My wife and I had a fun time smelling…read more Ministry of Scent was packed, but well-staffed with super nice, unpretentious, and knowledgable people with no hard sell. Each location has a curated hard-to-find collection, but this location is larger than the other branch and it's surrounded by other boutiques. You can get sample vials for $6-10, which you can often get back if you buy the full bottle. We loved Circue de Soleil, which smelled of buttery popcorn, cotton candy, and caramel apples, and Mango Sticky Rice, which smelled of mango, rice, and sticky. We didn't like the Katie Holmes, which smelled of bad acting, smirks and flop sweat. Is there a better experience testing fragrances? Nobody nose!

tl;dr Great selection, agree with other reviewers that customer experience is a hit or miss. On…read moreweekends, they limit samples to 3 per customer as it gets very busy. Pro tip: smell scents you like outside in the fresh air. The inside air smells crazy bc of all the sprays. 1.5ml samples are available at great prices. I've been here a couple times now to smell on my own and get recommendations from the staff. Both times, I was periodically approached by someone asking if I needed any help. I told them the notes I was looking for, and they brought out a mini line up of 6-8 fragrances for me to smell on my own. I appreciate this approach as you feel like you can smell on your own time. On my second visit, a staff member approached me and asked if i needed any assistance. I was ready to purchase some samples and asked her to look for 3. I waited in the corner of the store for several minutes, seeing her look in the sample stock for a bit, but then she came back into the main room without approaching me. I let her do her thing for a few more minutes but it appeared that she was helping other customers by then, so I asked if she had found everything. Only then did she tell me they were out of one of my 3 samples. I eventually replaced the 3rd sample with something else, but I didn't like the customer service during this visit.

After traveling in Europe to shop for scents, I can appreciate ZGO Perfumery even more. They bring…read moremany international perfume brands to me in an adorable setting. Plus, charming young men will guide you in discovering new treasures. Which is why I attended the special event focusing on Editions de Parfum Frédéric Malle perfumes. A new perfume was introduced - Contre Jour (which means Light Against Shadow). This perfume has radiance and depth. Check it out. The owner also unveiled the news that Frédéric Malle was now an established brand at the boutique; it has its own wall cabinet to showcase the perfumes! Event attendees enjoyed champagne & macaron treats. It was a party for perfume lovers! I found a new perfume to enjoy while perusing the selection. Plus: everyone on their invite list got a parting gift: a bag with EdP Frédéric Malle perfume samples and a notebook.

For quite some time, I've been into perfumery and recently discovered Niche Fragrances. ZGO…read moreperfumery has everything Niche which makes me appreciate it so much as most of the products they carry aren't widely available in storefronts. The layout made it easy for anyone to just come in and try a sample of different scents. My biggest pro is that they offer minimal customer service; they help whenever you need help and don't bother you which makes me shop in peace. Staff were extremely friendly to top it off, I would 100% stop by here when I make the drive to SF again.

Wonderful fragrances, worth a visit, I especially love the orange blossom, unique and compelling…read morestore.

Definitely stop in and see Rachel. Her customer service is incredible and she gave a great…read morerecommendation. Thanks Rachel!

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this store!! It's the cutest shop with a wide variety of scents. They…read morehave a focus on non-alcoholic and organic smells, which isn't a priority for me, but it's nice. I absolutely love the gardenia scent and am hoping it holds! The prices here are not too crazy. A lot of these essential oil/soap stores will overcharge, but I thought this place was reasonable. You can get a small bundle of items for $28, a potent diffuser with 15 mL of essential oil for $18, and the soap bars are around $5. They also have a happy hour sale! Very worth it for local, small batch scents, which I usually see going for more. The two women working there today were super welcoming and sweet as well. I will definitely be coming back :)

I had the most enriching fragrance-blending class experience at Scents By the Bay! The moment I…read morewalk-in, Tarah and Kiki made me feel at home. They were super friendly, highly knowledgable, & answered all my questions. Their passion & positive vibes were contagious. Being a fragrance lover who blends scents at home, I appreciated the clear, beautifully crafted guidance. The class balanced simplicity for beginners with deep educational insights. On top of that, their fragrance selection was unbelievable--literally a library of scents! They had over 700 options, from designer oils to pure essential and aromatherapy scents. As someone who's taken other classes with fairly small options, having such an eclectic, rare selection to choose from was next level. This was a perfect act of self-care after a busy weekend, and I left with new knowledge, a beautiful custom fragrance, and immense joy. This truly was a one-of-a-kind experience. Highly recommend! I love supporting local businesses and see myself being a frequent customer--probably will pop-in once or twice a month! I am excited to bring friends here for birthdays and special occasions. Already, planning to bring my husband for a date--so we can create a fragrance together! I'm just thrilled that something like this exists right here in the East Bay. This experience was a gem, and I can't wait to return again and again!

