Scent by subscription? We signed up with Scentbird

New York based perfume-subscription service Scentbird heads to Canada, and we give it an online test drive.

Scentbird, the perfume subscription company that started in 2014, is spreading its wings and flying north. That’s right Canucks, you can soon get in on the monthly fragrance action. We tried out the perfume service so that we could let you know what to expect if you’re looking to expand your scent repertoire.

How does it work?

Scentbird is primarily a subscription service. As the site says, “it’s a way to date perfumes before marrying them.” For $14.95/month (that’s U.S. dollars), you will receive a 30-day supply of any designer fragrance it has on offer. The perfume comes in a white, travel-friendly and re-usable container, so that your subsequent monthly deliveries act as easily refills. Scentbird partners directly with top brands and wholesalers, so there’s no need to fear getting a knock-off or anything less than the real deal.

But are the brands good?

Um, yes. These brands are good—and there are a lot of them. Over 450 brand names including mass and niche picks for you to explore. Some of our favourites? Amouge, Tom Ford, Juliette Has A Gun, Cartier and Coach. There’s a lot to choose from here and browsing is half the fun.

I’m already overwhelmed. Where to start?

If you don’t already know for sure what your fragrance taste is (or if you don’t have a specific product in mind), Scentbird offers a quick quiz. Based on the results, the site will make suggestions for your next monthly pick. You can also opt for the fragrance-of-the-month pick for a more spontaneous approach to spritzing. You can also decide to explore different fragrance families and you can filter the results. For example, if I wanted a woody, spicy and citrus scent, recommendations included Commodity Moss, Tom Ford Black Orchid and Cartier eau de Cartier Essence de Bois.

Our pick: Etat Libre d’Orange

Since this writer already had a good idea of what she wanted to try, we picked our fragrance pick directly based on a perfume brand we wanted to explore more. The pick? Etat Libre d’Orange Noel au Balcon. Scentbird describes the scent as “spicy, unique, everyday.” Our take? This is a rich, grown-up scent that also manages to be pretty fun. Notes of mandarin, paprika, cinnamon, honey and apricot lend themselves well to the holiday season, but the sweetness of fruity and honey will make us want to wear this much past Christmas. And since this scent sells for $184 (100 ml), it’s a great way to try it out for a fraction of the cost (although, full disclosure, we were gifted the sample by Scentbird in order to try the service).

Our review of Scentbird

The website is easy and intuitive, the offerings are plentiful and include scents even we hadn’t sniffed before, and for about $180 annually, you get a new perfume to try every month—as opposed to buying one scent at that price and hoping you still like it two months later.

If your perfume relationship is of the non-monogamous variety, we wholeheartedly recommend this service. If a subscription service isn’t really a commitment you’re after, you can still purchase Scentbird samples from the site as frequently or infrequently as your heart desires. That’s the beauty of online shopping!