and will probably get me nowhere, but I'm leaving Japan in a few days and really want to take that heavenly smell with me! If anyone can solve this for me, I'd be eternally grateful.

Bonus points for anyone who knows a perfume/room spray/anything that smells like Sekkisei, of which I love the scent, but not the ingredients especially for the price.
posted by LoonyLovegood to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Any chance you could ask your Japanese friends to ask for you when you're out?
posted by Karaage at 7:08 AM on November 3, 2015 [2 favorites]


Sishedo has some good smells.
posted by Oyéah at 7:56 AM on November 3, 2015


Can't you just go to a department store and ask to try out fragrances?

Or, you could ask in Japanese.

I assume you're a woman, so the next time you encounter the scent, you could always ask the person what scent they are wearing:

すみません、失礼ですが… なんの香水をつけていらしゃるんですか? とてもいい香りですね。
posted by Nevin at 8:05 AM on November 3, 2015


This question appears a lot on /r/Japan.

It could be

1. Hinoki (cypress)
2. Yuzu (if it's citrus-y)
3. Kimokusei flowers / Osmanthus fragrans (this is my vote)

Or just some sort of random spray hair fragrance.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 8:14 AM on November 3, 2015 [4 favorites]


Might it be something with an agarwood/aloeswood/oudh base? Otherwise I'd second Osmanthus fragrans—it really was a strikingly unfamiliar but recognizably floral scent when I first encountered it.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:02 AM on November 3, 2015


Could it be laundry detergent? There are a lot of scented detergents marketed to women. (I had some delicate/wool wash that I really loved the fragrance of)
posted by chocotaco at 9:19 AM on November 3, 2015


Fabric softener, maybe?

"...people in Japan prefer scented fabric softener over perfume"

In a brief and very cursory bit of googling for top brands of fragrance in Japan, I came up with a basic list of American and European brands, scents you would have already smelled before. So if it were me, I would head into the fabric softener aisle and test them out.
posted by nanook at 10:08 AM on November 3, 2015


Response by poster: It's not woody or citrusy, so not cypress, any wood or yuzu. I don't think I know what Osmanthus smells like, so I will try to find out.
Fabric softener might be it... but I wonder if it smells differently in the bottle.

I know this list on cosme.net and am still working through it. Will also try asking my friends if they can figure it out. Maybe I'll be lucky and smell the scent again when I'm out with friends today so I can ask them instead of having to describe it.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 2:46 PM on November 3, 2015


Could it be tuberose? It always reminds me of Japan when I smell it.
posted by exceptinsects at 9:29 PM on November 3, 2015


Go to a drugstore and smell all of the shampoos?

If you smell it on someone who is just passing by, it's probably shampoo/conditioner or perfume. Most Japanese shampoos smell floral-y.
Fabric softener smells are something that has become big in recent years. The current trend is scented beads, similar to the ones you can get in the US.
posted by xmts at 12:24 AM on November 4, 2015


Were you able to ask the question via a friend? The 'fumeheads need to know!

If not, try asking on the forums over at basenotes. Folks there are very knowledgeable and helpful. They might be able to at least point you in the rightish direction.

As you've been to Japan a few times this is probably obvious and already tried, but I'm thinking it might be a cherry blossom concoction because of the youthfulness of the wearers?
posted by likeso at 12:41 AM on November 4, 2015


Response by poster: I went to a store and smelled a lot of perfumes and I think it might be the Chloe perfume that's high in the cosme.net ranking, but they didn't have testers you could spray on yourself, so I'll have to try it out.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 7:49 AM on November 4, 2015


This Chloe apparently has a lot of tuberose--I don't know if it's the one on the list though?
posted by exceptinsects at 3:31 PM on November 4, 2015


Welp, I'm gonna hafta go sniff all the Chloes I'm unfamiliar with (everything since the first launch). :p

LoonyLovegood, did you track a sniff of that Chloe on cosme.net down?
posted by likeso at 3:08 AM on November 5, 2015


Response by poster: I didn't express myself clearly. I sniffed all perfumes in several drugstores and am pretty convinced the scent I love is the Chloé Eau de Parfum that ranks 2 on cosme.net. It smells super sharp at first (I blame the lily of the valley), but I sprayed some on my hair yesterday and the second day smell is divine.

Now if anyone knew a perfume smelling like Sekkisei, I'd be delighted.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 5:21 PM on November 5, 2015


Oh thank you! I might just sniff 'em all anyway, to see what I've missed.

I'll mosey over to basenotes and see if the good folks there have any suggestions re Sekkisei.
posted by likeso at 3:38 AM on November 6, 2015


Best answer: Sadly, no dice on basenotes. Found a bunch of reviews of different products in the range on makeupalley - but no suggestions about scent substitutions. Seems more disliked than liked the scent, btw, so you are a special snowflake. ;) Most common descriptors included "herbal" "herby" "herbally" "bitter" and even "alcohol", for what that's worth for future reference. You have two extremes - very soft and sweet & herbal and bitter - I think you might be a future niche perfume wearer. :)

So, no help, I'm sorry. There's a $50 off deal going on over at skinstore.com... Probably your best bet. Buy the smallest pot or bottle of the real deal. (I have an ancient bottle of Coppertone and an antique jar of Noxema I sniff at, every now and then.)
posted by likeso at 4:42 AM on November 6, 2015


Response by poster: Thank you! They sell tiny 400 Yen bottles of Sekkisei at the moment, so if I can make it to a Matsumoto Kiyoshi tomorrow, I'll get one.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 7:06 AM on November 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


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