FAQ

Account & Profile

How do I create an account?

Click "Join free" in the top-right corner. You can sign up with your email address or use Google OAuth for a one-click registration. Email verification is required to fully activate your account.

Can I change my username?

Yes, you can change your username from your Account Settings page. Free users can change once every 30 days. Standard subscribers can change once per billing period.

How do I delete my account?

Go to Account Settings > Security and scroll to "Delete Account." This permanently removes your ratings, reviews, collections, and profile data. This action cannot be undone, so please export your data first if you want to keep it.

How do I export my data?

Visit your Account Settings and click "Export Data." You'll receive a structured archive of your ratings, reviews, collections, and profile information delivered via email. Export processing may take a few minutes.

Ratings & Reviews

How does the rating scale work?

Fragrances are rated on a 0.5–5.0 scale in 0.5 increments. You can also log a fragrance as "tried" without assigning a rating. The community average uses a Bayesian formula to prevent a single 5-star rating from skewing the score.

Can I change or remove my rating?

Yes, you can update or remove your rating at any time. Simply visit the fragrance page and click your current star rating to change it, or use the remove option in your ratings history.

What is the Bayesian average?

The Bayesian average pulls a fragrance's score toward the site-wide mean when it has few ratings. This prevents a single 5-star vote from creating a misleading top score. As more ratings come in, the average reflects genuine community consensus.

Charts & Discovery

How are charts computed?

Charts are computed from community ratings using Bayesian averages. We offer multiple chart types: Top Rated (all-time and by year), Trending (recent rating velocity), Hidden Gems (high score, low rating count), and seasonal charts. Charts refresh periodically via automated jobs.

What do "Trending" and "Hidden Gems" mean?

Trending fragrances have high recent rating velocity — lots of people rating them right now. Hidden Gems have high average ratings but relatively few total ratings, meaning they're under-discovered quality scents.

Community Rules

Everyone is expected to follow these rules. Violations may result in warnings, suspensions, or permanent bans.

Be respectful

Severity: High

Treat fellow community members with respect. No harassment, personal attacks, hate speech, or discriminatory language. Disagree constructively, not destructively.

No spam or self-promotion

Severity: Medium

Don't post affiliate links, advertising, or excessive self-promotion. Sharing your fragrance blog or YouTube channel is allowed in your profile and the designated promotion thread only.

Keep it relevant

Severity: Low

Post in the appropriate category. Off-topic threads may be moved or locked. Use the "General Discussion" category for miscellaneous topics that don't fit elsewhere.

No street-teaming

Severity: High

Organized voting campaigns to manipulate fragrance ratings or chart positions are strictly prohibited. This undermines the integrity of our community-driven data.

No NSFW or inappropriate content

Severity: High

Do not post sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate content. This includes profile pictures, forum posts, reviews, and fragrance images.

Posting Guidelines

Tips for being a great community member and making the most of scentregistry.

Write meaningful reviews

Share your genuine experience. What does it smell like? How does it perform? When do you wear it? Detailed reviews help the community make informed decisions.

Use the search before posting

Before starting a new thread, search to see if your question has already been answered. This keeps the forums organized and reduces duplicate content.

Contribute to the database

Found a missing fragrance, brand, or perfumer? Submit it! Our database is built by the community. Make sure to include accurate information and cite your sources.

Report issues, don't escalate

If you see a rule violation, use the "Report" button. Don't engage with rule-breakers in the comments — let the moderation team handle it.