I found the Drydown on Tiktok while I was looking for company retreat activities. When I reached out, I spoke to Shaya, and she is the MOST gracious business owner! We were looking for an activity for our team and she was so thoughtful about pricing, size of the group, flexible on timing -- everything! Beyond her expertise in all things scent-related, she's so responsive and kind over email. We unfortunately won't be able to fit Drydown into our schedule this retreat, but Shaya was so exceptional to work with, I couldn't not leave a review!! Can't wait to visit soon!! read more

The Drydown is San Diego's first niche fragrance boutique and they are located in the Carlsbad area. To get here, they have designated street parking spots all around the area. Inside, they have a lovely setup with perfumes masterfully curated by scent family. They have note cards and pens so you can keep track of ones you have smelled and your notes on them. All of their items are priced fairly and all of the staff are friendly and welcoming. Some of my favorites were the perfumes from d'Annam and Liis. This spot is definitely worth checking out for niche perfume lovers or anyone looking to explore some more unique brands and scents! read more

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I attended the perfume making class yesterday. It was so much fun being creative and making your own signature scent. The teacher was very helpful in explaining how to make the perfume. There were more than 70 ingredients to choose from. I made a strawberry, perfume with rose, iris, ambergis and ambroxan. They even had petrichor as a scent to choose from. I left the class with a 15 ml travel size bottle. The bottle is good quality and sprays really nicely. I will be taking this class again soon. Defintely worth it! read more

The Drydown - The recipe card where you write down the ingredients you used in your signature scent - Perfume Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I had been eyeballing D'Annam fragrances online for months and was super frustrated that I couldn't smell it in person. Last week I checked the company's website and saw that I could buy their fragrances as the Drydown. The day I learned about it also happened to be their grand opening! I had a wonderful time, the staff were super helpful, knowledgeable and kind. If you weren't sure about a fragrance based off what you smelled in store, you could purchase a sample for $10-20 and if you like it, that money would go towards your purchase of a full sized bottle. The fragrance I purchased from here was the same price as online from the brand's website but I get the benefit of testing it before committing to it. The owner was so nice and super excited for the opening. She explained that she started the business because it was so hard to find these indie fragrance brands in person and how hesitant people are to buy perfumes online without trying them first. This was my exact reason for going in that day. Otherwise, the next closest retailer for what I was looking for was in Hollywood or something. This place has such niche fragrances from smaller brands that you wouldn't see in a chain store that has the same big retailers dominating the space. They had some local San Diego brands too. I'm so happy I found this place and I'm so excited for the next time I go back. read more

The Drydown - My shopping haul! I bought the Vietnamese Coffee scent by d'Annam and a sample of Strawberry Mochi, all by d'Annam - Perfume Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I never knew this place existed! What a cute shop! Everyone was super sweet! The perfumes they had were lovely! I especially loved the Roan that they were promoting at this event. Most of the scents were great. My favorite is PORCELAIN PULSE, MOUNTAIN MEMORIES, and CURRENT CULTURE. I like that Helen Lee created this perfume from her tea collection gathered through the years of her travels. When you buy the sample of any perfume they discount the bottle with the sample price. read more

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, one of my favorite things to do while I'm in the city is visit local niche fragrance shops. Although the distance from my hotel was great, uber plus train and about a 10 min walk to The Drydown. I Google for the niche perfume shops in San Diego and The Drydown was one of the top. The Drydown has an incredible selection of unique fragrances that you won't come across at your typical store and they are organized in a way of a journey. If you're someone who enjoys wearing scents that stand out from the crowd, this is the place to visit the experience felt personal, and I never felt rushed while exploring all the different fragrance styles. I was given a lot of freedom in the shop to explore. I ended up leaving with two amazing fragrances. One i found on my own and one suggestion from another patron. If you are a fragrance person The Drydown is where you got to visit in San Diego read more

The Drydown - The Brand - Perfume Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I went in last night and the girl working was not friendly, engaging or helpful at all. She never got up from her seat and didn't even ask me any questions about what I was looking for or liked :/ I ended up buying 5 perfumes and brought the bottles to her (again she never even stood up) and she then told me pretty passive aggressively "you don't need to bring them to me" I felt like saying, well i didn't know what to do since you seem preoccupied sitting on your phone. She then said since I was spending over $500 I could get a free candle. Then when I went to pay she couldn't get the free candle to comp and had to call the owner. I guess the candle wasn't a promo any more so on top of not being any help, she also didn't know their current promotions. I was disappointed with my experience. I spent $1142 but the vibes were completely off and for that reason I would not go again. read more

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Perfume lover's paradise! Wonderful spot in SD county with niche perfumery and helpful insights. I believe I spoke with Sam, who was a delight. I got several samples and will definitely be back. Well and thoughtfully organized by scent category, and plenty of scent strips and pens. I appreciate that they offer samples and will count that against the cost of a bottle. Can't wait for my next visit! read more

