Are you planning to go into the perfume business this year? Have you thought about the name you will give your scent? A young woman named Gabrielle faced that single question when she launched what later became one of the world’s most iconic perfume business names. More on that later. 

It turns out that when it comes to selecting perfume business names, it pays to think some on the perfume’s name. A rose by any other name isn’t always just as sweet. Think about it: how can you distinguish your favorite scent from others on the shelf?  It all boils down to the choice of name and the associations that it leaves in your mind. So how do you go about choosing perfume business names? 

Keep It Short

Pause the reading, and think about your favorite perfumes or even the scent you have on as you read this article. Now think about the perfumes that others in the office are currently wearing. Now jot down the names of those perfumes and then answer this question: what do you notice about all of those colognes? At first glance, it would appear not very much. However, I would like you to pay attention to the name length of all the scents in the air as you read this. Did you notice that the names tend to be short for the majority of the cases? That is no accident. Marketers have long known that the easiest way to remember anything is to keep it as short and succinct as possible. This principle works for perfume business names as well. 

The reason why this works is that shorter names tend to be easier to remember. Some examples of perfume business names you can use include,

1. Arocus
2. Aroscent
3. Menness
4. Oldbury
5. Ultimate
6. Scentmen 
7. Scentable 
8. Scentforce
9. Manley
10. Zest
11. Scent George
12. Scentiment

Keep It Memorable 

Scientists have long understood the close link our sense of smell has with the brain’s center for memory. There is a part of the brain known as the limbic system in all of us. The limbic system handles our emotions and memory. Our sense of smell connects directly into the limbic system, and hence whenever you smell something, good or bad, the signals get sent directly to this area in the brain. That explains why the perfume of an old flame lingers for years after the relationship ends. 

Other times the memory may be related to a place where your consumer market is familiar. Is there a tradition of visiting the countryside once a year, perhaps via a road trip? Many of our countrysides have various wildflowers that could provide the base notes for your next scent. Many have taxonomic names that could become excellent brand names for your perfume business names. 

As a perfume maker, this connection to memory can be put to good use. As you select perfume business names, you will want to create a scent that can tie your market to specific memories. What could those memories be? These will, of course, vary from place to place and time to time. Some examples, 

1. Once Upon A Time
2. Zamani (from the Kiswahili for “long ago”)
3. Remember
4. Nostalgique
5. Freshly Mowed
6. Scent Alpine
7. Montagne
8. Forest Dew

Keep It Spicy

Here “spicy” is referred to scents that included notes of vanilla, amber, sandalwood, jasmine, orris, and gum resins. These fragrances are inspired by the smells that greeted early European explorers who visited various places such as Arabia, India, China, and other areas in Asia. 

Today many perfume business names try to evoke the scents of the souks and bazaars of centuries gone by.  Some ideas that could work for your perfume business names include, 

1. Monsoon
2. InScents 
3. Zahra (from the Arabic word for “radiant”)
4. Zaman (from the Arabic word for “time”)
5. Burqa Secrets
6. Arabesque
7. Oud Number
8. Habibi

Keep It Jazzy

Jazz, as used in modern has the idea of energy, courage, spirit and is descriptive of a style of music that emerged in the early years of the 20^th century. It capped in the decade of the 1920s, at a time that came to be described as the roaring twenties. It was a time when women joined the workforce for the first time, and as such, there was optimism in the air. Jazz has developed into many sub-genres that would be too numerous to recount. However, the defining character of jazz is its improvisation. In other words, it takes existing forms and interprets them in individual ways while retaining a spontaneity, rhythm, and texture that can only be … jazz. When it comes to perfume business names, one can borrow much from the spirit of jazz. Jazz perfumes often have included notes of vanilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, rose, and jasmine.  Some ideas for jazz names include the following, 

1. Blues
2. Blue Grace
3. Swing
4. Ragtime
5. Dixie
6. Duke
7. Syncopate
8. New Orleans

Keep It Classy

Classy can mean different things depending on who you are asking. Still, certain things can be used to etch out a definition of the word classy. Classy has the idea of high standards of behavior. It is often used to fashion and style to denote modes that are always in vogue, or rather, that never go out of style. So, what would define a classy scent? No one scent could be held to be the gold standard. 

