In this episode of The Scenting Guy podcast, host Jim Reding welcomes Ethan—Aroma Retail's newest (and youngest) graphic designer—for a hilarious and unexpectedly informative fragrance blind test. Alongside Marketing Director Mike Hewitt, the trio dives into the scent library, tests Ethan’s nose, and delivers one unforgettable surprise: a fragrance aptly named Rotting Corpse.
Meet Ethan: Sweet Baby Angel Face New to the team and full of design skills, Ethan has already transformed the brand's visual appeal, especially with user-friendly fragrance note graphics. He also earned a new nickname—“Sweet Baby Angel Face”—thanks to an inside joke on his welcome card. That nickname becomes this episode’s special coupon code.
"I love doing design work—anything in Adobe, I'm happy to do."
Blind Fragrance Test: Ethan’s Scented Gauntlet Jim presents Ethan with six unlabeled fragrance oils for a scent identification challenge. Some guesses are spot-on; others, wildly off:
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Waterfall – Mistaken for Pacific Breeze
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Allure Noire – Correct!
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Pomegranate and Sage – Misidentified as cinnamon-heavy
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Asian Garden – Guessed Empire instead
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Green Fig – Confused with Country Club
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Rotting Corpse – Yes, seriously.
"That smells like wet dog!"
Rotting Corpse, originally crafted for Knott’s Scary Farm, was designed to mimic a forgotten open-casket funeral. Needless to say—it’s not for sale.
Fragrance Talk: From Notes to Nose Jim walks through how luxury fragrances are built—averaging 12 to 16 notes for depth, much like the harmony of instruments in an orchestra. Ethan learns how scent names can influence perception and why it’s vital to match labels to scent memories.
Also reviewed:
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Fragrance Quiz: Online tool to guide users to ideal scents.
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Smelly Bar (Vegas): In-store testing for hands-on experience.
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Customer Care Team: Real humans ready to help—by the third ring.
“The third ring is for you.”
Conclusion: Design Meets Discovery—with a Dash of Disgust From visual creativity to olfactory education, this episode is full of insights, laughter, and a whiff of gross-out humor. It showcases the human side of the Aroma Retail team and how scent can be both luxury—and entertainment.
“I’m going to hang Asian Garden around your neck. Spend more time at the smelly bar.”
Listen Now: Stream The Scenting Guy podcast on your favorite platform.
Smell you later, alligator. Go fragrance yourself.
