The Perfume Companion

With dazzling photographs, easy to read information, and helpful categories, as well as a thorough and accessible introductory, this book helped me learn more about one of my most recent hobbies: collecting perfume.

Charts, tables, and photographs add to the accessibility of the information without detracting from the content or overwhelming the reader. If I could only pick one reference manual for burgeoning perfume aficionados, this would be it.

Everything you need to know about perfume, as well as perfume examples and comparisons, all in an approachable manner.

My Recommendation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Perfume Companion”
by Sarah McCartney and Samantha Scriven

A History of Wearing Scents—From Cavemen to Cleopatra to the Common Era

History and legends are full of smells, essences and fragrances, as is our life today, extoll Sarah McCartney and Samantha Scriven in their new compendium, “The Perfume Companion,” an intriguing history of the world of scents and a look at some of the world’s most famous brands and the ingredients that make them unique.

Frankincense and myrrh, the Three Wise Men traveled far to bring precious ingredients still used today in perfumes to the honor the Baby Jesus. Cleopatra rubbed exotic oils in her hair and on her body to entice Julius Caesar. We dab our favorite scent behind our ears as an alluring note of our presence.

Why we are attracted to various fragrances, be it citrus, musk, floral notes, or woodland features, McCartney and Scriven help us understand our scent preferences in their comprehensive guide to perfumes, colognes and attars—with each explained.

With hundreds of the world's most famous perfumes listed in categories by their scent type, maker, history and descriptive notes, this a fun and engaging resource on fragrance development, usage and personal style. This is a great book to be read, re-read and given as gift. What a treat!

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J. Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Perfume Companion”
by Sarah McCartney and Samantha Scriven
Genre: Non-Fiction | Health | Mind & Body | Reference
Publication Date: 20 September 2021
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion

My Sincere Appreciation to NetGalley, Authors Sarah McCartney and Samantha Scriven, and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for Providing this Advance Reader's Copy for Review.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Bit of a gripe first
This was not available as Mobi format so had to read this on my phone. The lack of a bigger screen to be able to read seriously impacted my enjoyment

So that over

This is a fantastic resource
Loved the page set out and being able to read about different perfumes. So many that I had not heard of

If you are into make up and cosmetic etc (I am) this is fascinating

I just wish I could have got a full enjoyment of reading and was so irritated what would have been a 5 star rating is 4

This would make a nice book for a living room or salon where you just dip in and out for a informative and helpful encyclopaedia on perfumes. The cover needs to be more luxurious and tempting as it’s currently a dull pink with no glossy photos. With a few tweaks it would be a book every fragrance and beauty lover should get for their as a gift or just for themselves.

"The Perfume Companion" is a gorgeous compendium, packed with perfume facts and expert scent suggestions for all budgets. Would make a lovely gift.

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been a collector of perfumes and fragrances off and on for almost 20 years. This book definitely called to me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this book would appeal to not only someone who isn’t new to the scent world, but also a beginner as well! There is plenty of history of perfume, types of scent, etc, but concise enough to not overwhelm the book for someone who is already familiar with these topics. I even learned a few terms that were new to me.

The catalog of fragrances is more diverse than previous fragrance books I’ve read, as there were both familiar fragrance houses (department store and celebrity) and niche perfumers listed, which I loved. I immediately pulled up my Fragrantica account and added a few scents I’m interested in trying out that I had never heard of! I also agreed with many of their short but story-telling descriptions of fragrances I’ve bought or tried on in the past.

This book would make a great gift to any perfume lover, or for someone who is generally interested in learning what types of fragrances might work well for them. 5/5 stars from this fragrance addict.

This is a lovely book a guide to Rhee world of perfumes. A guide to the world of perfume a beautiful book that would be perfect to display and enjoy.Would make a wonderful gift.#netgalley#quatrobooks

First things first, this book is stunning! Beautiful bold colors & shapes, as well as full color pictures of each bottle. The categories helped me narrow down my choices, and all the fun facts and extensive background on perfume are the cherry on top. I am always drawn to fruity scents so I immediately went for that category. So many of my favorites listed, and I discovered some new scents to try out. Love the way the scents are broken up and I also love that there are a variety of prices, from high end to Avon’s signature scent. This would make a lovely coffee table book or gift. Five stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for an advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great little book for an overview of perfumes and what is essential a review of current perfumes on the market. It also contains a *very brief* look at the history of and differences between different types of perfumes, what scent types there are, and how to go about looking for a perfume for yourself.


I was given a free copy of the e-book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful and informative book that gives an overview of perfumes, the history behind them, a bit of what goes into them, and a slew of current-day examples, with pictures of the bottles, for the various types of scents. This would make for a great coffee table book or gift to anyone who has a beginner's interest in perfumes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, and the authors for this advanced readers copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a good tool for anyone who is interested in understand the complexity of scent. The book is filled with many perfumes that are easily available and helps you understand the notes, the harmony and the magic of perfume.

I took a perfume course once and found myself questioning everything I smelled. Was it fruity, woodsy, spicy, etc. After awhile I got the hang of it and grew more confident, being able to differentiate and determine multiple layers of a scent. If I had had this book back then, it might have helped, as I could work with some perfumes I have and understand what else I was smelling at the base, top and in the middle. Having this book then, would have been a great help to me getting started.