Definition
A smelling strip (French: mouillette) is made from absorbent blotter paper that does not interfere with the fragrance's olfactive profile. It is dipped in or sprayed with the fragrance, then waved briefly to allow the alcohol to evaporate before evaluation. Professional mouillettes used in fragrance development are standardized in width and paper quality to ensure consistent results (ISIPCA teaching materials, accessed 2026-05-27).
The limitation of blotter evaluation is that it does not reproduce the full skin chemistry interaction. Professional perfumers always follow blotter evaluation with skin tests; retail customers are advised to do the same before purchasing.
In practice
Retail perfume boutiques limit the number of blotter evaluations per session (typically 3-4) because olfactive fatigue sets in rapidly. Coffee beans placed at testing counters to "reset" the nose are a marketing convention with limited scientific basis; stepping outside briefly into fresh air is more effective.
Professional perfumers label each mouillette with sample code, concentration, and evaluation date, then re-evaluate at 15-minute intervals to follow the dry-down curve. In niche boutiques, sales staff often provide labeled mouillettes for customers to take home (Basenotes wiki, accessed 2026-05-27).