Is Scentbird Worth It? A Thorough Review From a Fragrance Obsessive

Subscription boxes have changed the beauty game, and the successful model is here to stay. After all, we live in a world where we can get our heart's desire delivered to our doorsteps, usually within 24 hours. And when it comes to beauty, a universe filled with infinite choices, having someone help you land on your new favorite product is an absolute godsend. This is especially true when shopping for a signature scent online, because, well, there's no scratch and sniff function on your laptop (yet). Enter Scentbird, a subscription service that makes shopping for fragrance easy, custom, and delivered to your doorstep.

When it comes to fragrance, I'm a loyalist. (Until I get bored, that is, and need to move on.) My vanity is a graveyard of nearly-full perfume bottles that have fallen out of rotation. I've dropped some serious cash on fragrance flings only to outgrow their olfactory satisfaction. My lack of commitment when it comes to perfume preference makes me an ideal candidate to test out the Scentbird model, which is exactly what I did. Is Scentbird worth it? Find out below.

What Is Scentbird?

At the studs, Scentbird is a subscription service that sends you a trial-sized vial of fragrance (from brands like Prada, Gucci, Nest, Tom Ford, and more) per month for a low monthly rate: a little less than $17.

The brainchild of lifestyle gurus and branding wizards Maria Nurislamova, Rachel ten Brink, Sergei Gusev, and Andrei Rebrov, Scentbird allows you to custom order a deluxe sample of fragrance that arrives in a parcel each month. For a monthly subscription fee, your 30-day supply of fragrance will be delivered to your door until you opt out.

Scentbird also recently launched its own line of fragrance, Confessions of a Rebel, as well as home goods and wellness items you can buy as one-time purchases. Search the site and you'll find offerings from brands like Joanna Vargas, Make, Glow Recipe, and the new Deck of Scarlet line—also founded by Nurislamova. No word yet on if Scentbird plans to include beauty offerings in its subscription services.

How Does It Work?

When you sign up with Scentbird, you'll be guided through a fragrance quiz to help find your perfect match. The site will come up with recommendations and add them to your monthly queue. You can plan out an entire year of fragrances, as each 8 milliliter sample is designed to last for 30 days. Choose from over 600 perfumes, from legacy houses like Prada, Tom Ford, and Burberry as well as more niche brands like Ellis Brooklyn and Juliette Has A Gun.

More helpful than the quiz is a description of fragrance classifications, like florals, woody, gourmands, aquatics. You can also sort fragrances by ingredients, like anise or cardamom. This is an extremely helpful feature as it gets really specific, breaking each fragrance down note by note. For example, when I select Malin + Goetz's Moroccan Fig, I can search other scents that contain fig scents, like Nest's Indigo. If the note-by-note sorting doesn't do it for you, you can search fragrances by occasion, personality, and season.

Once you fill your queue, your fragrances will be mailed out to you for a monthly fee of under $17. You can upgrade your subscription and buy three, six, and 12-month packages for a discounted long-term savings plan.

You also receive a travel case with a spray nozzle that connects to each fragrance vial. This is really cute and handy, and keeps perfume from spilling in your purse, so score.

What Are Fragrance Options Like?

The line of fragrances is extensive, and there's something for every taste. I'm not so into legacy brands, and more into perfume oils and artisanal brands like Le Labo and Byredo. Although you won't find those on Scentbird, I found Joya's Composition No. 1, a citrus perfume oil with notes of sandalwood, jasmine, mandarin, and tuberose. I love the velvet skin-feel of this new scent, and the notes align with the product description.

I also received a free sample of Scentbird's signature Get A Room fragrance from the Confessions of a Rebel line. Get a Room is marketed as an exotic forbidden apple scent with notes of vanilla and clary sage. I wouldn't have gravitated to this scent, but am pleasantly surprised. I'm also loving how it layers with Joya's Composition No. 1, so bonus points for including a sample with complementary olfactory aromas.

Ease of Sign-Up

If you can manage your Netflix subscription, you can easily swing a subscription at Scentbird. The system will prompt you to update your queue; if you don't, you'll automatically be sent the designated fragrance of the month.

Affordability

$17 per month for fragrance is definitely doable, but the more you commit to the subscription, the more you save. You can also pause your subscription at any time.

Quality of Service

Customer service is pretty responsive, with a representative answering my questions via email within 24 hours. According to a Business Insider article, Scentbird had some delays in shipping issues when it switched fulfillment centers in fall of 2018, but has since addressed these concerns. I had no problems receiving my order, and was able to track it online with ease.

The Verdict

Overall, if you're into building your fragrance library to layer scents or just keep your signature aroma breezy, Scentbird is definitely worth it. What makes the brand legit is the intense research and sorting system for finding fragrances note by note in a way that's accessible and headache-free. Plus, you can't really beat the convenience when shopping for fragrance online.