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    Olfactory Nyc - Boston

    4.3 (10 reviews)

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    The two completed fragrances we made during our visit.
    Jose P.

    Went here on a date with my boyfriend! It was empty when we went on Tuesday afternoon. We were helped by Cassidy thought out our perfume making experience. You'll begin by choosing a base off of the walls. Some of the perfumers that were showcased were perfumers that had worked on other popular name brand fragrances like Le Labo, YSL, and Versace among many others. You'll then be asked to choose 4 notes to add the base. You'll have plenty of time to smell the different notes on the base that you chose inside and outside the store. You'll then choose your favorite scent and customize your fragrance bottle. You are able to name your fragrance in under 9 characters and choose a color to accent the bottle. There are about 10 colors to choose from. I don't give it 5 stars because I don't see myself reaching for this fragrance much. Despite that I had fun making the fragrance. Will definitely try other stores with this business model.

    Interior
    Brooke C.

    This place is so cute! We did a walk-in custom perfume experience. We were walked through the whole process by a very kinda associate and our final perfume smelt great! I was able to bring my dog inside which was great. The total ended up being $85 which I felt was quite reasonable for a custom perfume.

    We had such a great time at Olfactory! I was nervous about how the process would work as narrowing down/pairing scents seemed like it was going to be difficult. We were assisted by Grace who was excellent at what she does! We tested and chose a base fragrance, and then Grace helped us decide on different fragrance notes that would pair well with your base fragrance as well as your personal preference. Then you narrow it down to 3-4 choices, and they're all sampled on your skin (backs of hands/insides of wrists). Grace had us go outside to decide on our final fragrance based on how it smelled on our skin and in the fresh air. Once you pick your favorite, she revealed what notes we had chosen and bottles it up for you! They pay attention to detail and the packaging was also so beautiful. Naming the fragrance was the hardest part! Overall fantastic experience and we will definitely be back!

    Custom Perfumes

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    Ask the Community - Olfactory Nyc - Boston

    Review Highlights - Olfactory Nyc - Boston

    You get high-quality ingredients, one-on-one attention, and you leave with a custom fragrance that feels so special.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    i came in on a sunday looking for a new fragrance for myself and a friend, and also candles and…read morehome fragrances. savvy is an exceptional representation of the byredo brand, immediately helpful and we had amazing rapport. i felt he truly understands all the notes of each scent by heart, and went over all of my many questions. savvy is extremely patient and engaging, and i couldn't have had a better first impression of the byredo brand and newbury street store. i highly encourage anyone to check out byredo on newbury, savvy is the best! the scents are all unisex and they use very clean, raw materials so you don't get a headache. i'm really pleased with my experience here and love nearly every scent.

    TLDR; had a great experience with the salespeople and got a lot of awesome help. Bought three small…read moreperfumes and got 3 free samples for $165 (after tax). These are really good quality natural/raw fragrances that are beginner and sensitive friendly. As a person sensitive to smells and who doesn't really wear fragrances for fear of them being too powerful or causing migraine, I was skeptical of trying perfume. I was recommended to try BYREDO by my friends roommate who is into perfume because this business uses natural/raw ingredients to formulate their fragrances. I walked in and it was empty so I got some great service and tried almost all of the perfumes, and I realized what I liked/didn't like. It's hard to commit to just one fragrance so I opted to get a smaller perfume. Well the salesperson recommended I actually get 3 small ones for only $40 more. This is a great deal for a beginner like me who wants quality products and to explore what I like. And on top of that I was given the option of 3 free samples. And then they threw in a couple samples of body wash as well. I feel so pampered and am excited to wear my new perfumes. They didn't overwhelm me and since they are natural they won't trigger a migraine.

    Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

    Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

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    This is a scent Shangri-La! You got all sorts of fragrances, skincare, candles, and wellness…read moreproducts. Two weeks ago, while visiting, I walked in here out of curiosity and because I'm a frag-head. I walked out with three skincare products and three perfumes over the span of two days! The staff (especially Chuck) are friendly, knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. I've already used up a-third of one of the perfumes because it is THAT good! I'll be a customer for life! --- EDIT: In case anyone was curious as to the perfume which I had quickly used up, it was... *drum roll* ...ROSA NOVELLA! What a gorgeous fragrance!!! I initially did not like it the first day I visited this store. And that was only because I was expecting the scent of a traditional rose. It was anything but! I smelled it again the next day and couldn't help but keep sniffing the affected part of my forearm! Rosa Novella cocooned me in past memories that I didn't have, teased me with re-incarnations that I didn't live, and submerged me in landscapes unimaginable beyond the horizon of this observable universe. It's sexy, intelligent, and electrifying. What kind of sorcery was this?!? I knew I had to buy it the second day I came back. My only regret was not getting the larger size (100 ml). Alas, I can always order it in the future!!

    Amazing shop. Amazing staff (shout out to Marcus). I went in with a short list and was shown so…read moremany amazing scents. Marcus listened to comments and made spot on recommendations. That was just the service portion. The space is very calm, and welcoming. Beautifully done. Stands out nicely from its neighboring shops. The product is other level. Classic scents but done extremely well. They will have the best version of what you are looking for. Will visit anytime I am in the city from now on.

    Colonial Drug - Front window

    Colonial Drug

    (21 reviews)

    $$

    The best stop on your shopping tour! I had the pleasure of stopping by this unique store and…read morepurchased a wonderful men's cologne for myself. This place has hundreds of fragrances and hard to find men's and women's sundries. The proprietor is a quiet and nice man who was able to pinpoint the right product for me based on my request for something subtle. There have been a few unjustified bad reviews that I've read, and I have to blame the reviewers who are more likely the problem. Simply put, if you're going to shop retail, then purchase from retail. Don't walk in and try a bunch of fragrances then buy online to save a few bucks. Do the right thing by merchants that have rent to pay and operational expenses. Supporting local May cost a bit more but it worth it. Thank you sir for a great experience, I'll be back.

    I had a bad experience here. I came looking for a particular perfume (Jicky by Guerlain), asked the…read moregentleman there and he showed me a bottle. I asked whether I could test it and was told no. I have only smelled old bottles of Jicky -- I don't know what the current version smells like. Without trying, I couldn't decide whether to buy it, so I gave the perfume back and told him I'd think about it. They were selling it for $145, same as retail. I then had a walk around browsing the store. Once or twice I saw something I hadn't heard of and I took out my phone to Google it. I'm a bit socially awkward and I sometimes prefer to read about things online instead of bothering someone with questions. I went to the door and told the gentleman at the counter thanks and good bye. He said to me, "so I'm curious, were you just shop malling me or what?" I'd never heard that term and asked what he meant. He said, "You look at our boxes and then you look the prices up on your phone -- that's shop malling." I said that I was really mostly interested in the Guerlain perfume, and if they'd had a deal on it I would have taken it. But they didn't and plus, I'm not going to shell out $145 for a perfume if I can't try it. He said to me sarcastically, "Support local businesses, huh." I replied, "Well, I still might be back, you have some good stuff." And he said, "I won't hold my breath." It's not nice to be snippy with a customer who's just coming in to have a browse. And the "shop malling" accusation came out of nowhere too (just because I was walking around and looking at my phone?). The funny thing is, I would gladly pay retail price for something or even a bit more to support a local business run by nice folks -- keyword here is nice.

    Olfactory Nyc - Boston - perfume - Updated May 2026

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