A good perfumer brief tells the perfumer who your brand is, where the scent will be used, who will smell it and what you do and don’t want it to feel like. A vague brief, such as “something fresh and premium”, produces a generic scent, because it describes almost every fragrance on the market. The brief is the one part of creating a signature scent that only you can do well.
Why vague briefs produce generic scents
A perfumer works by translating ideas into materials. “Luxurious” could mean dark woods and leather or white flowers and musk. “Clean” could mean citrus, laundry musks or green tea. Without more to go on, a perfumer has to guess, and the safest guess is the middle of the market. The result smells pleasant and forgettable, which is the opposite of what a signature scent is for.
What to include in your brief
1. Your brand, in words that aren’t about smell
Three to five values or qualities, and just as importantly, what you are not. “Warm, discreet, precise, not flashy” gives a perfumer far more direction than “premium”. Your brand guidelines, photography and interiors help too.
2. Where the scent will live
Lobby, retail floor, spa, office reception, showflat? How large, how high, how busy? Delivered through the ACMV or by standalone units? A scent built for a humid, air-conditioned Singapore lobby behaves differently from one built for a small boutique.
3. Who will smell it
Business travellers, families, shoppers, patients, staff on long shifts? A hotel’s guests and a clinic’s patients need very different things from the same air.
4. Reference points, with reasons
Scents you love and scents you dislike, and why. “I like this because it feels calm but not sleepy” is more useful than the name of a perfume. Places count as references too: a hotel you admire, a garden, a material like cedar or linen.
5. Constraints
Food nearby, fragrance-sensitive occupants, pets, cultural considerations, and whether the scent might later be used in products such as candles, room sprays or corporate gifts. Each affects which materials the perfumer can use.
6. Budget and timeline
Be realistic. A bespoke scent takes several rounds of trials, and rushing the brief or the feedback is the fastest way to end up with something generic.
How to give feedback on trials
- Smell trials in the space, or as close to it as possible. A scent on a paper strip and a scent diffused through a lobby are different experiences.
- Describe feelings, not ingredients. “Too sweet, it feels like a café rather than a hotel” helps a perfumer more than “less vanilla”.
- Keep the panel small. Two or three decision makers who know the brand. Scent by committee drifts back to the middle.
- Smell with fresh noses. Take breaks between trials, and don’t judge after an hour of sniffing.
Common briefing mistakes
- Asking for a copy of another brand’s scent. It won’t be yours, and it tells people you followed someone else.
- Choosing what the CEO wears. Personal perfume and a space scent do different jobs.
- Trying to please everyone. A signature scent should be distinctive enough to recognise.
- Forgetting the long term. The scent should still fit the brand in five years, across every outlet.
For the full process from brief to rollout, read how to create a signature scent for your brand and the fragrance design process. If you’re still learning the vocabulary, our guide to fragrance families is a good starting point.
If you are ready to develop a signature scent for your business, see our scent branding and signature scent service.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know about perfume to write a brief?
No. The perfumer’s job is to translate your brand into materials. Your job is to describe the brand, the spaces and the people clearly.
How long should a perfumer brief be?
One or two pages is usually enough if it covers brand, spaces, audience, references, constraints, budget and timeline.
How many trial rounds are normal?
Several. Expect a first set of directions, then refinement of the preferred one. The number depends on how clear the brief is.
Can we brief a scent for more than one location?
Yes, and you should say so. A scent that needs to work in a Singapore flagship and a regional outlet needs to perform consistently in both.
Who owns the finished scent?
Agree this before work starts. Exclusivity terms vary, and they matter if the scent is to become part of your brand.
When you’re ready, talk to us about briefing a scent for your brand.
Further reading: Perfume on Wikipedia.