The best perfume! Such an elegant and luxury products…read more Located inside The Ritz Carlton SF, There is Krigler. Testers are available and please make sure to come by and say hello to the sweet Japanese lady who works there, her name is Rieko. She is the best and you will love her and the products that she represents. ありがとう、りえこ!

An absolutely outstanding Japanese shop, particularly when it comes to incense; the product range…read moreis incredibly comprehensive. The owner is dedicated to helping you select and learn about the products--most importantly, they recommend what actually suits you, rather than just pushing expensive, high-margin items.

My daughter was delighted with this place because they had a very high quality matcha from Japan…read more This is what we bought: Matcha, Isuzu 100g - Marukyu Koyamaen (Uji, Kyoto) - Japan - $84 Tea Container 3.5FL oz / 100g, Green - Made in Japan - $10 Matcha - Aya no Mori (Thin Tea) - 40g - kanbayashi - $30

Love the product and packaging. Received pkg quickly. This…read moreis real oil and the smell is magnificent and takes me WAY back.. If you've tried other products you have to try Frankie and Myrrh-this is the best!!

Last Wednesday was truly a scent-sational breeze. My nose knows no wrong. I could simply smell…read moredifferent types of floral depths even if I'm standing near the front of the entrance that was called Frankie & Myrrh. I once had made a gift exchange with my mini black glass canister for a "Spray the B!#ch Away" during the white elephant gift event. That was few years back. I used that spray to create a mist before bedtime, and that was a pleasant scent. Too bad my whole family didn't like that scent, not even my ex-wife. Thus, I'm the only one who can have it in my room in case I get annoyed. Back to the latest. Sweet strong scent from diffusers and sachets, sweet customer service, and a sweet atmosphere that brings positive feelings in one whiff. Though each of the purchases were still expensive, the one for $15 was the French lavender essential oil. Not as strong as my Bulgarian version in a tiny cobalt glass bottle, the French lavender will be good enough to help me relax. I have yet to use it after I use up my Bulgarian version. Anytime of the day, I can only smell with or without opening its tiny bottle. *Sniff*, *sniff*! Aaah! Aromatherapy at its very best!

I went to the store to exchange my hand lotion because this time I did not like the grassy scent on…read morethe eau rose. Joanne was Amazing, she gave me an Outstanding service. She was professional and knowledgeable and kind. She explained to me why sometimes the scent does not smell the same each time. I was very pleased with the whole service and she gave me some samples to try.

Beautiful store with a variety of lovely perfumes and candles. I was welcomed in and service was…read morefriendly and helpful. They let me browse and take my time smelling everything. I really liked Eau des Sens and purchased a hand cream that was beautiful wrapped.

Just discovered this wonderful scent line this past weekend! Placed an immediate order from home…read morefor the Field Notes from Paris scent! Deluxe, delicious and makes me think of Versailles, Marie Antoinette could have worn a similar scent as it takes you back in time and transports you to Paris. My order arrived immediately and came with a special 10th anniversary scent library. What a quality product and the packing is sexy, sultry and gift worthy!

In all of my 33 years I have never found a perfume that spoke to me the way that Ineke's Briar Rose…read moredid. In fact, all of the other perfumes that I had sampled were equally intoxicating. Every time I wear Briar Rose I get compliments and questions. It is a unique rose scent that is sweet yet dark, like me. Ineke has impeccable taste and I hope she continues to create perfumes for the rest of my life. I don't know what I would do if she stopped

Came in to le labo to kill some time while my tires were getting changed and was helped by a…read morewonderful employee named Jordan. He was patient and let me try the scents and he was very knowledgeable on the products and scents le labo has. Purchased a few different scents . Great experience!

My mom and I are having lunch at Iyasare and the young busboy walked by and my mom commented on how…read morenice he smelled and he said he got "Matcha" from this location which I thought was absolutely adorable considering :). It really smelled nice though!