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For those of us who spent our teen years swathed in Victoria Secret Pink body sprays and Bath & Body Works mists, finding a grown-up perfume can be intimidating. But Asia Grant, an award-winning perfumer and founder of Scent Social Club, has made it her mission to make the process simple and seamless—and even fun.
Whether you're a perfume connoisseur or a total novice, "The Nolita Perfume Tour" invites all scent-seekers on a two-hour long guided experience through niche perfume stores in Manhattan. Included in the tours is a perfume shopping map of New York, a perfume guide with personalized recommendations, free samples and exclusive in-store discounts. Each tour has a maximum of around eight people, so you're getting a personal experience. Visit perfume boutiques like Fueguia 1833 and Commodity—and leave with a new scent hand picked just for you.
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Grant considers herself a certified scent sommelier, who guarantees she will find you a niche, sophisticated perfume or cologne you love. And she has the credentials to prove it—she co-owns her own perfume and beauty brand, Redoux, which she started with a friend after graduating college in 2019. She's also a prominent and reoccurring figure in the TikTok perfume community, known for her reviews of perfumes and in-depth analysis of certain scents.
But Grant believes her gift of scent comes from her synesthesia—a neurological condition that allows her to hear, see and even taste smells. "If I smell a perfume, I can hear the noise, music, rhythm of that scent," she told Time Out. "When I see the color blue, I know it smells like this, or I hear this song—and it literally never turns off."
Before going on the perfume tour, Grant asks her guests to answer a list of questions in regards to their persona and how they want to come across. For example, if you say you want to come across as feminine, Grant will dissect what feminine actually means to you. The questions get really detailed: What type of jewelry do you wear? Do you own a Stanley Cup? Do you typically wear athleisure, or are you always wrapped in leather? From there, she compiles a list of fragrances for you to try in person.
There's no greater high in my life than when someone's like 'this is exactly me, you found it.'
"You want to feel like a woman, but not be overly sexualized—great, how can we find a scent that is simple yet nuanced enough to capture all of that?" Grant said. Depending on your answers, she'll cross scents off her list of recommendations. Maybe you don't want rose or floral aromas. But a soft, musty milk might work. "Here's a fragrance for that version of you and here's a fragrance for another version. You can be both. There's no greater high in my life than when someone's like 'this is exactly me, you found it.'"
Tours happen twice a day on the weekend and costs $105 per person. Grant also offers large group sessions for 10-200 people, along with a masterclass on the science of perfumery. You can book your tour through the site here.