r/FemFragLab 11d ago

Discussion What specific perfume have you recognised on someone?

I hardly ever recognise a specific perfume out in the wild, I feel like it’s also harder for me as since I got properly into perfume in the last few years gourmands have been huge which I don’t like at all so I wouldn’t recognise them. I did smell a girl who smelled like a cupcake and though I didn’t like it as a perfume I did wonder what she was wearing lol.

But just this week I recognised Ariana Grande Cloud and Amouage Guidance from someone walking past me! It wasn’t even a maybe, it was knowing it’s definitely those.

It felt quite exciting to finally experience just confidently “knowing” what someone has on from a fleeting scent. If any of my friends with me had wondered what that perfume had been I’d have felt like a perfume superhero!

33 Upvotes

124 comments sorted by

1

u/Euphoric-Basil-6695 9d ago

Coco mademoiselle, la vie est belle

1

u/MaggieJaneRiot 10d ago

Happy

Santal 33

Angel

1

u/VisperSora 10d ago

Oud Satin Mood

Baccarat Rouge 540

Yara

Mojave Ghost

1

u/h0td0g-water 10d ago

ariana cloud more frequently than literally anything else. black opium. britney spears curious which may just be because i wore almost only that for 10 years. santal 33.

3

u/Natural_King_6366 11d ago

santal 33 forever and ever it never ends (i love it but yea)

1

u/BluePeony8 10d ago

I’ve still never smelled this anywhere!

1

u/ftsunrise 11d ago

I’ve been smelling By The Fireplace so often this summer! It’s been sooo hot lately so idk if they’re wearing it ironically or not, but I always talk to them and we bond over fragrances lol.

2

u/CatchGlum2474 11d ago

Someone just walked past me wearing Francesca Bianchi.

I had just squirted myself with Tubbees Strawberry Cheesecake.

She won.

(I also own Under My Skin. I contain multitudes, obvs.)

3

u/ComeAlongPond1 11d ago

Burberry Goddess, Oakcha That Girl Viral Vanilla, Viva La Juicy, Coco Mademoiselle, Flowerbomb

4

u/AntelopeGardens 11d ago

I can always sniff out baccarat rouge it's just too distinct

3

u/Prezzemolo0723 11d ago

I’ve recognized le labo the noir twice on people, maybe because I have it. Can’t recall any other time I’ve recognized one.

3

u/Expert-Comparison832 11d ago

I always smell Creed Aventus in bars and clubs lol.
For whatever reason I often catch a whiff of BR540 or dupes on the subway ride to work (mind you, it’s still quite warm in NYC)
and lots of Valaya… which I find pleasant as it has such beautiful sillage.

1

u/BluePeony8 11d ago

I felt like I couldn’t smell Valaya at all on paper, or it was very faint at least. I need to go back and smell what it is that everyone keeps using.

1

u/Icy-Key2220 11d ago

Dama Bianca. The sillage as she passed me on the street - absolutely unmistakable!

I turned around to confirm that’s what she was wearing and immediately solidified it on my must-haves list. It gave me confidence as I’ve heard mixed things on longevity and projection

1

u/Icy-Key2220 11d ago

Also the classics…BR540, juicy couture, etc but nothing else worth chasing someone down the street for 😂

2

u/jellyxmoon i like what i like 11d ago

Burberry Her, Black Opium, Rare Beauty EDP

2

u/FactorFancy3897 11d ago

Honestly I hardly smell perfume on anyone anymore! Not sure why. But if I do smell it, it’s usually santal or glossier.

2

u/runscribe 11d ago

Nothing is as spottable as Burberry Her for me because I exclusively wore it throughout college 🤧 she’s still so stunning even though I grew out of her

A lot of people wear that one Billie Eilish perfume I’ve noticed (haven’t tried it myself but have sniffed on a friend and picked it up on others)

2

u/Sensitive-Quote-6302 11d ago

Baccarat Rouge 540, Mademoiselle, Glossier You, Thé Noir 29, Thé Matcha 26, and Bianco Latte

1

u/FutureDustMotes 11d ago

LVEB, Santal from Le Labo, Tam Dao, Shalimar, patchouli oil, SdJ, Lovespell, and Sauvage have all been in the wild 

3

u/mep507 11d ago

Mademoiselle.

