Scentcraft.ai - Real or Rip-off?

Call me dumb, but I fell for a Facebook ad. Not for the first time, so you'd think I'd know better.

I've been heavily into scent recently, so most of the ads I see on both Facebook and Instagram are for various fragrance products, mostly indie and niche brands. One in particular, for a company called Scentcraft, intrigued me. It claimed to offer bespoke fragrances created by professional perfumers, which at the reasonable prices they charge, sounded too good to be true. And, of course, it was. 

This post is long, so, a synopsis: Scentcraft is not quite a scam. They do sell quality scents created by professional perfumers. However, they are not bespoke in any way, apart from the name and AI-created imagery you choose for your bottle and packaging. If you opt for the 50ml or 100ml bottles for the scent you are led to believe is being created for you, you are essentially making an expensive and completely blind buy.

sample chat with Arty

Arty is the chatbot and navigator for the process that begins at scentcraft.ai. First Arty asks for a name or nickname, then the preference for a male or female fragrance. Favorite fragrance brands are then requested; the first time I played, I was asked for three favorites, and on subsequent times, only one. Arty then suggests a fragrance family based on brand preference, and three note pairings from that family. On my first attempt, it was determined that I liked "amber woody" fragrances (true) and was offered a choice between: Tonka Bean, Patchouli, and Jasmine Absolute; Orange Flower, Sweet Orange Oil, Amber; and Ylang Ylang, Cinnamon, and Gold Amber. I chose the orange flower/orange oil/and amber style, at which point Arty wanted to rush me into payment and production. But I wanted more ingredients, like vanilla, iris, patchouli, lactonic notes, and musk. I wanted to smell like a sexy creamsicle. Arty agreed that I could add more notes and said that my fragrance was shaping up to be "unique and enchanting." After I was happy with my selection of ingredients, we then moved on to naming the scent ("Orange You Glad"), and creating an AI-generated label for the bottle. I then chose the least-expensive option, three 5ml minis for $39.95, and prepared to wait a few weeks for my delicious bespoke fragrance variants. 

Scentcraft claims that their fragrances are created by perfumers at IFF at their labs in NY and Singapore, so imagine my surprise when I received a shipping notice from Landover, MD, roughly a week after placing my order. I was not able to find a IFF location in either Landover or in Washington, DC, so that seemed a little suspicious. However, I was excited when I received my new "bespoke" fragrance just a few days later; I couldn't wait to try it!

There was nothing fancy about the packaging. My fragrances were bundled in black tissue paper sealed with a sticker adorned with an AI-generated image of oranges and the words "thank you." This was crammed into a 5 x 7 black padded mailing envelope with a larger version of the orange sticker on one side, and another sticker on the back with QR codes and the statement "check your email for a digital version of this!" (I never received any such email.) There was an external mailing envelope as well.

Each of three tiny roller bottles was labeled with a number and a QR code matching the one on the outside of the inner envelope. When scanned, the codes sent me to web pages that described each particular scent and revealed the name of the perfumer. I was excited to see that the variations on my theme were created by Juliette Karagueuzoglou (creator of YSL Tuxedo, YSL Vinyle, Penhaligon's Savoy Steam), Bruno Jovanovic (Amouage Opus XII, CK Endless Euphoria, Essential Perfumes Mon Vetiver), and Nicolas Beaulieu (Chopard Musk Malaki, Clinique Aromatics in White, CdG Mirror by KAWS). Excitement was soon replaced by disappointment, when I realized that their creations utilized few of the notes that I had requested.

the notes for version "KP60" by Juliette Karagueuzoglou 

For example, the "orange blossom, orange oil, amber" fragrance created by Juliette Karagueuzoglou, contained the requested patchouli, vanilla, iris, and amber, but not orange blossom or orange oil. This particular fragrance was quite sweet, but not bad, though I didn't like its rather dusty drydown. Notice how this scent includes "tonka bean, patchouli, and jasmine absolute," like one of Arty's suggested fragrances.

