Vetiver Perfumery: New Albany’s Scent Customization Haven

When you walk into Vetiver Perfumery, the mix of aromas is a lovely way to get your sense of smell working. I loved test-driving the shop’s creations to get a feel of what I liked and didn’t. 

There are two options for creating your own perfume: walking in or booking a time. As I didn’t know the shop existed until I literally walked by it, and there wasn’t a counter full of guests making theirs already, my daughter and I were able to begin creating almost immediately. 

Some handy advice: if you’re planning to visit the fragrance bar with several people at a time, book an appointment so you can be sure there’s room for you when you arrive.

Depending on what size container you’d like to purchase makes a difference in how many scents you can layer. My daughter and I both chose a medium-sized frosted bottle and with it could layer up to nine different scents. Smaller bottles offer three to six scent options.

With a multi-scent perfume, each has a base note, heart note, and top note. For me, it’s this type of perfume that offers depth and even mystery. A base note is what you immediately smell when you spray a perfume. The heart note comes immediately after, and the top note lingers the longest. 

Vetiver offers dozens of all three types of notes, and we were able to test drive countless individual scents to come up with the perfect blend for each of us. I wanted a perfume that smelled like autumn mixed with Halloween, and I worked my way around the scent menu until I got the perfect blend.

Called “Witches’ Cupboard,” it hints of cinnamon and other warm spices. I blended eight different scents and, using small liquid droppers, added them to my bottle. Once I completed one set of each of the eight single scents, I went back to the beginning of the list and did it twice more until the bottle was full. 

On the other hand, my daughter loves a good earthy perfume, so hers had inclusions like tobacco, herb, and leather. If you’re unsure what you like in a perfume, feel free to ask the shop folks—they have knowledgeable noses. 

Additionally, I received my custom perfume card with exact ratios, should I ever want to remake it. I was given the original card to keep, but it was also scanned into the shop’s database, so I don’t need to bring it with me next time. I love the fact that I can make another bottle, and it will smell identical to the original creation, as I’ve been using mine daily!