Lying through your nose

Fragrance can be our most intimate – and most misleading – accessory.

[Originally published in the Spring 2025 edition of Retail Beauty magazine.]

Your scent says a lot about you – where you’ve been, who you’ve spent time with, what kind of life you live. But have you ever thought about how easily it can lie? 

We wash our clothes and ourselves to achieve a base layer of nothingness on which to add a fragrance. But we tend to miss the details: scented whispers carried on jacket cuffs, on fingers, in hair. These are truths we can’t wash off so easily. 

If you smell of motor oil, you likely repair your own car. Tobacco scent? You probably smoke. Body odour is impacted by diet, and the loved ones you spend time with linger. Like a diving watch or a scuffed pair of riding boots, your aroma hints at a private life beyond the moment you’re in. But a well-chosen fragrance can create an illusion of who you are. 

What does it mean to wear the scent of a life you don’t live? 

If you want to smell exactly like yourself, choosing scents to match your outfit shouldn’t be the main focus. Instead, find fragrances that represent how you choose to live your life. 

I love the romance of a lone stockman treading through desert scrub. But if I wore that moment as a scent in suburban Sydney, I’d feel like I was in costume. 

People often ask me for fragrance recommendations, and begin by listing off their current favourites. But in order to find the perfect fit for you, I don’t just need to know what you like in a scent; I need to get an idea of who you are. And depending on how you present yourself, those two can be completely different. 

So what does olfactory honesty smell like in practice? If you spend your weekends tending to a fire, a smoky fragrance will suit you. A gourmand perfume can feel like an extension of a patisserie, and would suit hobby and professional bakers equally well. Love the beach? Salty and aquatic is perfect.

There’s nothing wrong with lying through perfume, but like with fashion, the times when your choices will be most cohesive and really feel like ‘you’ (to yourself and those around you) are the times when you lean into who you are. 

Next time you’re fragrance shopping, think about who you picture wearing each scent, and consider whether you can relate to that persona. Buy what really feels like you. You’ll notice the difference, and so will everyone else.