notes for "KP65" by Bruno Jovanovic

Bruno Jovanovic's scent had neroli and amber, but nothing else I requested. Another pleasant scent, again quite sweet, and not even close to what I requested. Again, note that this fragrance includes "ylang ylang, cinnamon, and gold amber," which was another of the options Arty offered at the start of the process. 

notes for "KP39" by Nicholas Beaulieu

Finally, Nicholas Beaulieu's variant contained notes of neroli, vanilla, and musk. It is also sweet, and quite overpoweringly jasmine-y.  It seems so unlike the other two, with its strong floralcy, that I have to wonder if this one was included by mistake. Which begs the question, if Scentcraft was going to send me the variations on a theme that they suggested at the beginning, why on earth didn't they include the orange-dominant one I chose?

I tried each scent on my skin and was not excited by any of them. Scentcraft claims, "love it, or it's free." After trying the scents again the next day, I sent an email stating that I was not happy with them, also that they were missing most of my requested notes. Four days later, someone finally read my email and sent a response. 

Hi Kathy

Please allow us to share how we work with our perfumers. We recommend pairings of notes which we know work well together and share your individual input but the perfumer has final say on his composition as all artists he knows what he wants to achieve for each custom fragrance he designed so it very well be that not all the notes that you are choosing will be present in his creation.  We sent 3 bottles/iteration of your custom scents so that most of the ingredients chosen actually are present in all of the fragrances combined and since we actually blend a very high concentration of natural ingredients, each of our creation can be worn alone or/and combined!

Let me offer to send you another set of 3 custom scents (for free) based specifically on the orange oil, the musk, the orange blossom and the amber ok?

 I dont think you will be disappointed.

Thank you for your confidence and wishing you a good day

Vame

Sorry, Vame, I kinda know how perfumers work. If they're working for someone else, they follow a brief, which is a blueprint of the final product. It contains a description of the scent, materials budget, packaging info, etc. The brief of my bespoke scent would have, at the very minimum, described it as a scent made with orange blossom, orange oil, and amber, from which the perfumer should realize that the client is looking for a very orange-scented fragrance. I understand how a perfumer's artistic sensibilities might be offended by my suggesting additional notes, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't blatantly disregard the overarching theme of orange. 

Also, if I do what I believe Vame suggests and combine the three fragrances, I get a sugar-sweet concoction that is still not even close to the sexy creamsicle I wanted. It's neither sexy nor creamsicle. Had any of the three samples actually contained the promised orange oil, or a higher concentration of neroli, perhaps I would admit they had tried at least a little bit to give me what I asked for. But that was not the case. And why, if these are three "iteration of [my] custom scent," were they created by three perfumers? Why wouldn't I have been sent three variants by the same perfumer? 

Not that the fragrances I received are bad. Far from it. Each was pleasant in its own right, and not anything I've smelled before. But they smelled finished, which is not something I would have expected from a process that took just over a week from start to finish. I suspected that while the scents mailed to me were indeed created by professional perfumers, none of them were created for me. Check out the Scentcraft FAQ (it's not linked on the AI page, but can be googled), which offers a description of the perfume-making process and admits that the perfume oil needs a week or two of maturation before the alcohol is added, then more weeks of maceration before it is bottled. Certainly those things happened to the samples I received, but possibly weeks, months, or even years before I even discovered Scentcraft.

All of this dawned on me too late. In my excitement, I had created and ordered another scent, this time unisex. I wanted a dry and incense-y fragrance with a hint of orange blossom (I'm a little obsessed with orange blossom right now). Even after the disappointment of my first set, I had hopes that my second perfume would be more on the money. Instead, I received two samples of strongly masculine fragrances, and another 5ml of  Juliette K's "KP60." Annoyed, I sent another email off to Scentcraft.

