Scentbird is basically the Netflix of perfume, and wants you to smell good

By Lulu Chang March 30, 2016

scentbird a la carte 1903 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

These days, you can get just about anything delivered to your doorstep once a month in a box, and now, that includes perfume. Thanks to Scentbird, you no longer have to settle for a signature scent — you can try a 30-day supply of any designer fragrance every month. Because if smell really is the sense most closely linked to memory, you’ve gotta keep the people on their toes.

This $14.95 monthly subscription service was born out of co-founders Mariya Nirislamova, Rachel ten Brink, Andrei Rebrov, and Sergei Gusev’s frustration with what they call the “perfume graveyard,” referring to that attractive yet strangely antiquated medicine cabinet full of designer fragrances you don’t know what to do with. Instead of buying full-size bottles of fragrances (or stalking your nearest Sephora for samples), the Scentbird team instead decided to give consumers the option to “date” expensive perfumes or colognes before making a solid commitment. As a Scentbird subscriber, users have access to a 30-day supply of over 450 top designer fragrances.

Effectively a sample program on steroids, Scentbird lets you try a slew of perfumes either ad nauseam or until you’ve really found the one. To get started, simply create a profile, take a TruScentTM Recommender quiz, and check out your personalized picks for a scent that seems to suit you. Once you’ve made a selection, just wait for your 8ml supply to come your way, packaged cleverly in a reusable cartridge that practically begs you to try a new one.

And once you do decide to buy a full-sized fragrance, subscribers are given a $15 credit to apply to any perfume or cologne on the site.

But if a monthly supply of a fragrance just sounds like too much to handle, Scentbird announced on Wednesday its new a la carte option, which allows customers to buy individual 8ml cartridges sans commitment — so if you’re truly averse to regularity (but still want to smell good) this may be the choice for you.

So regardless of whether you’re looking to shop around for the one or just want one, Scentbird may just be the Internet’s best answer to the fragrance industry.

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