Nonetheless, certain characteristics would denote a classy scent. It would have to be conservative, not overdone, may contain floral notes, modest, chaste, something that a healthy and mature person would wear to a formal event. So what are some perfume business names that would go well with classy scents? 

1. Timeless
2. Demure
3. Eon
4. Depth
5. Virtue
6. Rose Mood
7. Baroque
8. Elixir 

Keep It Unique

Sometimes we want a scent that is uniquely ours. Have you ever wanted to wear something that is unique to only you? There is always that thing in us that drives us to want to express our individuality, to set ourselves apart from everyone else. Many celebrities have used this need for individuality to launch their own branded and signature fragrances, which have become a hit with their fans. So what are some perfume business names that would bring out the idea of individuality? Here are some examples, 

1. The Book of Me
2. Cogito
3. Ergo Sum 
4. Invictus
5. Unbowed
6. Impetus
7. Distinct
8. Honour

Keep It Fresh and Original 

Today, the world is always looking for something that will be truly considered ground-breaking. The scents that have emerged over the years and endured in the market have always been those that did something different from what existed in the market. A story that comes to mind would be the one of a soap that has come to be used by millions around the world. 

In the late 18^th century, a Russian nobleman visited a perfumery based in London. The perfumery was known as Bayleys. The Russian nobleman, Count Orlov, tasked Bayleys with creating a perfume that was reminiscent of the Imperial Russian court. One of the things that made Russian courts have that distinct aroma was the high-quality Russian leather that was cured using the birch tree. 

Bayleys created a fragrance that they named “Eau de Cologne Imperiale Russe”, and this fragrance became the count’s favorite scent. In 1921, Bayleys was acquired by Cussons and Sons, along with its many fragrances. Cussons began using the original “Eau de Cologne Imperiale Russe” as the scent for their soap, which they promptly renamed as Cussons Imperial Leather. Cussons Imperial Leather pioneered television commercials for soaps that used to air just before television serial dramas. The link was made, and it is from there we get the word soap opera.    

And finally … Keep It Digital 

Today’s perfume maker has tools that Count Orlov, or even more recently Madame Coco Chanel, never had access to when they introduced their famous scents to the world, and that is the digital space. Currently, scientists are working on enabling computers to develop the sense of smell. It is quite possible that in the future, AI-powered computers may produce distinct scents based on your unique individual profile. Will we lose that human touch that came with the great perfume makers of today and centuries past? It remains to be seen. 

With the growth in digital media, there is an opportunity to be ground-breaking in this area too. What is it that defines the digital times we live in? One thing that has been compressed is time. We get things done much more quickly with the available tools. We can communicate around the world in real-time and respond to developing situations in half the time that was possible, even 20 or 30 years ago. Perfume business names that derive their inspiration from the digital times we live in might sound something like, 

1. Realtime
2. Splash Tag
3. Role On
4. Dot Aroma
5. Switch
6. Scentlite
7. HotSpot
8. Virtual

The modern perfume maker is spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting perfume business names. As we enter the third year of a global pandemic, it is possible to draw inspiration from centuries gone by. It is not for nothing that the age has been described as the Great Reset. There is the feeling in the air that now is the time to try new things, experiment more, and redefine what we have come to know. Gabrielle, the young woman mentioned at the outset, was given a number of scents to choose from. She wanted a perfume that represented the spirit of the times. A spirit in which women had newly found freedom to be themselves. She wanted something that reminded her of the garden paths lined with rock roses that she was familiar with. So when Monsieur Ernest Beaux presented her with the vials containing new scents, she settled on vial number five. Incidentally, Gabrielle’s last name was Chanel. As you can probably deduce, that was the origin of Coco Chanel No. 5.