Ministry of Scent - Pacific Heights

I stopped into Ministry of Scent and had the best experience with Vanessa last Tuesday. I had no idea it was her first day until I was walking out, which tells you everything you need to know. The store is a fragrance lover’s dream, but it can definitely feel overwhelming with so many options. Vanessa somehow made it the opposite of overwhelming. She clearly knows a lot about scent, but explains everything in a way that is easy to follow, never pushy and never too much. She walked me through a few fragrances based on what I usually like, then gently nudged me toward something she personally loves that shares similar tones. It was a scent I never would have reached for on my own, and I ended up loving it. That is the mark of a great salesperson. On top of that, she has such a warm, calm, lovely presence that you feel relaxed and taken care of the whole time. Thank you, Vanessa, for being an incredible human but also an absolute scent whisperer. 💫

I went to Ministry of Scent with the intent to find a replacement for my favorite perfume (it was discontinued over a year prior) and Vanessa was a HUGE help! She gave me so many options to try, explained what was different and special about each scent, and she helped me develop a better vocabulary when I was at a loss for how to describe the scent that I was looking for. I am intimidated by interactions where I feel that I am not equipped to adequately describe what I mean to say and Vanessa was incredibly kind and patient with me as I struggled to articulate myself. Eventually I settled with this perfume as my new evening scent, and I know which scent I will get the next time that I am in the city.

Came to Ministry of Scent for the first time as I was interested in buying a fragrance. I didn’t quite notice it at first since I was testing out perfumes, but my sister who I was with mentioned how we were not greeted, helped, or approached by any of the employees unless they needed to get to something in the areas we were in. I’d like to think that we caught them at a bad time, or maybe that’s just the norm, but she also mentioned how one of the employees looked at us and started whispering to another employee. It was a nice experience being able to explore the store and smell fragrances I normally don’t have access to, so that was a plus! The lady I approached helped me out and gave me a few samples which I appreciated. I’m not from the bay so I don’t come out here often, and after seeing how their customer service was, I will probably just stick to online shopping. Nonetheless, I appreciate that there even is a shop like theirs!

Every single time I go to the Fillmore location, the staff is more interested in chatting with their friends than helping actual customers. The girl employee in particular looks so irritated every time I ask her a question. I’ve literally hovered around while they were chatting away for like 10-15 min trying to find a moment to interject their convos and ended up giving up and just leaving without buying anything I wanted. Mission location staff is infinitely more helpful / friendly. Don’t waste your time here.

I am brand new to the world of fragrance and had a great time in the store. The staff are attentive and helped me find just the right first one for me. They have a wide selection of all kinds of different smells and I left feeling happy with my purchase and smelling good.

Atticus was such a passionate employee and provided excellent customer service. He was very knowledgable and just made the entire process of selecting a fragrance so much fun. Would definitely come back here

Justine and Emma were so incredibly welcoming and helpful. They took time to give us recommendations of things to do in the city as it was our first time visiting SF. Customer service and the collection of fragrances available were both top notch. Can’t recommend enough :)

This shop is so special! I was greeted by two wonderful sales associates on the 4th on Filmore…I took my time, smelled through entire brands, and the staff made really great recommends! I came in looking for something woody and came out with Rouge and Kasbah! The nose wants what the nose wants! Thank you for making my scent travels really extraordinary!

This place is a niche fragrance heaven. I love perfumes so I wanted to check out it. They had niche brands like molecule, one day, room 1015, commes de garçon, borntostandout, Liis and more. The employees are very knowledgeable of all the scents instore and I would trust them to help me find anything particular. The store gets 3 samples of each scent per month, the samples range from $5-12. I mentioned I was only in SF for a little while, and the employee said I could order the samples from their website and they could prep the order and get it ready in an hour. What exceptional service. I'll definitely be back!

PLEASE INVEST IN A BETTER AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM. It's a great store with some cool scent brands. But the smell was so overpowering in the store that we couldn't actually smell any of the bottles we wanted to try. The scent on our clothes lingered for hours.

this place is like scent heaven! its difficult to find somewhere with this diverse and niche of a selection. everyone here was so welcoming and helpful, even pulling 10+ scents they thought I might like! I left with Un Air d'Apogee from Maison Violet and I absolutely love it. probably would have gone my entire life without smelling it if I didn't stop by. so excited to come back again.

Scent lover's paradise - especially if you want to browse and hone in on a scent to wear and pair with, beyond the well-trodden path of more mainstream fragrances. I suggest visiting this jewel box of a shop with the scent note fixations you've been chasing like a dreamy golden petaled chimera all your life- start there, and the savvy shop team will assist in paring you with your new scent. The adorable interior is just a classy plus. Long live the latest perfumery shop on Fillmore!

Such a gem in SF! Beautiful store, great selection, and amazing staff. I went in and had a great experience with one of their team members who helped me find a scent that I loved. I then proceeded to come in every day to spray it on myself to think about the scent. Every time I came in, their team was so welcoming and warm. I finally decided to purchase the scent and am so excited!

I prefer ZGO. I went in wanting calm and thoughtful guidance. However I was met with a team of young professionals who were talking amongst themselves, loudly and about their life problems. It was such a sad ambience. I left in 10 minutes with no purchases.

Shop did not disclose they were going to have a team meeting. The front of their door says "coming soon" when this place has been open prior. Very frustrating to have a brick and mortar location listed on their website and they're not staying true to their hours of operation. No one is answering their phone and there were about 10 employees in there. None were accommodating. Overall, I know this is a great place to try niche perfume. Just disappointed on this day plus wasted $$ on parking.

Love the concept of going into a fragrance store and having the opportunity to explore unusual scents

Wow!! What a FANTASTIC fragrance store!! They have SO many to choose from!! The store is clean!! The sales ppl were really kind & professional!! We will be back

I'm so glad ministry of scent moved into my neighborhood! The salespeople are super nice and so helpful. Especially Michael Ryan! And also a woman with very long dark hair whose name I forget. I told her on one visit what scents I typically like and she pulled at least 12 for me to test! Everyone here is so knowledgeable. I can't wait to bring friends.