I just received my second order of a supposedly "bespoke" fragrance from you (order C5603). I had asked for an incense scent with orange blossom, frankincense, myrrh, musk, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver. I received two scents that at least have "incense" notes, one also containing vetiver and musk, and the other with patchouli. The third scent, however, while it has myrrh and neroli, is exactly the same "KP60" scent that I received the first time I placed an order and requested a primarily orange blossom scent. Which kind of proves my theory that you have a bunch of fragrances pre-designed by professional perfumers and you pick three that you feel somewhat fit the desires of the customer, even if only vaguely. There's no other explanation for receiving an order so quickly, when blending perfume and getting it right takes a long time, and receiving something that already feels "finished," as it has had time to mature. In no way are these fragrances "bespoke." These scents are perfectly pleasant and designed by professional noses. Why not bottle them, give them names, and sell them like any other niche perfume house, rather than pretending to be something you are not? While some of your customers might fall for it, most of us are not fools.

I am so disappointed.

Kathy

The response I received had me shaking my head. It's as if all Vame saw was the word "niche." 

Hi Kathy,

Thank you for taking the time to write your thoughts on our business and we did indeed mistakenly resent you one of the scent we curated for you KP60. I will be happy to send you a replacement for this 5ml tailored to the set of preferences you shared with us.  

It is heartwarming to read your appreciation of the quality of the composition that we create. They are all 20% Extrait de Parfum formulation with a high concentration of naturals ingredients. We always send 3 iterations of a set of preferences , that is 3 different custom scents and combined these 3 custom scents are unique to you These signature bottles are of exceptional quality (niche as you identified them) so they should not disappoint you Kathy. 

Thank you and sending you my warm regards, Vame

What the everloving fuck?  

Currently, I am waiting for my replacement set of the orange blossom/orange oil/amber fragrance, and the replacement for the "mistakenly resent" KP60. I am not sure what to expect, but I will keep you posted. 

While I am sure some folks will be absolutely thrilled with whatever Scentcraft sends them, wholeheartedly believing that these fragrances were custom blended, those folks are not perfume people. Scentcraft advertises on Instagram that they will work with influencers to create their own fragrance brand (these posts also tout that their fragrances are "100% natural," which I doubt) but fellow perfumistas will not be fooled. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when one of these influencer clients realizes that their "bespoke" fragrance smells exactly like a fragrance being sold by another influencer. But will scentcraft.ai last that long? 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with Scentcraft or any other company.

Some of My Older Reviews, Part 1

I wrote for Sniffapalooza Magazine back in the '00s, which I enjoyed immensely. Apart from blogging, I hadn't done any professional writing, and this was a lovely way to practice the craft. One of the perks of being a fragrance journalist is receiving free samples, both full bottles and samples. I miss that the most. 

Both posts originally appeared on Sniffapalooza Magazine, which can still be read online at the address linked above.

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Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur

Contrary to popular belief, Tom Ford is not the Antichrist.  He’s a man who has embraced one of the best and simplest marketing principles: sex sells.  Oh, you know it baby.  You hue and cry over the ads for Tom Ford for Men featuring the human equivalent of a blow-up doll, but admit that you made a mental note to give the scent a sniff next time you were in Bergdorf’s.  I know I did.  And the news that Ford wanted Estée Lauder to make his fragrance, Black Orchid, smell “like a man’s crotch” certainly got some attention, didn’t it.  And you were curious.  (An aside: who would want to walk around smelling like a man’s crotch?  And, who would find that smell appealing?  If it smells – it’s not clean.  Hi!  Take a shower and then maybe we’ll talk.) And you breathed a sigh of relief when it didn’t. 

Tom Ford has talent.  He’s smart.  And he’s not afraid of a little controversy.  That’s sexy.

His new scent Black Orchid Voile de Fleur takes pretty much the same basic notes of the original Black Orchid and turns the floral notes up to 11.  The opening is boozy and somewhat intoxicating, with sweet juicy plums and strong floral notes.  They are white flowers, as listed, but they blend together to form black velvet, deep and rich and sexy.  The black truffle note (that of course doesn’t really smell of black truffle, which has garlicky, cheesy undertones within its fungal depths) of the original is present but toned-down.  And the base, like that of the original, is spicy woods, but with a smaller jolt of vanilla.

