About a year ago, I was getting coffee with a friend and had a girl stop at our table to say I smelled nice. It was a bit of an awkward compliment to receive for the first time. Despite my sputtering reply, I was honored. At her prompting, I gave her the name of the perfume I was wearing (Lady Vengeance from Juliette has a gun, if you were wondering), which she surprisingly wrote down in her Notes app for later. Since then, I’ve become a bit of a scent fiend. I’m not quite on the level of those people who can identify specific scents on the street, but I fear I’m getting close.
However, the scents I can identify are more interesting to me than the ones that are entirely unfamiliar. I’ve fallen in love with indie scent houses. Their unique concepts and stories have me spending scary amounts of time (and money) on finding my favorite scents. My concerning amount of time haunting perfume forums and websites might even make me uniquely qualified to recommend my top three small perfume businesses. Remember them next time you want to try out a new scent!
- Imaginary Authors
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I don’t know if I’ve just perfectly curated my Instagram algorithm or if Imaginary Authors’ advertising game is on point, but I constantly saw ads for these perfumes. Because I’m an advertiser’s dream, I had to check it out.
Each scent in their collection is connected to an “author” persona and one of their works. They aren’t real authors, but from the adorable descriptions each perfume has of the author’s or story’s inspirations, I could be easily convinced they are.
I absolutely love these bottles because they all have such cool art. I’ve been so close to buying prints of the bottle art for my favorite scents a couple of times now. I won’t lie, this company is the most expensive on my list, running $105 for a full bottle and $6 for a sample. In my opinion, the price is worth it because the scents last for ages, the nozzle is one of the best I’ve come across, and they’re incredibly pretty.
As for my recommendation, I’m a tad unoriginal when it comes to this brand. My favorite scent happens to also be one of their most popular, Memoirs of a Trespasser. It’s a woodsy vanilla scent that just fills me with so much whimsy.
- Black Hearted Tart
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Black Hearted Tart is another adorable indie company. All their perfumes are made to order in small batches and inspired by musicians. They come in several forms: oil rollers, Eau de Parfums (EDPs), and Isopropyl myristates (IPMs). EDPs and IPMs function like your standard perfume, while oil rollers require an applicator that’s included in your purchase. I’ve used all three types from them and personally prefer the EDP, although if you want the most bang for your buck, I’d recommend trying an oil as they’re both less expensive and more concentrated.
Either way, I’d consider all of their products super affordable! The smaller oil rollers are typically $13, and the smaller sprays are $27. For the amazing quality of the perfumes, I’d say this price is more than fair! I will note that shipping can sometimes take a while because they’re such a small company, but they’ll always communicate with you. If things take longer than initially assumed, in my experience, they’ll often give you a coupon or upgrade your order.
My favorite scent here is called Sleeps with Butterflies. It’s a floral honey gourmand scent that really does smell like you live in a garden.
- Poesie Perfume
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Poesie Perfume is another company that handmakes in small batches. They’re also a tea company, though I haven’t tried any (yet!). This entire brand has such cozy vibes. Right now, they have collections based on books and bird puns, as well as their classic line, but their collections are always being rotated! I love how often they come out with new scents — it always makes the site feel new!
Their products are on the smaller side. The largest rollerball is five milliliters, while standard ones are typically double that. A five-milliliter EDP will cost $26, with the oil costing slightly less. Still, I’d consider this a fair price. The scents are very concentrated, so you only need a small amount.
My recommendation here has to be Innocence, a milky peach scent I wouldn’t have picked out myself. I saw it on a recommendation list and am so happy I decided to take a chance on it. If you need any reason to buy it, just know it lasted through an entire road trip and concert without reapplication. I must’ve had it on for over 10 hours. I will say I got the oil for this one, so I can’t speak on how long the EDP lasts.
If you’re looking for a new scent for the season, I highly recommend checking out the companies on this list. They all sell sample sets for a great value if you aren’t ready to commit to a whole perfume quite yet. Not only are you supporting a small business, but you also get to try out some unique scents!
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