Some weeks ago, I got served a Facebook ad for Noteworthy Scents. The premise is that you can take their “3-minute quiz” and “Our AI will personalize your perfume kit”. So for $25 you get tiny sample vials of their top 4 fragrance picks hand- (er, machine-) selected for you, plus a $25 voucher toward any full-size purchase.

Now, I am pretty clear on what I like in fragrance. Most of my adult life I’ve had a strong leaning toward “masculine” scents – cologne, deodorant, body wash. Anything green, woody, mineral, aromatic; fig, sandalwood, leather, tobacco, salt, moss. My longtime favorite is Banana Republic’s Cordovan, and the body wash I buy for myself on repeat is the Goodfellow & Co Sea Salt & Moss at Target. Nevertheless, I succumbed to the impulse to find out if maybe something out there is even more perfect and resonant for me. (This writeup is not sponsored in any way, I’m just interested in writing about it.)

One thing on which I commend Noteworthy is that, although the quiz does ask once whether you typically prefer “masculine” or “feminine” scents, gender appears absolutely nowhere else in the rest of the site. 

The Noteworthy site is built on Shopify, so if you have a login, it will recognize you. The aggravating thing is that it doesn’t allow you to open links in new tabs, right-clicking still overwrites the existing tab, so below I’m linking to the individual scents for more information.

Here’s what I got in my sampler pack:

n,415 CHATEAU
A lush, fig-forward fragrance blending fresh green notes with hints of freesia.
Top Notes: Calypsone, Medley of Citrus Orpurs, Dewy Fig Leaves
Middle Notes: Fig Nectar, Egypt Geranium Orpur, Sheer Freesia
Bottom Notes: Fig Wood, Haitian Vetiver Orpur, Cedarwood Virginia Orpur
Reaction from me: I do like this, freesia is one of my preferred floral notes, but overall it’s a little more sweet and floral-forward than I prefer for myself.

n,551 AMBER SUNSET
A comforting woody fragrance with amber, sandalwood and cozy, soft cashmere—freshened up with Lily of the Valley.
Top Notes: Lily of the Valley
Middle Notes: Cedarwood, Patchouli, Vetiver
Bottom Notes: Sandalwood, Amber, Musk
Reaction from me: This one is a little more spicy and cedary than it sounds from the description. Pleasant, fairly light.

n,866 URBAN NIGHT
A fresh bergamot and ginger fragrance with bright juniper middle notes, all wrapped in a seductive woody warmth.
Top notes: Bergamot, Ginger, Apple
Middle notes: Sage, Geranium, Juniper
Bottom notes: Vetiver, Cedarwood, Tonka
Reaction from me: This is the most “green” of the pack, a little like the Donna Karan Be Delicious a friend gave me for my birthday several years ago, which I also enjoy very much. 

n,232 WANDERER
An earthy, primal fragrance featuring vetiver and a trio of animalic notes—ambrette, leather, and castoreum—that evoke a visceral sensuality.
Top Notes: Grapefruit, Orris Bud
Middle Notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver
Bottom Notes: Ambrette, Leather Accord, Musk
Reaction from me: This ended up being my top pick. The other 3 are all honestly a bit forgettable, but when I put this on, I go “Oh yes, THIS one.” It’s strong enough that I can still notice it on myself at the end of the day. The bottom notes also stick around FOREVER, the kind you can smell on your sweater the next time you pull it out of the closet. Reminds me a bit of the Halston my aunt gave me in college.

All in all, this makes me want a full-on Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab trading-party experience where I could smell everything at once and be done with it. Failing that, it’d be nice if the site had a more robust wishlist interface for “here is what I’ve tried, here is what I want to try next”. Failing that, here are the ones I would pick next:

n,619 HIDDEN COAST
A grounding, woody amber fragrance that combines suede and sandalwood with textured aromatics, brightened by juniper and geranium.
Top notes: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lavender
Middle notes: Juniper, Geranium
Bottom notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Suede

n,441 CRYSTALLIZED WOODS
Crafted from crystal raw materials with notes of musk and amber culminating in a rich, spicy finish.
Top notes: Exotic Spice Accord
Middle notes: Heliotropine, Crystalized Moss
Bottom notes: Woods, Amber, Musk

n,345 INDIGO HAZE
A fresh marine fragrance combining blood orange with lively aromatics and earthy woody notes.
Top notes: Mandarin, Marine, Blood Orange, Pepper
Middle notes: Lavender, Geranium, Thyme
Bottom notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedarwood

Runner-up:
n,841 POET’S DREAM
A bright citrus and woods fragrance featuring notes of lemon and bergamot before mellowing into a rich amber and leather base.
Top notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Cardamom
Middle notes: Tarragon, Pepper, Sage
Bottom notes: Musk, Woods, Amber, Leather

Considering that one full-size bottle of any fragrance is a lifetime supply for me, I’m not sure if I’m ready to spring for another sampler pack right now, but I’ll keep this list in my notes in case the urge comes up again. (Needless to say, having clicked on one fragrance ad, I immediately got served up 25 more the next time I went on Facebook… but I would probably do another Noteworthy build-your-own sampler pack sooner than trying out another “personalized” brand. So thanks, guys.)

Epilogue: About a week after I received the Noteworthy sampler, I happened to walk through the Target beauty aisle and noticed a new fragrance line, Good Chemistry. I sniffed a couple of them and when I got to this one, I went “YES! What is that??”

Good Chemistry® Eau De Parfum Perfume – Unknown Legend
Like a warm fire against the never-ending desert sky, Unknown Legend is where reassuring meets rebellion. Notes of eucalyptus, violet leaf, and charcoal santal make our Unknown Legend Eau de Parfum perfume adventurous and awe-inspiring with a sense of wonder.

I spritzed some on, showed it off to my family when I got back to the car, and my 9yo immediately said “Is that what you want for Christmas Chanukah? We should get you that!” So maybe that’s the winner after all? At least for heading into 2025.