Ever pondered how a simple scent can evoke powerful memories or shape your identity? For Dan Roberts, a fragrance enthusiast from Liverpool, England, perfume is more than just a pleasant aroma. Perfume has played a central role in his journey of self-discovery. He also sees fragrance as a powerful tool for connecting with others.
In this Q&A, we dip our toes into Dan’s world of fragrance, exploring how he’s built a community around his passion and how online perfume groups can shape the wider world of fragrance.
Tell me about the first perfume that affected your sense of self.
I was about 11 or 12, and my Nan, who raised me, would take me shopping in Liverpool every other weekend. I was obsessed with the original Lacoste perfume – Lacoste was massive in Liverpool back then, and I was into fashion from a young age. This would have been around 1996 or 1997. I was staring at it, and she asked if I wanted it. So she bought it for me. I wore it constantly and that’s how I first got into fragrance.
I’ve never owned another bottle and I keep wondering if I should buy it again. It’s going for exorbitant prices on eBay now. I worry, what if I don’t love it now?
My Nan passed away in 2019, and it was devastating losing her. I don’t know if I want it back to remember her, or if I should just leave it as it is. Her buying me that perfume started my lifelong love of fragrance. I’m forever grateful to her for that and so much else. It’s just one example of how she gave me a good start in life.
You help run the Fans of TRNP Perfumes Facebook group. How did you get interested in that brand and in this online group?
I was introduced to Teone Reinthal Natural Perfumes (TRNP) through a friend I met on Instagram. We connected because we both liked Perfumer H by Lyn Harris. We started swapping samples, and she sent me some TRNP samples. I was like, “Fucking hell, this stuff’s mad!” It was like nothing I’d ever tried before.
The scent that really blew me away was Nefertum. I immediately bought three bottles of Teone’s perfume from Gents in Sweden, the closest store to the UK that stocked it. I had never really been interested in natural perfumes before, but TRNP totally changed my mind. I ended up buying bottles of Nefertum, Polynesia, and Francois. I was like, “Wow, this stuff is unreal.”
That’s how I got started with TRNP. I developed a good relationship with Teone, and then her husband Steve asked me to help him run the TRNP Facebook group.
You believe fragrance can be a tool for self-discovery. Can you elaborate on how exploring different scents can help someone develop their own identity?
My perfume journey started when I was a preteen, wanting to impress girls at school. I enjoyed having a good sniff at Boots, where they sell all the designer perfumes.
By my early 30s, in 2017-2018, I realized I was choosing scents to please others, not myself. That’s when I started exploring more unique fragrances, like fruity tropical scents. I remember buying Malibu by Simone Andreoli. I wore it to death. However, I wasn’t satisfied. I realized I was worried about what people in my small town would think if I wore something really different. I decided it was worth it to take a chance so that I could smell the way I really wanted to. I started to embrace what I was drawn to, testing and wearing animalic scents with leather, oud, and tobacco.
I think exploring fragrance can be a great way to discover your own identity, rather than following trends. I’ve never been a big trend follower myself. By trying different scents and finding what you gravitate towards, you can build confidence in your own taste and stop worrying about what others think. It’s about what makes you feel good, not what you think others will like on you. That’s what fragrance helped me do – discover my own identity and choose scents that I love.
Fragrance preferences can be very personal. How do you think the scents we choose reflect our inner selves?
My fragrance choices change day to day. I wake up and ask myself how I’m feeling and how I want to feel. If I’m going to work, I want something that makes me feel positive – because let’s be honest, I hate going to work and leaving my family for 12 or 14 hours. I need something that keeps me going from half four in the morning when I get up, to seven at night when I get home. Some days I wake up and I know I’m not in the best of moods. Some days I choose something to lift me out of those moods, but other days I may choose something to match how I feel. I don’t always want to be uplifted. It’s okay to wear something dark and be in a bit of a mood. That can help me get over it and wake up better the next day.
Perfume choices are incredibly personal and I think they can be powerful tools for self-expression. What one person finds uplifting might make another feel sad. I have a variety of fragrances in my collection, because they all do different things for me.
Beyond self-discovery, you also see fragrance as a way to connect with others. Can you explain how fragrance can act as a bridge between people?
Online fragrance communities were a great way for me to connect with others who shared my passion for perfume. In early 2018, I visited a perfume shop called Pulse of Perfumery in the UK and met the owners, Peter and Mel, and their assistant, Danielle. The three of us bonded over our love of fragrances. I started decanting perfumes for other people in the online groups, not for profit, but just because I wanted to share my love of fragrance with others. This helped me build a little online community of like-minded people. Despite being introverted, fragrance helped me connect with people I never would have met otherwise.
People in the fragrance community have become true friends and have helped me in ways I never expected. When my youngest daughter was born with serious health problems, it was a friend in the fragrance community who helped our family get through it. Knowing that our family needed the ability to spend more time at home with our baby, this friend offered us a short-term business opportunity distributing their fragrances in the U.K. This kind action enabled my partner to stay home for twelve months, rather than returning to work. What this friend did for us was the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for us as a family. That blessing came to us from a relationship started through a shared love of perfume. This is how perfume can bring people together.
How do online communities contribute to the world of fragrance?
Before online communities, people were limited to what they could find in stores. Now, people have so many more opportunities to try and share new things, and then buy what moves them. I love the ability to connect with people from all over the world who share my enthusiasm. It’s brilliant, especially for introverts like me who don’t like speaking to people in real life. I can do it at my own pace, over the keyboard. Everyone’s interested in the same thing and that leads to good vibes for all.
Of course, there are downsides like negative comments and scams, but overall, the good outweighs the bad. It’s absolutely ace.
What advice would you give to someone new to exploring fragrance who wants to use it as a tool for self-discovery and connection?
I wish I’d approached fragrance differently. I spent a lot of money on scents I didn’t truly love. I wish I’d spoken to more people and tested more perfumes before buying them. Try lots of things and see how they make you feel and what they do for your mood. That’s how you know if a perfume is right for you. It’s not just about smelling nice.
Seek out independent perfumeries and chat with the owners. Their passion is in that perfume and they can guide you. Don’t forget to support the small perfumers—buy tester packs when you can.
Ultimately, fragrance is personal. Explore, experiment, and find what resonates with you. It’s a journey of self-discovery. Enjoy the process. And don’t waste money on things you don’t really love.
Editor’s note: Dan Roberts has a growing Instagram account devoted to the love of perfume called christ_the_perfumer.
The cover image is a royalty-free photo from Pixabay. All other photos have been provided courtesy of Dan Roberts.
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