This letter smells good
Let's explore the Ministry of Scent in San Francisco (and learn a little about perfume, too)
I love living in San Francisco for many reasons, one being you get to play tourist in this incredible place. Even after landing here almost twenty years ago, it feels like there’s always a new park, museum, vista, oddity, or specialty shop to uncover. Ministry of Scent is like that—one of those places I have long wanted to visit, but never had. The name alone is compelling, no?
A small perfume shop with a location on Valencia in the Mission and on Fillmore in Pacific Heights, Ministry of Scent features fragrances from niche and independent perfume houses. And, each outpost carries slightly different things. You might find one brand here and not there, or some brands’ lineups split between the two locations.
I would classify myself as a perfume lover who knows next to nothing about the art and science of perfumery. But that’s just it—the fact that it’s chemistry meets craft is so compelling to me. Recently, I found myself in Pac Heights on an errand and popped into the shop to (finally!) check it out.
Let me just say—it's a true fragrance playground.
You can spray and sniff to your heart's content, and even if you’re not in the market for a fragrance, exploring the bottles alone is a delight (especially if you appreciate great packaging and design).
Because the shop carries such unique, hard-to-find brands—and plenty of cult favorites, too—one of the best parts is telling the team your favored scents and letting them pick fragrances you’d never think to try. On the day I visited, I chatted with Emma, who was so knowledgeable.
“What are your go-tos?” she asked.
“Jasmine and rose, or citrus scents like neroli,” I told her, and before I could even finish my sentence, she’d grabbed five bottles to spray on tester strips. Most had other fragrance notes I wasn’t familiar with; they weren’t things I’d normally pick for myself, but it was such an adventure to smell something different and experience perfumes that were so unusual.
It’s a low sales pressure kind of place, but one thing that’ll get you to fork over a little money is their sample program. The shop offers $5 tester samples of many of the fragrances—though this is so popular, a few I wanted to try were out of stock. Still, I went home with four little samples, which was a perfect way to try scents that interested me before investing.
Can browsing a local perfume shop restore your faith in humanity? Maybe.
On the day of my visit, a mother and teenage daughter strolled in not long after me to shop for a special birthday gift for the latter. They took their time, smelling and chatting and giggling together. When the young girl settled on her pick—a lilac scented fragrance in a beautiful bottle—she cradled it in her palms like a treasure, her excitement its own kind of sillage that lasted long after they departed.
A 30-something guy in an oversized mustard hoodie and baseball cap arrived next. He was an aspiring perfumer with a list of unusual fragrance notes in hand, there to smell each one in as many perfumes as possible, so that he might discover how they worked their magic. I’m still wondering what he smelled, and how it’ll change the perfumes he makes.
As I was about to leave, an older woman wandered in and grabbed a bottle near the door. She sprayed it onto a test strip and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Then, she sighed with a moan of satisfaction, her soft smile infectious. She put the bottle back, then darted out of the shop as fast as she’d arrived, one hit of the scent she loved enough to make her whole day, and mine.
Can we pause for a second and talk perfume terms? Chatting with Emma, listening to the young perfumer, and reading fragrance descriptions since the age of 13 all led me to realize I know next to nothing about perfume terminology. Sure, I’ve heard of a heart note, but what it means is a bit fuzzy. So I put together this little glossary, as much for my edification as to make this letter fun-ner.
Behold! And enjoy:
I sampled so many new-to-me fragrances, but there were two standouts for me:
One Day’s Jasmine Tea | Dear lord. If you are a jasmine lover—the flower, the tea, the fragrance—this is the nexus. With true tea notes, it smells exactly like the first sip of jasmine pearl hot tea. I have sampled and bought many jasmine perfumes over the years, but this one is something very unique. I bought a sample of it and find it fruitier on my skin than on the test strip, which surprisingly, I don’t hate. Emma told me this is a very popular fragrance; sure enough, it just sold out on their website. (I did find an LA/NY-based fragrance shop here that also sells samples!)
Maison Violet’s Un Air d’Apogee | This is the thing about a shop like Ministry of Scent—you uncover things you’d never think to sample otherwise. I asked Emma about her favorite perfume in the shop right now, and though she pulled a few, I was intrigued by this one, not least because of the name. Described as being a “leathery” fragrance (not my thing, typically), the minute I smelled it, I said, “WHOA.” It was complex, floral, and honeyed—but not cloying—feminine, elegant, just altogether unique. I’m going to pop by for a sample the next time I’m there, since they were sold out! (Also available here, I found.)
If you’re planning a visit to San Francisco, you can find Ministry of Scent at these two locations:
Mission: 962 Valencia Street
Pac Heights: 2408 Fillmore Street
No trips to the bay? You can shop their site here, and follow them on IG here.
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Images of Ministry of Scent taken by me
Collage and Glossary Images: Annie Spratt, Sergey Raikin, New York Public Library
Resources: Lucky Scent’s Glossary of Terms, Fragrantica Notes database
I WANT TO GO!