How to choose a perfume as a gift
Perfume is a personal gift, which is what makes it a good one and what makes it hard to choose. You are choosing for another person's nose and another person's skin. A little quiet attention beforehand takes much of the guessing out.
Notice what they already wear
The clearest clue is the perfume the person wears now. Notice how it feels to you, whether fresh, floral, sweet or woody. A new scent in the same direction is likely to be welcome. If you can describe that feeling in the store, the staff can point you to scents close to it. If you are not sure, ask someone close to the person. A family member or a close friend often knows the bottle on the shelf.
Read the other clues
If there is no current perfume to go by, look at the rest of their life. Someone who drinks tea without sugar and fills the house with plants may enjoy green or citrus scents. Someone who loves desserts and warm, spiced drinks may lean toward warm, sweet ones. These are hints, not rules, and they still do better than a blind guess.
Choose something easy to wear
For a gift, an easygoing scent is a wiser pick than a daring one. Soft citrus, light florals, clean musk and gentle woods are easy to like. Very sweet and very smoky scents divide people more. Keep those, and other unusual perfumes, for people whose taste you know well.
Think small
A small bottle is a kind choice. It fits in a bag, and it does not ask the person to live for a long time with a scent they did not pick. Some stores also sell sets of several small sizes, which let the person find a favorite of their own. For ideas, see the 10 ml bottles on the perfume gifts page.
Check before you pay
Many stores do not take perfume back once it has been bought, so check the store's policy before you pay. If you can, let the person try the scent first.
Say why you chose it
Tell the person why you picked this scent. “It reminded me of your garden” turns a bottle into something personal, and it gives them a reason to try it with an open mind. A short handwritten note in the box does the same.
One more habit
NOTE suggests bringing the person along when you can. Choosing together is a gift too, and the scent they take home is one they picked themselves.