There are a whole bunch of new cologne startup companies sprouting online. We’ve already taken a look at the latest, but there are also a few subscription cologne companies online that many people have wanted to know more about. This time we’re taking a look at Scent Trunk, a super unique and interesting cologne company that offers to create a cologne especially and specifically tailor-made for you and your scent preferences, and then send you a new mini vial of your custom cologne every other month (or however often you would like) for $11.99. Sound radical? Well, it is! It’s super cool, and the whole process was extremely interesting, and had some great results too. Here is how the whole thing goes down.
The Process
A close-up of one of the mini vials
When you sign up (after your first payment of $11.99) they start by sending you a test kit (which they call the “Scent Palette”) with six mini vials, each one containing a different scent profile — like citrus, floral, woody, and so on — and you apply them to different areas on your skin via the cool roller-ball applicator on each mini vial. You then rank which ones you like the most on their website, and Scent Trunk then gets to work creating a custom and unique cologne just for you based on your scent preferences, and which kind of scents you r own skin. (If you’d like to learn more about colognes in general — which we highly advise — check out our article on the subject.) The whole idea is incredibly clever, and insanely cool.
After running through the Scent Palette, I ended up with a “scent profile” where Citrus was the main theme of my cologne, with Wood as its compliment, and then hints of Aromatic and Chypre as well. Scent Trunk then got to work on making my cologne, and a few weeks later it arrived. It comes in a small blue metal sprayer, with enough to last about one or two months depending on how much, or how often, you use it.
My Scent(s)
So how did Scent Trunk do? Honestly, not to great. I did not like my custom cologne much at all. It was extremely fruity and tropical. It bordered much too much on perfume more than cologne. It had a strong coconut note, something that I truly did not wish to smell like. However, part of what makes Scent Trunk so great is that if you don’t like your fragrance you just let them know (along with whatever reasons or things you would like to change), and they will send you a new one for free incorporating your feedback. (They will do this for free the first time. After this, you can always ask them to tweak or fully change your cologne, and it will simply ship as your next subscription.)
Of course, I did just that, and gave them the feedback. Once again, two or three weeks later a new cologne arrived in the mail. This time, I truly loved it, as does my wife (which is when you really know it’s a great cologne)! It’s a wonderful and unique citrus cologne, with strong citrus notes at the top, that dissipate somewhat as the day goes on revealing a more woody and musky scent. It’s incredibly fresh and clean. I love it, and have never smelled a cologne like this before. It’s truly awesome, and seemingly the sort of thing you can only get from a company like Scent Trunk. Surely, if you try the service, you won’t end up with the same cologne I did — it’ll be different, but you’ll love it just as much because it is different, and specifically tailored to your preferences.
(By the way, this all equally applies to women. If that special someone in your life is looking for a new perfume, tell her to check Scent Trunk out! In fact, there is almost no way you will go through the whole Scent Palette vials yourself. Scent Trunk purposely gives you enough to be able to share it with friends and family.)
Miscellaneous Notes
I should also take a moment just to compliment their truly excellent website and packaging design. Their whole site is a pleasure to look at and use, and is quite unique. Their packaging is just as great-looking as well, right down to the detailing on their Scent Palette vials, with a different unique numeral font on each one. Great, great job with their whole aesthetic. It’s something we here at The Peak Lapel really appreciate.
The Bad: They’re (Kinda) Closing
So, with all that good, there has to be some bad, right? Well, unfortunately there is. The Scent Trunk CEO recently sent the following email to all of their customers:
I am both excited and saddened to announce a change in direction for our brand and product in 2018. For our existing members you will always have access to your personalized fragrance. However, we will not be accepting new customers for our personalization service in 2018.
We initially set out to create personalized fragrance We built our own lab so that we could design our own formulas and mix in small batches. We made conscious choices on the ingredients we use because it was the right thing to do.
However, the fragrance industry disagrees. 95% of the world’s fragrance is made by four manufacturers. Their formulas are considered trade secrets so they don’t need to disclose their ingredients to you. Turns out, there are many harsh chemicals, allergens, irritants and toxins (this is why some of you may get headaches, or itchy skin!). This problem is greater than just fine fragrance, it’s in our soaps, shampoos, detergents, candles and more.
We believe that we need to make fragrances safer. We’ll be re-launching our brand with 6 of our best blends. As a subscriber, we will send you a complimentary Sampling Palette of our new fragrances in 2018 so you can discover which blend you love most. For gift recipients and active subscribers, you will always have exclusive access to your personalized formula. However, it may not be openly advertised on the website in 2018 because we won’t be accepting new members.
The email went on to say that existing members have the option of ordering a full bottle of their custom fragrance for $85. Needless to say, this news saddens me as they seemed like an awesome, clever, and unique company and I very much liked their product. Still, I am curious to see what they put out in terms of the six fragrances, and we might even check them out and give you a review here on the site.
In short, and in conclusion, Scent Trunk is an interesting company that is worth keeping your eye on — even if you can’t order the custom cologne from them anymore.