Although it’s been years since I’ve worn it, Voile de Fleur reminds me a lot of Coco.  It’s a rich floriental that has a definite presence to it, and should probably not be sprayed on with abandon, lest it asphyxiate someone.  While it is called “voile,” don’t mistake this for a light fragrance.  It’s deep and lush and perfect for nighttime and cooler weather.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur notes:

black truffle, ylang ylang, bergamot, blackcurrant, honeysuckle, gardenia, spicy lily, black orchid,

black plum, black pepper, lotus wood, succulent fruit, warm milk, cinnamon, vanilla tears, patchouli,

balsam, sandalwood.

Two Fragrances by Olivier Durbano

As a jeweler myself, I am somewhat fascinated by the recent wave of jewelers-cum-perfumers: Joel Arthur Rosenthal's JAR line, Solange Azagury-Partridge's Stoned, and now Olivier Durbano.

Seven fragrances are planned for his unique Bijoux de Pierres Poèmes (Perfumes of Stones Poems), each one unearthing fragments of buried memories and emotions, the scents themselves linking to precious or primitive stones -- contemporary talismans to offer to a world in search of pureness, harmony and serenity. (Luckyscent.com) Two have so far been released: Amethyst and Rock Crystal. I had the opportunity to sniff them briefly on paper strips at the Spring Sniffapalooza. After obtaining samples, I was able to judge them on my skin.

Rock Crystal

Notes: orange, pepper, coriander, cardamom, cumin, olibanum, benzoin,

myrrh, cistus, sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, everlasting flower, oakmoss, musk

Rock Crystal is a very crisply dry incense scent, with a nice dose of pepper and a variety of other spices--coriander and cumin being most obvious to my nose. The cumin does not possess the b.o. quality that is often associated with that note; it merely brings an aromatic warmth to the scent. The opening of this fragrance reminds me of the somewhat acrid characteristics of English pipe tobacco, yet in a pleasant way. It also has a church-like aura about it; although it has many notes, it also possesses an austerity.

The drydown is a bit less dry than the opening, with sandalwood taking over for the cumin, causing the incense of the West to lean a little more to the East.  I think Rock Crystal is a very well-crafted and subtle fragrance that should be especially well-appreciated by those who enjoy the Comme des Garçons line of incense scents.

Amethyst

Notes: bergamot, pepper, grape, raspberry, incense, palisander wood,

jasmine, orris, vegetable amber, sandalwood, musk, vanilla

Amethyst, despite its name, isn't a "purple" scent for me. It starts out fruity, like a bowl of fresh tart raspberries with a dose of black pepper so hearty it's almost sneeze-worthy. Beneath the pepper note, the raspberry moves aside to make room for a lovely palisander and incense combo flavored with a dry

vanillaic orris. The drydown exhibits touches of sandalwood and musk, and the dusty pepper quality eventually fades away quite a bit to reveal the bowl of fruit once again.  Ok, maybe this scent is a pale lavender sort of purple, like that of a cape amethyst, but not the lush and rich royal purple that one

conjures in the mind when seeing the word "amethyst."

Like Rock Crystal, Amethyst reminds me of a Comme des Garçons scent, perhaps a bit like Guerilla 2, although less sweet and a bit softer. It's a lovely close-to-the-skin scent that will find admirers, no matter the hue.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

L'Artisan Parfumeur

I have been a big fan of L'Artisan Parfumeur since I consciously started collecting fragrances. I guess that's been at least a dozen years now. They have so many scents that I truly like; I own at least ten.

Safran Troublant 
Olivia Giacobetti
Red rose, Passion Flower, Saffron, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Sugar, Ginger

My favorite of the bunch, Safran Troublant is all roses and saffron, with a creamy vanilla backdrop. It's absolutely delicious, and something I want to keep in my fragrance library forever. A shame it's been discontinued, like most of L'Artisan's early creations.

