New Fragrance App Helps You Find Perfect Perfume

Have you ever gone to a fragrance counter and felt overwhelmed by the amount of options to choose from? You’re not alone. Fragrances are created based on several types of scents. Both perfumes and colognes are classified according to these fragrance types, which include floral, woody, citrus, and many more. Additional types, such as aqua, were created over the past 20 years, and many perfumes on the market, particularly celebrity fragrances, actually combine two or more types. Some perfumes and colognes may fit you better and some may not. So, how do you know where to start at a counter or a website?

Estee Lauder, the fragrance and cosmetics giant, recently developed an iPhone app for such a purpose. Called Ascent, the app is designed to help you find your favorite fragrance based on a series of questions based on aromachology, psychographics, and kinesthetics. The app is designed to help you at a scent counter, particularly when a sales person may be trying to get you to buy a product that might not suit your tastes. Additionally, the app is available in 10 languages and debuted at the end of May in the US. The app has already been in use in several countries already.

One drawback for this app has been its obvious product placement. While, inevitably, having an application created by Estee Lauder means the company gets to hawk its products to the buyer, some more variety for each fragrance type would be more helpful. Although the app also promotes scents by Michael Kors and Donna Karan, this is only a small portion of perfumes and colognes on the market for various fragrance types. Essentially, while this app means well for the user, it will merely direct the person to an Estee Lauder counter for the “perfect” fragrance.