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- Hawthorne is a new startup that's changing the way men shop for
cologne with its personalized fragrances. - After taking a 5-part quiz about yourself, Hawthorne uses study-backed data and the expertise of renowned perfumers to formulate colognes and grooming products just for you.
- Hawthorne then generates a personalized essentials list including two fragrances — one for work and one for play. You can buy both for $100, plus it comes with a free $20 gift card for future purchases.
Every guy wants to smell great, but finding a cologne that's just right for you can be a gruesome task. It involves going to a department store and being bombarded by sales associates with sample strips and an arsenal of fragrances. When you finally come across a cologne that you like, there's a great chance you'll continue smelling and sampling in hopes of finding something you like even better. If you're not an expert in aromatics (and most people aren't), you'll quickly get sucked into wasting a lot of time.
Instead of making a seemingly major life decision about what you want to smell like, new cologne startup Hawthorne is an easy and accurate way to get cologne formulated specifically for you.
Founded in by longtime friends Brian Jeong and Philip Wong, the brand aims to do two things — help men express their individuality with one-of-a-kind fragrances, and make the buying process a lot easier.
Here's how it works
Hawthorne uses your body chemistry, lifestyle data, and study-backed research to identify your scent preference with over 95% accuracy. You also get a list of essential custom products for your hair, face, hands, and body.
To get started on your own personalized Hawthorne cologne, you take a very simple quiz. It asks basic questions about your current cologne, diet, favorite drinks, personality, and style.
Then, one of brand's three award-winning perfumers formulates two colognes for you — one for work and one for play. You can buy both for $100, plus it comes with a free $20 gift card for future purchases.
To find out just how well the service works, Hawthorne provided me with a promo code to use at checkout. I walked through the process like a normal customer would and couldn't be happier with what I received.
It took about 10 minutes from start to checkout, which I thought was super fast. Initially, I was hesitant to believe they'd come up with fragrances I liked based off of a very simple quiz. Admittedly, I am very picky with stuff like cologne, but they were very on point. Before trying Hawthorne, I had been using the same Polo Sport and Polo Black colognes since high school. For a long time, I've wanted to try other options, but it was always hard to find something I liked without having to smell the entire men's
Both of the scents I received were new and refreshing, yet still in line with my personal preference. They were made by Hawthorne's five-time Men's Fragrance of the Year winner Oliver Gillotin, whose made fragrances for brands like Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and even Ralph Lauren (the brand I'd been wearing previously).
I also really enjoyed the packaging. The two bottles came neatly packed in velvet-lined box. There's also a break down of the fragrances that went into making your personalized colognes.
The bottom line
At essentially $50 each for two 1.7 oz bottles, Hawthorne isn't particularly cheap, but it's also not the most expensive options on the market. Given the personalized touch and the convenience over buying cologne in a store, Hawthorne is definitely worth it.
Whether you're looking for a new cologne or grooming products for yourself or shopping for a gift, I strongly recommend Hawthorne. When shopping for someone else you can either send him an eGift card to take the quiz or tailor a box specifically for him. With Father's Day coming up, this makes for a great gift for dads.