Olfactif is a monthly perfume sampling subscription. Every month, you’ll receive a curated collection of three niche fragrances (2.25 mL for most, occasionally 1.75 mL) by perfume artists from around the world. You will also receive an $18 credit towards a full-sized purchase of one of the month’s featured fragrances.
Olfactif offers a unisex collection and recently began offering a men’s collection as well. This is a review of the unisex collection.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this subscription box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Olfactif
The Cost: $18 (save with 3, 6 and 12-month subscription plans)
COUPON: Receive 15% off your first collection by joining their mailing list (it was a pop-up when I went to the site).
The Products: Three 2.25 mL sample spray bottles from three fragrance artists from around the world.
Ships to: US
Check out our past Olfactif reviews and other great fragrance boxes in the Perfume Subscription Box Directory.
Each Olfactif collection comes with a card offering instructions on how to try out the fragrances. This month, there’s also a note that you can use your $18 credit towards anything in their shop. (Unfortunately my favorite is $260 per bottle so it would still be $242 with the $18 off…)
It’s important to note that fragrances may smell different when you wear them than when you spray them on a card or piece of paper. They may also smell different on different people due to individual body chemistries.
Also, the fragrances develop and change over time, with different notes becoming prominent. “Top” notes form your initial impression but evaporate within a few minutes, so you may still love a fragrance even if you are not fond of the top notes. “Middle” or “heart” notes emerge after you’ve been wearing the fragrance for a few minutes up to an hour. “Base” notes are large, heavy molecules that persist for a long time. They are often richer than the top or middle notes, although they may contribute to how you perceive the top and middle notes due to their interactions with the other fragrance components.
The collection also included an information card about this month’s theme and the notes in the individual fragrances that were sent. This month’s theme was “Spring Day.”
Each Olfactif collection comes in a custom black case.
White Pepper Mandarin by Note Fragrances – Notes for this one include white grapefruit, mandarin, rosemary, white pepper, clary sage, lemon verbena, white cedarwood, and frankincense. I liked the combination of top notes a lot. There was something a little exotic about it. After awhile, though, the top notes wore off and this was super fruity. I guess that was the mandarin in the name. I am not really into fruity fragrances for myself (although the fruitiness wore off after several hours) but I suspected I would not love spring/summer fragrances so much as I love the fall/winter ones.
Sleeping with Ghosts by Mark Buxton – This was my favorite scent this month. So OF COURSE it is $195 for a full-sized bottle. This has notes of tagete (marigold), quince, peony, leather, vetiver, and vanilla. This was not particularly floral or fruity to me. I think I was picking up on the leather and vanilla most (maybe it is my skin chemistry?) but that’s fine because I happen to love both of those notes.
Cher Wood by Molinard – This is described as having fruit-floral accords, cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, agarwood, amber, and vanilla. At first, I would read that list of notes and be really happy, because I love sandalwood, amber, and vanilla. But again, maybe it is my body chemistry – after the top notes wore off, this was very fruity to me. It’s not bad, but it is not a fragrance I would reach for too often, either.
Verdict: This was an interesting month for me from Olfactif. I found two of the fragrances to be quite fruity after the top notes wore off, and this made them, well, not my favorites. But not every month with this subscription is going to be a smashing success for every person. I am definitely more of a fall/winter fragrance person, myself. But I appreciate the complexities of these scents and I never would have discovered them without Olfactif.
What do you think of the April 2016 Olfactif collection? What was your favorite fragrance this month?
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