Many of us speak (or at least read) more than one language. Does it influence what names we favor when it comes to perfumes?
Saturday Question #215:
Perfume Names In What Language Do You Prefer?
It doesn’t matter whether you own or even like those perfumes, just thinking about perfume names, do you have a preference for the language of the name?
My Answer
I do not like French names: it’s enough that probably until the end of my days when I speak English people will be asking me “Where are you from?”, so trying to figure out which of the 5 letters in the end of the name are silent when answering the question “What perfume are you wearing?” isn’t my idea of fun.
I thought I would go with “English” as my answer, but after thinking about it for a while, I realized that I prefer portmanteau names, which merge parts of two or more real words (preferably English) into a single, innovative term, such as Splendiris, Felanilla, Irisistable or Sheiduna.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I so much relate to your statement about being continually asked where you are from. I have three nationalities and all three are integral parts of who I am. I loathe being asked where I’m from, as if the place I happen to have been born necessarily defines who I am. So I never ask that question when I meet someone.
As for perfume names I am good with any language as long as it’s grammatically correct. I don’t like it when a company tries to sound French but mixes it with English or misspells/uses incorrect grammar. Like the company Unique’e. That kind of thing makes me grit my teeth and roll my eyes.
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I’m with you on “faux” language-look-likes names. Do completely abstract names, don’t pretend those are real words! :)
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I used to be halfway decent in French, but it has been a long time since I needed to use it. So generally – English. Although I have a lot of Nicolaï perfumes which are mostly French names, although pretty straightforward ones. Thé portmanteau names are fun. I think my preference is mostly to have names that give me at least a clue of what the perfume might smell like. I like Gucci Envy – but the name doesn’t give me any hints of its scent. Maybe that’s boring, but I do get irritated when something has a great name and then the scent doesn’t come close to matching what my brain expected.
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I get really upset when a name that I like doesn’t come with great perfume. It feels like such a waste! :)
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A very interesting question that has never occurred to me.
I’m monolingual. I speak English with a Yorkshire accent or dialect.
I agree with MMKinPA in that I like some hint of what is in the bottle. A descriptive name, as with the portmanteaux you give, would encourage me to sample it. I wouldn’t say that I prefer names in any language though
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I do like getting some hint at what it’ll be, though I prefer it slightly more complex that just “Vanilla” or “Paper.”
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I’m a hybrid — I do like fragrance names in French, but also those that tell you something about the scent. To follow up on MMKinPA’s comment, I like names like Nicolai’s Rose Royale. I also like Italian, so an example would be Carthusia’s Fiori di Capri. To me, those names sound romantic because of their languages but they are also descriptive. In English, I love many of the names that Sarah McCartney gives her 4160 Tuesdays fragrances, because they make me smile. I mean, Mother Nature’s Naughty Daughters! I also like the evocative names Diane St. Clair has used for St. Clair Scents, like First Cut, Gardener’s Glove, and Blue Marble. BTW, the parfum she created for American Perfumer, Call Me, is a finalist in the 2024 Art and Olfaction Awards!
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I like descriptive names, but I prefer names with 2, maybe 3 words. Once it gets too long, people tend to shorten them with acronyms (e.g., LDDM or PoaL).
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Hey undina and crew,
I find Italian much easier to decipher than French. To the point where I feel silly trying to even pronounce in the French. I’ll go check the pronunciation online and by the time I need to say it the sound has left my brain.
Portia x
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I agree that Italian names are easier! With French, I don’t even try any more and confess immediately that I have no idea how to pronounce it (and in some cases, SAs do not know either :) ).
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HA! Yeah, those poor untrained SAs who have to deal with them daily. Must be soul crushing.
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I never thought of it but basically, while I am usually opinionated, on the language of perfume names – 🤷🏻♀️
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That was unexpected! :)
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I don’t have a strong preference, but I love perfume names in Italian. It’s a lovely language and easier for me to pronounce than French.
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I think I gravitate to French, maybe because it’s familiar from perfumes I first got to know when I got into perfumery. I also like punny names, which I’m more likely to get if they’re in English.
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While I’m not a French speaker, the challenge is fun nonetheless.
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As a French (and German) speaker, I don’t mind French names. Thinking about it, German perfumes are vanishingly rare, in fact I’m not sure I can think of any!
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