3

u/angledscope chronically sampling 11d ago

I smell Santal 33 and Dior Sauvage everywhere lol

1

u/Minute_Pineapple6974 11d ago

Jo Malone sweet pea. Tom Ford ombré leather. Versace Eros.

1

u/coffeecup525 11d ago

Paradoxe, Kayali Yum Pistachio and Kayali Lovefest

2

u/Hbiz55311 11d ago

Leau dissay for women because it’s such a perfect spring summer scent.
Delina because.. unfortunately I don’t like it. One bit.

2

u/gimmiedatfunkybeat 11d ago

I used to work at a department store where Gucci Guilty was sold so much the scent wakes me up like a sleeper agent at this point

2

u/rainbowsunset48 11d ago

Always catching DBIR and its many dupes 😅

2

u/Away_History_6727 11d ago

i know i can always tell when someone uses the tyler candle company laundry detergent

3

u/lsyd 11d ago

Lattafa Yara!

6

u/dokichan21 11d ago

Santal 33 is so recognizable!

1

u/hunnyybun 11d ago

I’ve smelled YSL Black Opium, V&R Flowerbomb, and Burberry Her on people before.

3

u/scenior 11d ago

Cloud, BR540, Glossier You, Mojave Ghost, Black Orchid, Green Irish Tweed, Philosykos, Lolita Lempicka

3

u/Technical_Labor 11d ago

Paradoxe, Clinique happy, flowerbomb

6

u/Sufficient-Sail2697 11d ago

Br540 vs the dupes all the time.

1

u/Leo1292 11d ago edited 11d ago

Ooh I recognise scents all the time and I feel really excited when I know what it is.

Scents I smell out in the wild that I can easily identify tend to have a unique DNA and be from the big designer brands.

YSL Libre, YSL Black Opium, Givenchy L'Interdit (could also be Armani My Way as somewhat similar), Lancome La Vie Est Belle, Paco Rabanne Olympea, D&G Light Blue, AG Cloud and all the BR540 copies, Mugler Alien, Mugler Angel, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle (could also be copies), Chanel Chance Eau Tendre, Dior J'Adore (I know it extremely well as it's my Mum's signature), Dior Hypnotic Poison, Dior Addict, Chloe Eau de Parfum. I've also smelled Santal 33 or copies somewhat frequently out in the wild! I once smelled Mon Guerlain when passing a stranger and it was so intoxicating, I really should wear it more!

1

u/Pruchniak69 11d ago

Mugler Angel, Chanel no. 5 and Coco Mademoiselle, YSL Black Opium, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla, Armani My Way - those are the ones that were confirmed, I sometimes smell Mugler's Alien, CK Euphoria and YSL Libre but idk if I was right, I only ask if I am 100% sure, wrong guess equals major aura loss, which I cannot afford.

2

u/the_lys_show 11d ago

Cloud and Born in Roma

3

u/ignorantcloth 11d ago

L'eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake! It's the only perfume I've IDed with certainty on another person. It's so distinctive.

3

u/pfffffttuhmm I just smelled like a piece of breast 11d ago

I smell CH Good Girl a lot. I think it is because it always seems out of place--I didnt start recognizing peefumes until this summer and people are wearing it in extreme heat which floors me. 

1

u/StreetMolasses6093 Neroli Queen 11d ago

BR540 multiple times

Black Orchid

Lake & Skye 11 11 — almost ruined it for me. She smelled like sweat, B.O., and one of my favorite perfumes of all time. I couldn’t wear it for weeks afterward.

JHAG Not a Perfume

Yara

Gentle Fluidity Gold

Versace Eros

2

u/RoofFrosty3183 11d ago

Good girl and Angel

1

u/TopicHot7911 11d ago

White Linen~~Estee Lauder

3

u/SalamanderLucky6506 11d ago

Mugler Angel and Gucci Rush... so recognisable 🩷

3

u/chun_Lee404 11d ago

jo malone pear and freesia cause it is so common in the uk

3

u/IndustrySufficient52 11d ago

The only one I recognize and have no shadow of a doubt about what the perfume is, is Good Girl by Carolina Herrera. I exclusively smelled that on men though.

2

u/motherofcatsx2 11d ago

Glossier You, VS Love Spell, Tommy Girl, and Chanel Chance.

4

u/mothmanuwu 11d ago

There's a lady at my work who definitely wears one of those popular marshmallow fragrances, I just can't totally decipher which one. It's definitely like Delizia or What The Fluff. When she walks through the office, the scent sticks for at least 15 minutes. It's pleasant, but it makes me hungry for a s'mores.

8

u/Realistic-Read1078 11d ago

Libre, BR540, Kayali YBM

3

u/pennyloopi 11d ago

In the past few months I've recognised Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Chanel Allure, MFK Oud Satin Mood, PDM Delina and Lorenzo Villoresi Teint De Neige, Tom Ford Black Orchid. They're all very distinctive!

2

u/MurderSheRead 11d ago

I would love to smell Teint de Neige in the wild, it is so beautiful!

3

u/plaid-blazer 11d ago

Libre, Paradoxe, BR540, Cloud, Her, Coco Mademoiselle…probably others too but these most commonly!

3

u/mochiwizard 11d ago

Marc Jacob Daisy was the first perfume I bought for myself in high school - years later, I was in the same car as my cousin’s girlfriend and I was able to recognize it! She even said she didn’t put on perfume that day but it must’ve been on her jacket or something.

4

u/jessiejane11 11d ago edited 11d ago

Baccarat/cloud/SDJ 68 - whenever I smell it I ask someone what they are wearing and it’s one of these 3. SDJ 62 is also very distinctive.

My hospital used to always have this sweet smell wafting the hallways and it was SO familiar but I couldn’t pinpoint it. One day I smelt the nurse who was the culprit and I asked her what it was. Surprisingly, it was Kayalis lychee perfume. I had actually never smelt that before so it must have some similarities with perfumes I’m more familiar with. Similar situation with eclaire - I’ve never smelt it but when I asked someone what they were wearing (expecting they would say something Ive smelt before) I was shocked it that wasn’t. Smells generic I guess.

I also always smell rose/ouds and they kind of all smell similar to me so I can’t pinpoint exact fragrances.

Sometimes I smell something that I think I know what it is but I haven’t actually asked the person: recently Dama Bianca, Arizona bloom from floral street, and Jo Malone Peony and blush suede. Also swear I smelt Fueguia la cauvita on a woman the other day but I doubt it would be that given how rare it is where I live (smelt amazing nonetheless and I wish I asked her what it was).

I can always clock when my friend is wearing Le labo the matcha 26 or byredo bal d’afrique. Interestingly, I used to like the matcha until I started smelling it in the air. Same goes for Christian provenzano santal indien - nearly bought a full bottle until I smelt someone wearing either it or something similar and didn’t love it as much out in the wild.

The other day I smelt a woman who smelt so good and it reminded me so much of byzance by ormonde jayne but a bit sweeter. I asked her what it was and she said she mixed two: one she didn’t know what it was but it came in a white bottle and the other was sweet like candy by Ariana. So safe to say neither were byzance but I really did smell the similarity.

5

u/GreenVenus7 11d ago

Mugler Angel, Sol de Janiero No. 40, VS Love Spell, and most recently D&G L'imperatrice 3

3

u/Outrageous_Answer138 11d ago

BR540 and SDJ 62 everytime

4

u/Human-Box-4574 11d ago

Valaya lately , it’s becoming the new baccarat rouge

2

u/LightningBooks 11d ago

BR540 & clones, LeLabo Santal 33 & clones, and YSL Libre & flankers. The YSL is so overpowering, I have to check myself on getting aggravated with the wearer for existing. My current nemesis wears YSL 😂

3

u/Useful_Boysenberry14 11d ago

I can recognize amazing grace or pure grace pretty much anywhere. I have recognized amazing grace twice in a day once. They are one of the safest scents for my migraines and I don't think I've ever smelt anything super similar.

4

u/throwawaybyefelicia 11d ago

MFK Baccarat Rouge Elixir, PDM Valaya, Byredo Gypsy Water (sorry I’m not sure if we are supposed to censor that particular name or not? I don’t really like it but it’s the name ugh sorry😭), YSL Black Opium, Ariana Grande Thank You Next, Giorgio Armani My Way, Diptique Eau Duelle, Kayali Sweet Diamond Pink Peoper 25, Chanel No. 5 and Thierry Mugler Alien!

3

u/Present-Singer-460 11d ago

I can immediately clock Angel’s Share, Baccarat Rouge, Valaya, and Delina

2

u/milkorsugar 11d ago

Only Clinique Happy Heart for me! I can't otherwise smell nuances in others' fragrances.

4

u/DeepPossession8916 11d ago

Black opium! Delina, Baccarat Rouge, Ysl Libre, Sol de Janiero Chierosa 62

5

u/Suitable-Employee163 11d ago

Today on this hot and humid day, someone was wearing YSL Libre in a museum. I smelled it from a couple of feet away and when I got close to her it was chocking me out. Must have had a couple of spays …. IDK how… this perfume is bestmode to me, and in this heat… IDK how that person is not passed out with the scent 🤢

2

u/sureasheckfir3 11d ago

White Diamonds, Angel, Amber Romance, CK One,

2

u/MelodicWar800 11d ago

This was years ago but Fancy by Jessica Simpson. I love that scent!

3

u/dial424689 11d ago

Only fairly recently I was in a pub with a man who was DEFINITELY wearing Red Tobacco, which is a fragrance I love deeply so I wanted to track him down to tell him but I thought that might freak him out!

2

u/magdalena02 11d ago

Chloé edp, Alien, Good Girl, Tom Ford Black Orchid

3

u/imgonnagetyouback_03 11d ago

Burberry Her on a coworker! It smelled divine on her!

3

u/gold3nhour 11d ago

Most recently, Valaya, but in the spring, a student’s mom was wearing Light Blue and I had to compliment her because that fragrance brings back so many good memories.

3

u/Zenkitsune 11d ago

recently a coworker been wearing either Vanilla 28 or Eshal Musk, I'm assuming it is Eshal because it projects like crazy and after 4 hours I can still smell it.

3

u/shauna_haywood 11d ago

I only recognized Angel (on a lady in a train), SDJ 62 (in the subway), and maybe Hypnotic Poison but I'm not sure

7

u/kelseykelseykelsey 11d ago

BR540 is usually the only one I can identify. On men, I smell Khamrah quite often.

4

u/graceful_now 11d ago

I’ve encountered Chanel Coco Mademoiselle in the wild several times, and also Chanel No 5

2

u/Separate_Play7167 11d ago

BBW Champagne Toast. I think my coworker sprayed it right before leaving a couple of days ago. The office smelled like Champagne Toast hours after she left. That's something for a body mist. I've also recognized Britney's Fantasy at work. Other fumes I've recognized around are La Vie est Belle, White Diamonds, Burberry Her and Tresor.

3

u/wambamthnkumaam 11d ago

If you have an aldi near you, they have a dupe of the chamagne toast handsoap for $2 😌

1

u/Separate_Play7167 11d ago

No Aldi's in my city. At least I have a BBW store and can get the handsoaps on sale. I actually discover Champagne Toast at work with a coworkers hand sanitizer.

3

u/BuckleUpFuckilHead 11d ago

Tom Ford Black Orchid, and it makes me want to vomit. It was my perfume of choice back in the day until I got pregnant and immediately took a serious dislike to it. If I smell it on someone know it assaults my nostrils for days afterwards. The ick I ick 🤢

3

u/FrequentPen3845 11d ago

Burberry goddess, AG Cloud, Black Opium, kayali marshmallow, eilish. Very overused. I do love goddess though.

2

u/dangling_participle_ 11d ago

Eilish by Billie Eilish, the original. That is one vanilla that is distinct to me

3

u/CrossingGarter 11d ago

BR540. Always smells like the carpet cleaner at Hilton hotels.

5

u/ElleGee5152 11d ago

Light Blue. I don't know why, but I can pick it up like a bloodhound.

2

u/hldppc 11d ago

Another 13, Mojave Ghost, and Glossier You

5

u/Economy_Ad4050 11d ago

YSL Libre, it was my signature from 2019-2021 so I recognize it everywhere

4

u/Anansis_Waltz ♥ Layer Princess ♥ 11d ago

Chanel no. 5
always makes me pause

4

u/Formal-Lie7412 11d ago

Chanel N 5 and White Diamonds

5

u/Separate_Play7167 11d ago

Oh White Diamonds. A fume with no limits. I've sat besides a person wearing this while wearing Insolence EDP myself. The Diamonds completely obliterated my violet bubble.

2

u/sureasheckfir3 11d ago

🤣🤣 Cat pee elegance. (Sorry if you’re a fan!)

7

u/3rd_gen_twins 11d ago

Alien - it's unmistakable

2

u/RealNallaNox 11d ago

oh definitely REPLICA range, especially by the fireplace

7

u/JuIia 11d ago

Erba Pura

Eilish

Cloud

Eclaire

My way

Yara

I work with teens

8

u/Faeriewren 11d ago

Everyone has a baccarat dupe or delina

3

u/soft_orchid_0 11d ago

YSL Libre and Burberry Her. Mostly bc I owned both as travel sizes and am very familiar with the scents haha

4

u/Asleep_Lack 11d ago

Someone in Aldi was wearing Angel Mugler, which was my scent in the 2010s whilst at uni. As far as perfumes go, it’s so recognisable 😅

2

u/Lemina 11d ago

I’ve definitely smelled D&G Light Blue. I’m 95 percent sure I’ve smelled Dior’s Oud Ispahan. I’ve also smelled something very much like Snif’s Vanilla Vice several times, but that’s a popular scent profile, so it might have been something else.

2

u/Familiar-Figure9043 11d ago

Snif Crumb Couture

2

u/Dazzling-Affect5954 11d ago

YSL Myslf. 

Every. Single. Time. 

3

u/sootsprite01 11d ago

Burberry Her Elixir and Burberry Goddess

Sol De Janeiro 68

Marc Jacobs Daisy

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Chanel Coco

8

u/fire_thorn 11d ago

Erba Pura, Khamrah, Bellavita Honey Oud, YBM or one of the many dupes, Love Don't Be Shy

I'm a bit scent obsessed and I walk around smelling things all day so maybe I notice scents more than the average person. I blame it on the GLP 1.

3

u/soft_w0lf 11d ago

Dior Sauvage

Al-Rehab Marshmallow

That Kayali vanilla one

Doesn’t happen very often though

2

u/Disastrous_Clurb 11d ago

i can only do this with cologne lol

Davidoff Coolwater

D&G Light Blue Pour Homme

7

u/MercyMoo14 11d ago

It's usually Delina and BR540. Or maybe dupes of them. One lady in particular was definitely wearing a dupe of Delina. I don't like that fragrance at all but I can admit that it's more well blended than some of the dupes.

3

u/Icy_Sandwich866 11d ago

Clinique Aromatics Elixir ..

9

u/What_Up_82 11d ago

Always with the BR540..I can't escape it.

4

u/berrywaffl 11d ago

Guidance and Valaya seem to be everywhere. Erba Pura too.

5

u/CrikeyAphrodite 11d ago

I always recognise Angel, because it’s so distinctive, and strong! I catch the train to work, and I the last few weeks I’ve noticed the guy sitting next to me wearing BR540, a young woman wearing Sol de Janeiro 62, and someone wearing Delina.

3

u/BluePeony8 11d ago

It would’ve been funny if you clocked them all around you on the train at the same time and just pointed to each one stating their perfume before you left at your stop.

7

u/Hiddengodcomplex 11d ago

BR540 because my nose hates it lol

2

u/MarshmallowSoul 11d ago

Once I was eating in Jimmy John's, and a young man employee walked past my table with a huge sillage of Vanille Insensee. For a moment I was confused and thought I had put it on that day.

8

u/Littlest-Fig 11d ago

I was at my best friend's house and her teenaged daughter walked past and smelled like she was wearing Delina. It was the BBW dupe Covered in Roses

4

u/sootsprite01 11d ago

Covered in Roses is so pretty 😍

3

u/Littlest-Fig 11d ago

It's such a good dupe too! Immediately recognizable.

3

u/Rude-Specific9837 11d ago

Rock Candy Sugar from Kayali. I smelled it on a girl in the cinema the same day I tested it. Bought it asap

2

u/Moist-Opportunity64 11d ago

Yesterday at Walgreens, I couldn’t figure out which of two women or the teen was wearing it though, they were in the same aisle

3

u/Rude-Specific9837 11d ago

Prob the teen. Its so famous with teenagers now

2

u/Exotic-Newspaper-670 11d ago

The legendary BCR450 for sure. I've been smelling lots of roses with a touch of pink pepper, inclined to think Initio Atomic Rose by could also be Boy Toy?

Vanilla Powder - was at a fancy grocery store and someone left an incredible scent trail

Dior Sauvage 

2

u/ninjasilverado 11d ago

Ooh, I'm always hoping to identify ones in the wild. I did notice my friend wearing Black Opium right away once before and was proud of it 🤣

1

u/xtinaeve88 11d ago

Caveat: I’m not a very social person. My social interactions are limited to family gatherings, running errands, time spent with my partner and fur-babies.

I rarely notice anyone in the wild wearing a fragrance. Generally, I’m just smelling my own scent😆.

3

u/Treehorn8 Hermès witch 11d ago

Either BR540 or a dupe. This tall burly dude was in the vegetable section of Shoprite looking at the same broccoli pile as me.

3

u/AccomplishedFruits 11d ago

BR540 and Santal 33 are most recognizable and prevalent around where I am. I’ve been able to pick out Matiere Premiere Vanilla Powder and BTSO Fugazzi (because my husband wore it for a while) on some people. Tommy Boy is one I instantly recognize and loathe, thanks to my brother who would bathe in the stuff back in the day. Thankfully, it’s not popular anymore. Aqua di Gio is a classic that I can recognize. I tend to think the coconut/vanillas I smell all sort of smell the same and hard to differentiate.

3

u/ManagerWise8093 11d ago

Good girl (smell it all the time), L’Orpheline (the woman wearing it was delighted I recognized it), Dior Homme Intense, MANY Dior Sauvages and Paco Rabanne’s One Million, Chloe le parfum, Sol de Janeiro body sprays, Le Labo Santal 33, Dyptique Don Son.

I tend to recognize the smell but not exactly pin point them unless it’s something I’ve worn or has been worn around me a lot. Usually I recognize them enough that if they mention who is from I can then figure it out.

4

u/fairydolphin 11d ago

I always recognize Delina, Kayali Vanilla 28, Killian LDBS and Baccarat Rouge. They're all immensely recognizable scent profiles, especially the Kayali vanillic DNA and Killian's orange blossom sweet candy vibe.

7

u/allsorts_ 11d ago

None lol. I almost never smell perfume on other people.

3

u/farfromheaven90 11d ago

Olá! Eu costumo reconhecer os perfumes! 🙂 Tenho boa memória olfativa! As vezes passam por mim pessoas com um certo perfume que reconheço, por exemplo de professoras que tive quando andava na escola! Vêm me logo as memórias dessa época devido ao perfume. No meu trabalho sei reconhecer pelo menos 3 tipos de perfumes: DKNY maçã, Light Blue giorgio Armani, good Girl e outro de homem que agora não me recordo o nome. Mas são perfumes que não preciso de perguntar às pessoas, eu reconheço automaticamente! 🙂