One of the darker moments in Draft’s history involved a prospective client who ran a fragrance brand, who kept talking about how challenging it was to smell fragrances through the internet. I apparently didn’t understand this fact, because he started screaming at me about it, which is always a great way to start a new client relationship.

The problem, of course, is that he was not factually wrong. There really are a few things that you absolutely need to try in person. There are websites that try to handle the fragrance thing, but nobody is going to argue that they represent any sort of adequate substitute for your own olfactory, regardless of how much of a fragrance nerd you may happen to be. One can extend this to personal care supplies, if they wish, with the possible exception of skincare, which is so far down the chemist hole that few people truly care how it smells or looks.