Posted on: Tuesday, October 16, 2001

Personality types can be matched with fragrances

By Anita Malik
Arizona Republic

Imagine opening up your organizer and writing down your friends' fragrance personalities next to their phone numbers and birthdays. This might sound strange, but when buying the gift of perfume, it is almost a necessity.

With most department stores selling myriad scents, shopping can leave you and your nose frustrated. Relying on packaging also can be a problem.

Nancy LaPratt of Scottsdale, Ariz., jokingly asked a salesperson whether Thierry Mugler's Angel for Men meant her husband would have a halo.

LaPratt actually might be on to something, according to aromatherapy specialist and author Valerie Ann Worwood. Fragrances might not have the power to change the wearer's nature, but knowing the personality can determine the proper scent. A shy person and an outgoing person will generally prefer different types of fragrances, she said.

Worwood's book "The Fragrant Mind" (New World Library, $19.95) outlines a theory called Aroma-Genera that matches nine personality types with nine fragrance categories ranging from fruity to spicy. People who are uptight and trustworthy are woody types while people who like to please others are considered floral types.

"The secret is to find what personality group a person fits into," Worwood says.

Knowing whether a friend likes strawberry cheesecake or tiramisu might save you some time, but it is not an exact science.

The best approach is to "find out what a person is wearing now," says Janice Zimolzak, fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue at the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix. If that is impossible, go back to basics and hit the tester bottles. Try to find a scent that reminds you of the person.