Traversee au Bosphore
Bertrand Duchafour
Apple, Pomegranate, Tulip, Iris, Leather, Saffron, Rose, Pistachio, Vanilla, Musk

I quite like Turkish delight, a sweet confection flavored with rosewater, which is at the base of this fragrance. There are a few scents on the market using this treat as a reference, but not that I like so much as Traversee au Bosphore. Perhaps because in addition to the candied rose, there is also quite a bit of lovely iris, a smattering of leather, and saffron, all on a bed of vanilla-scented powdered sugar. I don't get the apple or pomegranate at the beginning, which would be a nice tangy introduction to this overall sweet--yet not cloying--concoction.

Mure et Musc Extreme
Karine Dubrueil
Orange blossom leaf, Blackberry, Red berries, Musks

This reminds me somewhat of a blackberry fragrance I purchased back in the early 90s while shopping with my brother and a young co-worker. I wore it to work regularly for a while, but after our friend took his own life, I wasn't able to wear it without feeling sad. (I wish I could remember the name of the fragrance, because I might not have the same reaction to it nearly thirty years later.) Mure et Musc Extreme is very purple-smelling, with a similar sweet blackberry note on a musky backdrop. Kinda simple, but very nice.

Bois Farine
Jean-Claude Ellena
Fennel Seed, Iris, White Cedar, Guaiac wood, Sandalwood, Benzoin

When I think of Jean-Claude Ellena, I think of his many bright and sunny scents for Hermes. Bois Farine is quite different from any of those. It's all candy-coated fennel seed wrapped in a doughy iris that vaguely--but not quite--mimics flour (farine).

Tea for Two
Olivia Giacobetti
Lapsang Souchong Tea, Cinnamon, Ginger, Honey, Star Anise, Gingerbread, Vanilla

Imagine a cup of milky chai made with a smoky tea, sweetened with honey, and you have Tea for Two. The smoky tea note is very strong, but yet so are the spices. It starts out strong, but settles down into something quite cozy.

Poivre Piquant
Bertrand Duchafour
Black pepper, Licorice, Sandalwood, Milk, Honey

I wouldn't say the pepper in this scent is at all piquant. It's just a hint of spice in a sweet shortbread cookie dipped in a cup of warm milk flavored with honey and licorice. It's really quite warm and comforting, and perfect for cool--but not cold--weather.

Piment Brulant
Bertrand Duchafour
Hot pepper, Clove, Cocoa, Chocolate, Amber, Musk, Vanilla, Cinnamon

The list of notes implies that Piment Brulant smells like a cup of Mexican hot chocolate, and maybe it would if the chile note had been a dried chile--chipotle, for example, or ancho. Instead, it's closer to a fresh-off-the-vine fruit, almost green, definitely a vegetal pepper note. Bell pepper-ish, for those who have never sniffed a chile pepper (don't do that). Sometimes when I put this on, I only smell the pepper, but other times, when it's behaving, I do get some of the warm cocoa-y backdrop. It's an oddball scent, for sure, but I like it.

Havana Vanille (now called Vanille Absoluement)
Bertrand Duchafour
Clove, Dried fruits, Rum, Narcissus, Tonka bean, Immortelle, Vanilla, Smoked woods, Musks, Resin, Licorice

Though this is a vanilla fragrance primarily, the immortelle really takes over. Thankfully not in its usual pancake-syrup way. Sadly, I don't get the rum at all. On my skin this scent is just meh, and turns rather powdery, but it's pretty good on my husband, which is the only reason I have it in my collection. I bought it when I was in an earlier vanilla phase.

Fleur de Carotte
Olivia Giacobetti
Carrot, Cucumber, Tarragon, Lettuce, Apricot, Ginger

Why this pretty fragrance was only a limited edition is beyond me. Iris lovers, like moi, would be buying this up on a regular basis. The carrot note is a lot like a dry, "rooty," iris, backed up by a warm fruity apricot. I was lucky to get a partial bottle on eBay, which I occasionally decant into a smaller container, but mostly am hoarding. I really should use it before it evaporates though.

