Finding a signature scent is a challenging feat. It takes time and patience to discover a fragrance that aligns with your body chemistry and makes you feel confident from the inside out. We speak from experience; the Glowsly girls are looking for distinctive scents for various uses, including date nights and everyday wear.
Hoping to simplify the process and take the guesswork from perfume shopping, Ashley Boyce and Luke Weston created Noteworthy Scents. This AI-powered fragrance brand uses technology to help you find a scent that complements your style.
“Noteworthy uses each person’s unique and individual preferences to create a curated recommendation of fragrances for them to try and experience,” Boyce told Glowsly about the process that begins with a five-minute quiz. “Our recommendations come directly from our proprietary algorithm, built off thousands of data points from real customers.”
The creation
Noteworthy was born when Boyce and Weston realized they wanted to help people avoid feeling overwhelmed by the countless options available when looking for a signature scent.
“We ran a proprietary survey of over 600 customers and found that 83% of women wish there were a simple way to find one fragrance they love,” Boyce shared. The same survey revealed that 74% of women crave a signature scent that’s “different” and “unique” from others.
The survey also revealed that more than 50% of men believe finding a new fragrance is challenging, and over 81% liked the idea of using an AI-powered digital tool to focus on a fragrance recommendation they’d enjoy.
Boyce noted that the digitization of the beauty industry created numerous opportunities to develop memorable and personalized customer experiences. Since people typically emit scents from their lotions, body creams, and body washes, Noteworthy recognized the significance of making fragrance, an often-overlooked category within the beauty industry, a priority.
The technology
The Fragrance Finder quiz on the Noteworthy website consists of a wide range of questions regarding your favorite vacation spots, your thoughts on familiar scents like baby powder, crayons, and lemons, the time of day you typically wear fragrance, and more. Your answers are run through an algorithm, allowing the AI to provide four recommendations based on your responses: three sample fragrances that’ll likely resonate with your personal preferences and one wildcard to help you step outside your comfort zone.
According to Boyce, the Noteworthy experience has an 89% success rate in helping real people find at least one Noteworthy fragrance they love.
“As we continue to push Noteworthy as a brand, we are excited to utilize our customer feedback to fuel us for the future,” she said. “We believe personalization is the beauty industry’s future, and AI has allowed the Noteworthy brand to create unique, meaningful, and personalized fragrance experiences for all our customers.”
Although the technology is fascinating and simple, our Editor-in-Chief, Jamie Greenberger, found it slightly challenging to answer the quiz questions, as she had difficulty expressing her feelings about scents like musk, amber, or juniper. Typically, she follows her senses and selects a fragrance based on what feels right. Editor Melissa Simon, on the other hand, felt that the quiz effortlessly gathered all the information needed to choose a fragrance that suited her preferences.
Our reviews
We took the fragrance finder quiz for this review, which took about five minutes to complete. We then received four sample-size fragrances to help us find our signature scents.
Emerald Elitou, Writer
“Within days of answering a few questions about my favorite scents, my discovery box arrived at my doorstep. Much like Noteworthy’s Co-founder Ashley Boyce described, three were chosen to match my answers from the quiz and one wildcard.
“Eager to see how accurate the AI was, I immediately sprayed my pulse points with n,743 ($125), a scent that consisted of notes of tuberose, magnolia, and musk. I enjoyed the smell I can best describe as fabulous and feminine.
“Up next was n,290 ($125), a scent that contained notes of mandarin, peony, and vanilla. I enjoyed the smell since it reminded me of a casual summer day, much like that pamphlet suggested. The full-sized bottle of n,290 now sits on my beauty counter.”
Sheree Rabinovich, Social Media Strategist
“Whatever magic is in that quiz did its thing. Based on my results, I received my box, and they nailed it! There wasn’t one scent that I didn’t love, but my favorite was the n,290 ($125). I’ll be getting a full-sized bottle of this one.
“The biggest pro for me is that the scents last ALL DAY. Sure they fade a bit, but I caught whiffs of it throughout the day. That’s a big seller for me.”
Melissa Simon, Editor
“I absolutely loved the three personalized fragrance samples I received, but one of them, likely the wildcard, smelled too much like cologne for my liking. My favorite was n,271 ($125), made from black currant, rose, and vanilla. It’s a scent that defies my typical perfume of choice because I don’t usually love the overly sweet smell of vanilla. But when combined with fresh black currant and rose (my favorite), it balances out the sweetness. This scent had an extra kick of elegance, femininity, and sophistication, as perfectly described by the brand.
“I’m thinking of purchasing a full bottle of n,271 because of how unique and fitting the scent is. Plus, the QR code on the top of the packaging makes it easy to purchase. However, it’s pretty pricey for the size, so I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. But the more I smell it, the more tempted I am to buy it…”
Jamie Greenberger, Editor-in-Chief
“Of the four scents I got, I truly liked all of them. Two were a bit more masculine but pleasant nonetheless (yes, I’ll pass them off to my fiance!).
“The other two were right up my alley — in completely different ways, though. One had a subtle yet beautiful floral vibe, while the other made me smell like a cupcake candle — in the best way possible. Realistically, these wouldn’t be scents I wore every day. The floral would be perfect for spring brunch, while the cupcake candle would be a holiday-time go-to.
“I may not have found my new signature scent with my first box, but the entire experience made me want to retake the test and try out more. Noteworthy knows what they’re doing in the fragrance department, and I’m sure with a bit more knowledge on my end, I’d be able to settle on a new favorite in no time.”
The final fragrance verdict
While anyone searching for a signature scent can benefit from Noteworthy, it can be particularly helpful for those who are indecisive or just starting out on their fragrance journey. Noteworthy’s Fragrance Finder quiz might be the push you need to make your online perfume purchases that much easier. “If we can help people find something that makes them feel good, then we consider that a win,” Boyce said.