Fragrance Store Visit: Spotlight on Etiket

Now that I've been into this hobby for a year, it's finally time to spread my wings and leave the nest of designer and mainstream fragrances. I started snooping around for places that held those niche jewels a few months ago and this is how I stumbled upon Etiket. I got the chance this weekend to visit the store and here are my impressions!

---

Etiket has been opened since 2011 by owner Simon Tooley and is situated inside a former mansion on Montreal Sherbrooke street (there are two other locations: Vancouver and Toronto in fall 2023). Etiket is a niche fragrance and scientific skin-care boutique. The inventory of this boutique is made up of a carefully curated selection of products from Canada and around the world. Particular care is brought into the interaction with the customers and many satisfied customers have raved about the expertise this store has. I was curious to check it out for myself. I, for one, am usually a silent roaming customer that hates being interrupted by a salesperson, but I was curious to see how everything would turn out.

When I first entered, I was greeted by someone who directed us (my boyfriend accompanied me on this trip) to a fragrance expert: Marianne. I could hear small chatter coming from other customers who were already there, filling the air with bits of english and french. The atmosphere was saturated with a mix of various perfumes that had already been sprayed this morning, but nothing that assaulted my nose. The space is luxurious: natural lights are coming from a few open windows and artificial lights make the various perfume bottles arranged in neat rows stand out like glittering jewels. It's a cozy environment but also an experience in itself: we're clearly not at a mainstream drugstore or shop. Back to Marianne who greeted us with a warm encouraging smile. We told her it was our first time and from then on, she made sure we had a very good first experience. Confident, knowledgeable, gracious, respectful, she never made me feel hurried and let us take the time to smell the various perfumes. We had a list and she took it and lined up the fragrances we asked for while we browsed about, marveling at so many of the bottles I had seen on internet but never seen in real life. When the time came, she dutifully explained each scent, letting us soak in the vibe of each perfume. We never felt pressured into buying a perfume immediately: when we hesitated, she would graciously excuse herself to go serve other customers while we pondered on what we were going to do. She'd come back after a while (we never felt left out) and would guide our decisions, while leaving us the brunt of it (which was appreciated).

I decided to come to Etiket, first and foremost, because of Escapade Gourmande . The renowned gourmand scent, elusive, wihich is now finally available in Canada through Etiket. Left with a bottle (upcoming review), but also left with two others: 32 Venenum (a lovely spiced chaï tea scent with which I fell in love) and Dear Polly Eau de Parfum (a lovely tea fragrance). Marianne also gave us a ton of samples to try out at home. We left with over a dozen of samples, most notable being Tihota (a fan-favorite vanilla), Bee (a Canadian gourmand intoxicating honey scent) and Casamorati - Lira Eau de Parfum (a delicious lemon scented dessert). My boyfriend didn't purchase any bottles (gifted me Escapade Gourmande), but he fell for a few perfumes with which he got samples: Poets of Berlin , Zeste de Gingembre and "Ingenious Ginger | Goldfield & Banks" . We left with a lovely tote bag, three full bottles of perfume, a small bag containing a handful of samples and a smile on our face.

I have to say I was quite impressed with the experience and will probably be returning in the future once I've cleared a few samples and have enjoyed my first full bottles of niche perfumes. I may have fallen down a rabbit hole with no turning back: niche perfumes boast incredible scents and fragrances that are unique. Etiket is a fine purveyor of those elusive but luxurious goods. I really recommend a visit to the store, whether you're an expert or a newcomer like I am. You'll be falling in love and leaving with a few full bottles and a handful of samples (no jokes). Try it out!

The OG Etiket boutique that I visited can be found at 1826 Rue Sherbrooke O street in Montreal. You can check out their website here and they offer a 10% discount on first purchases (there's also a loyalty program). Etiket also offers spa services and they also sell luxurious beauty products (skincare, haircare, makeup, bath & body products).

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this visit, this article is entirely the re-telling of my experience.