Would love if someone would make a dupe of this.

Aedes de Venustas
Bertrand Duchafor
Bright orange oil, Spicy pink pepper, Cardamom, Incense, Black pepper, Rose, Iris, Cedarwood, Incense Resinoid, Patchouli, Coffee, Opopanax, Benzoin, Vanilla

Though not technically a L'Artisan fragrance, Duchafour's creation for the NY perfume shop Aedes de Venustas ("House of Beauty" in Latin--I was finally curious enough to look it up!) was manufactured by L'Artisan, and is indeed in their bottle. It's a complex scent that opens with a hit of fruity orange and pepper, followed by lots of incense and woody balsamic-ness. Some might say there's too much going on in this scent, particularly fans of dry incense, but I think it's just right. Though, tbh, I can't wear this too often.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Blind Buys for October 2019

Who else is brave enough to make "blind buys?" That is, fragrances purchased over the Internet based only on their descriptions and/or word of mouth. I do it a lot, and it is occasionally quite dangerous. So many times I've bought something and found it either quite unsuitable for my body chemistry and tastes, or it downright stinks. At that point, I bring it to work and leave it in the ladies' room for someone to take. I do try to buy scents that I'm pretty sure I like, though it's sometimes impossible to tell, and I always purchase them from a discounter like Fragrancenet.com or Fragrancex.com, so I'm not spending a ton of money.

This month, I was pretty successful. I purchased three scents from Fragrancenet, and am pretty happy with two of the three. I think I will keep the third one, at least for now, and give it a try now and again, but the other two are going right into my fall fragrance rotation.

Miller Harris Terre D'Iris
Lyn Harris
Calabrian Bergamot, Sicilian Bitter Orange, Valencia Orange, Florida Grapefruit, Spanish Rosemary, French Clary Sage, Tunisian Orange Blossom, Turkish Rose, Indonesian Patchouli, Tree Moss, French Fir Balsam, Iris Butter

There's a lot going on in this very unisex scent. The opening is very citrus-aromatic, rather sharp, with lots of bergamot and clary sage. The middle phase of the scent stays very green, with traces of the iris coming through. As it dries down, Terre d'Iris loses the citrus. It is replaced by patchouli, which retains some of the scent's initial sharpness. Eventually--and that is after some hours--the scent softens, but never into what I would call an iris scent. I have seen Terre d'Iris called a chypre, but the moss comes in so late in this fragrance's development, I am not sure that's accurate. At any rate, it doesn't strike me as a chypre, and I like it, so I'm not going to call it that.

Although I will probably wear Terre d'Iris in the fall, I think it would make a nice spring scent as well.

Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire Bois D'Iris
Emilie Coppermann
Sweet Notes, Frankincense, Iris, Driftwood, Vetiver, Ambergris, Labdanum, Myrrh, Vanilla

While also unisex, Bois d'Iris is much softer and warmer, a cozier iris, if you will. The opening has a custardy quality (what are those "sweet notes" exactly?) which goes quickly into a woody iris that's neither powdery nor dry. Sadly, I'm not getting the frankincense, because I think a smoky note would make this fragrance more interesting than it is, at least on my skin, but the myrrh and vanilla keep the scent sweet into the drydown. Bois d'Iris reminds me a lot of Odori Iris, which is among my favorites. I need to try them side by side once I unearth my cooler-weather fragrances. Overall, a very pleasant perfume for lovers of iris. Especially when one can snag a bottle for around $70 on Fragrancenet.com.

O De Lancome
Robert Gonnon
Bergamot, Lemon, Tangerine, Basil, Rosemary, Coriander, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Cistus, Labdanum

Now this one is definitely a chypre scent. And I'm not at all partial to chypres. Once the oakmoss kicks in, that's pretty much all I smell. I really wish the citrus notes shone more, because the chypre quality of this scent is almost oppressive to me. Still, it was worth trying, and who knows? My taste in fragrances changes from time to time. Maybe one day I'll get into chypres.

Or maybe not.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks