What makes a scent smell "expensive" ?

Good question, and ladies and gents, I need your input.

You probably have a nice size collection of perfumes in wardrobe and can speak from experience, weighing what each particular bottle has cost and how much the perfume is praised as smelling "expensive".

Everyone has one or more go-to scents which not necessarily cost that much or are of utmost quality.

Here I am referring to those precious scents which are reserved for special occasions and cost a lot. Their quality is without question. But, which note in particular - or is it a combination of notes - makes the scent smell "expensive" ?

We had this discussion at another Forum. I proposed that for a perfume to smell "expensive", it may mean the absence of skanky notes which could make a scent smell vulgar, cheap.

However, many good scents in the past contained real Civet and were they smelling vulgar ? They certainly were expensive in price, did those smell "expensive" ?

Sometimes, with a classy and expensive outfit, the scent is automatically associated as smelling good.

What are your examples from your own collection ? Which are the most precious ones - reserved for special occasions ? Have they equally cost the most in price ?

I'm not sure. I think that some of my lesser expensive fragrances actually smell a lot better than the more expensive ones. The Tauer line is in a league of it's own. Chanel Coromandel I consider to be my dream fragrance. Recently I tried JHAG Midnight Oud which screams quality and I love it.

I actually enjoy wearing the less expensive powerhouses, Fred Hayman 273, CK Obsession, YSL Opium probably a little more than the niche lines mostly because they are within reach while the others, not so much.

Skank as a quality ingredient? A strong personality that is sure of him/herself could easily pull this off.

Maybe I am questioning quality vs. class. A quality fragrance (like Rochas Mystere) is loaded with skank but also classy. A skanky fragrance like Rykiel 7e Sens would never make it into a ballroom.

I hope I didn't get off the subject here... :

Not off the topic at all. It is sometimes a mystery what appeals and what not.

Civet is a skanky note. Does "Joy" now become repulsive ? No, on the right woman and just a light touch, a dramatic combination. It just has to be worn by the right person in the right circumstances.

We had long discussions over at Fragrantica over Vivienne Westwood "Boudoir" and its reputation as an overt sexy scent. And lo and behold, it does not smell loud or overbearing at all. It is just full of cinnamon. If there is a skanky note, it does not bother me.

Cheap is probably easier to define than expensive.

It took me a long long time to appreciate Joy. It just went completely over my head until one day shortly prior to swapping my vintage out I tried it again. I got a pungent green note that I love especially in EL Private Collection. I quickly replaced that one with a new vintage bottle. I can't think of anywhere I would chose to wear this fragrance, other than work. I like to sniff it fresh out of the shower right before bed, it's relaxing.

If by "expensive" you mean "classy", then I've never been able to nail down the notes, but it's something that CK Euphoria, Boucheron Pour Homme, and even Dirty English all have in common. It's not anything skanky or animalic as far as I can tell, but probably some floral/green accord. Specifically, the effect is one of wealth/discernment/luxury/class.

This is actually a very difficult question to answer, as as I look at it, it is up to the wearer, and how it comes across. For example...just because a perfume may cost a lot, it doesn't mean it's classy. Some people can wear Chanel no.5..and they smell rich, classy, and divine. But on me...it smells like a cheap dime store concoction! All lemon and bitterness). I always thought it was floral notes that defined a scent as expensive...but that is, once again up to the individual who wears it. Some florals can smell terribly cheap, and nasty). So, price is not a factor..per se. So, I would answer this question this way. When a person finds a fragrance that utterly captivates them, and they love it dearly, and everyone around them praises the said scent....this would be, in my opinion, what makes that fragrance smell expensive.

Still thinking about a good answer to your question.
$$$$/€€€€ =/= expensive smelling. It is a combination of everything: a very cheap fragrance, as good as it may be , will not convey that luxury feeling an expensive fragrance does, so the manufacturers that sell cheaply, may be short-selling themselves.. or not.
The vast majority of buyers prefer cheaper fragrances. It is the snobs with money that will overlook great fragrances because they are too cheap. Did Amouage not raise their prices greatly in order to attract more rich customers?

So price definitely is part of it and a nice looking bottle is the same.

For me, things are different since I don't want a small collection but a hyooge one and don't mind having samples.
The most expensive one (per ml) sofar was a sample of vintage Vol de Nuit. Yet, that isn't the one that 'smells expensive' to me. It is 24, Faubourg . "24 Faubourg: this perfume of light, composed by Maurice Roucel in 1995, is a Hermès signature right down to its bottle – the square glass is gently curved with a sense of movement, like a breeze blowing through silk. 24 Faubourg is an invitation on a journey where the sun is the destination.Top notes of brilliant white flowers, matched by a floral heart, are enveloped in iris,wood and mystery. Vanilla and ambergris lend the tone to its afternote. " Accords: chypre floral: white floral - citrus - floral - sweet - powdery

I'd say: expensive is white flowers, powdery , chypre.
That and the original bottle that I imagine to have but don't.

There is probably a difference whether a person just wants to spray something on and wear it, and then perfume is like an utility item. For many that may be enough and the massive designer fragrances sell like that.

Now, an experienced perfumista wants to marry skin and scent. When that happens, we are extremely happy with the "holy grail" scent, one or perhaps a few of those.

Hence, fragrance could be inexpensive or expensive. In my case, most of the time, they ARE expensive and from the niche category, like the Tauers. Also a few Carons when the reformulation has been good.

Expensive aroma is then a lucky combination of skin of the wearer and a well thought-out formula of a gifted perfumer.

But, I digress, stop me, I am in my writing path ...

No, don't stop... you have good observations!

I wished to have found what is fitting and what is not.Maybe others can smell it better than I do. But that is why I am not on this perfume journey, it is to smell interesting things.
An interesting fragrance can be horrible on my skin, yet be so totally intrigueing I keep sniffing at it. And vice versa, something very fitting may be booooring. My (former) signature was/is Green Tea by Elisabeth Arden.. boooooooooring , but I think it fits me very well.

An expression I read the other day was "the Abyss of Nice' (smelling fragrances). You could also say 'abyss of meh'.

Well, DutchSniffer, you go on this path like a scientist. Discover all. Enrich your horizon. Good or bad. It then gets classified for what it is. A very pleasant journey, I see you on Facebook.

Me ? I spray to feel good. If it is meh or disgusting, out it goes. Sometimes not even to somebody else, like my perfume friends - if it is sooo bad then it becomes a reject. Out, gone, goodbye. Trash can.

Perfumes make my day. The mood gets lifted. There are so many. If in the past - in the struggling years, working and raising the kids - I would have known what I know now and which marvelous scent discoveries are abundant now, then I would have really been surprised. We had only a few, if there were 10, that was a lot. 2 favorites, maybe.

Today, with a full wardrobe - I feel both blessed and spoiled. The only way to still keep the excitement which is inherent in perfumes, is to spread out the sniffing, the intake, the pleasure. So that each bottle/decant get their full appreciation.

For me it's a perfume that develops through stages that spells quality - a term I prefer over "expensive" given that nearly every fragrance sold in Australia is expensive!