Such a great experience yesterday! It's overwhelming when you first walk in but Sam was so helpful in her recommendations. As an avid perfume lover this was a dream day! read more

The Drydown - Rows and rows of perfumes - Perfume Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I've been there a few times now, and each visit is always a delight. Even on our second trip, she remembered us and made us feel right at home. The fragrance selection is so thoughtful--there's something for everyone. You're sure to find your signature scent here, or you can always try samples; they'll even be saved towards a full bottle. The prices are slightly cheaper than designer perfumes you'd find at big brand stores, so I'd say they're a reasonable price (you might as well get something unique instead of an overpriced basic fragrance). Overall, it feels like a store you visit once, but it's really the opposite. Every time we returned, there were always new perfumes to discover. As this store grows, I'm excited to try more samples as they expand! read more

The best experience I've had smelling perfumes. You can tell the owner truly loves fragrance. She has things organized by scent profile, and has such a wide array of perfumes. I especially love that she gives you space to explore and sells sample bottles of everything. Those things are always my biggest frustration with trying fragrances in department stores. It was so much fun and such a pleasant experience - I can't recommend visiting the store enough! read more

The Drydown is a happy place for me. The owner, Shaya & staff are so welcoming. The shop is comforting & chic. I love to geek out at fragrance club with peeps who love fragrances as much as I do. The scents experience at the Drydown is unmatched. Thank you for being such a great escape for me. read more

This place is amazing! I've been waiting for a spot to be able to try out niche perfumes in person. Such a good selection and a huge range of scents including some local artisanal perfumers. I'm excited to check out their events! read more

I've been dreaming about a place like this for years. The Drydown is filled with niche and unique fragrances from all over the world--I could spend hours in here scouring the shelves for my new signature perfume(s). As a former lover of designer perfumes--I am now obsessed with discovering these highly unique and special scents. Some of my favorite brands so far: d'Annam (love the White Rice and Pho Breakfast), Nishane (especially Ani), Pineward (literally the whole collection) and also the whole Madison d'ETTO line. read more

The dry down is super cool! A great date idea & an awesome no pressure environment. Definitely worth visiting if you're big on fragrances! read more

The Drydown - Fragrance collection - Perfume Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Yay! So many brands that have been eluding me are now just a few freeway exits away! Went on a Saturday and you can smell the store from the alley. Definitely a place for fragrance nerds but there's a good system for newbies, too. Most of the inventory is sorted by their general category (fruity, spicy, etc). I came prepared with paper strips in my fanny pack but don't worry, there's plenty available and you're given a pen so you can write the name on each scent as you go. There was a very cool deal where you could buy a sample for $10-$20 (1-2 ml in a spray bottle with a tight spring atomizer), then if you go back and buy the full size bottle of that sample, you get the price of the sample applied to the total. Fleurit from Carlsbad was in store doing some product education. They carry d'Annam, Stora, NISHANE, D.S. & Durga, Liis, Jusbox, Goldfield & Banks, and a bunch of parfumers I have never heard of. Binary fragrance is not a thing at The Drydown, and that's how I like to shop. You just pick a bottle without worrying about who it was meant to be marketed to, and you can decide for yourself if you like it. I spent $130 on a book, the Fleurit discovery set, and a sample of d'Annam Chinese Calligraphy. Really happy with my purchase and you best believe I'll be back in here real often. read more

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Stopped in on a weekday and Corinne helped our group, who was lovely! Space was so cute and there were so many great options, we all walked out with something new we loved! read more

Visited this place today, and loved the atmosphere and vibes, the person working was passionate and engaged. Although a lot of fragrances felt a little overpriced, I could tell a lot of care was taken in creating this store, and I will be visiting again. read more

This place is absolutely lovely and a must do for perfume lovers. Niche fragrances, wonderful variety, and welcoming staff. I loved my time there! read more

What an amazing new spot in Carlsbad! Shaya has created a beautiful, welcoming, no-pressure environment for people to come in and find an amazing new scent! I visited for opening weekend, and left with several incredible bottles. It was so hard to choose, but Shaya (the owner) was amazing in asking questions to help guide me toward scents I might enjoy. She was spot on with her recommendations! I also love that I can get samples to try out the scents before I commit to a whole bottle. I learned so much about some local brands, and love that the scents I'm wearing are not going to be something everyone around me is wearing too. I can't wait to try out one of her "Create Your Own" scent workshops. Shaya clearly loves what she does and has created such a unique experience. Do yourself a favor and stop by for a visit! Highly recommend! read more

I was visiting Carlsbad for a bachelorette, and we were looking for something special to do as our main event. Shaya was incredibly kind and accommodating, and we had so much fun finding each of our special scents. I personally don't know much about fragrances, so having her guide us through different scents was so educational. My group had an amazing time, we definitely recommend coming here. read more

Beautiful, experiential store with the most creative and diverse selection of scents anywhere in San Diego. The team are approachable and very knowledgeable, and space warm and inviting. They make buying scents so enjoyable. We're lucky to have this in Carlsbad. read more