Identifying a perfume WITHOUT the original bottle

September 12, 2023 10:16 AM

Most perfume identification questions seem to use the bottle as a clue -- my mystery scent was transferred into a different bottle like at least 40 years ago by my late mother. It's a very evocative smell to me I'd like to identify or find something similar. Where do I even start???

I have a beautiful perfume bottle that was my late mother's (and grandmother's first), that I eventually found was made in West Germany in the 50's, when my family lived there and where my mother was born. But this wasn't a bottle sold with a scent in it as far as my research has yielded, and it was produced as just as pretty bottle. So the smell that remains in this bottle--no liquid, only smell--is a total mystery.

There isn't anywhere to take it to in my state other than unstaffed department store counters. I would detest to mail this bottle somewhere and it break, because it is a very precious sentimental item, and has a very delicate decorative top. I don't know how to identify anything about perfumes either, so I don't know how to even start to find a similar smell other than "floral".

Extra difficulty: most perfumes trigger my migraines, and I'm not excited to go and try to smell a bunch of stuff.

posted by wellifyouinsist to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

OK so not sure if this answer is acceptable here, as it's not something I would normally do in response to an ask -- but I would try as a Fragrance specific forum, like the subReddit /fragrance. You could put drops of the perfume on paper and mail them to people. Some people have crazy noses for this stuff, and will be able to tell you a very similar smell if the scent formula in your bottle is not a known one still on the market.

You could also use a service like this one to send in a small sample from your bottle transferred into a travel-safe vial. But no guarantee it will work!
posted by amaire at 10:23 AM on September 12, 2023

Most people tend to wear popular and relatively inexpensive fragrances, so your perfume scent is very likely one of the popular scents from the 1970s-1980s--Jovan, Charlie, Obsession, Poison, Anais Anais, Love's Baby Soft, etc. It could also be from an earlier decade--a lot of people choose a scent in their late teens and 20s and stick to it like glue until discontinuation or reformulation, so finding out which scents were popular when your loved one was in their 20s might be a valuable way to narrow it down.

However, since you have no liquid and no desire to mail the bottle to anyone (understandably) and an unwillingness to sniff various fragrances yourself (also understandably), I suspect this will just have to remain a mystery. In your shoes I would trot out the bottle to people who have parents in the target age range and ask if they recognize it.
posted by MagnificentVacuum at 10:32 AM on September 12, 2023

I agree that amaire's option would be great if you had any liquid left in the bottle to put drops on and mail around, but since you don't maybe you could still swab the bottle with alcohol and send the swab to someone?
posted by mskyle at 10:42 AM on September 12, 2023

I think you're saying there's no liquid perfume to sample, just the beautiful bottle with dry residue? Can you can twirl a q-tip inside the neck of the bottle/down the sides, to try an ID service as in amaire's post?

If your mom wore any other perfumes (if you recall seeing other labeled bottles around the house), she may have transferred a favorite into that special bottle. If you know any of your grandmother's favorite perfumes, your mom may have put one of those scents into the bottle (as a keepsake within a keepsake). Maybe it's a floral Eau de Cologne (another link to Germany), not a perfume, and that's why it's not an allergy trigger for you.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:43 AM on September 12, 2023

How keen are you on traveling with the bottle? I'm thinking of a couple people who work at Les Senteurs here in London who would be excited to smell and offer their suggestions. There are probably niche experts an easy search away (Fragrantica is a great forum to join and ask). You can also reach out to Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez (in the UK), who literally wrote the book assessing perfumes of the modern era. Luca's active on Twitter and might find this an interesting endeavor.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:57 AM on September 12, 2023

Maybe reach out to someone at the Institute for Art and Olfaction? They might have suggestions for an expert local-ish to you.
posted by paper scissors sock at 11:37 AM on September 12, 2023

I don't know any perfumers or experts personally, but I know I've been a loyal (read as: obsessed) customer at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab for almost 20 years. They are a perfume company and their perfumers are super knowledgeable.

If you write them, they may be able to help and advise you on the best way to get a sample to them. They also might make a similar perfume they can point you to. You can email their customer service at [e-mail].
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:05 PM on September 12, 2023

Someone at Fragrantica might be able to help you. Good luck!
posted by jgirl at 2:56 PM on September 12, 2023