
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,109
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Formosa Tea
- 2–4 players
- 40–90 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2019

2016
Rules assistance for The Perfumer
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Perfumer is a board game released in 2016 for 2–5 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Chu-Lan Kao and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Memory, and Pick-up and Deliver.
Sniff to win! The Perfumer is a board game played by your nose, a game of real fragrance thanks to a new board game concept that integrates the "sense of smell" into the game rules. With a special printing technology, real fragrances are "printed" onto cards. Get ready for a brand new gaming experience! A good perfumer needs to have a keen knowledge of fragrance ingredients and be able to distinguish each of the ingredients by smelling their odors. Drawing on their wide range of knowledge about fragrance, players explore all over the world to collect ingredients, then try to fulfill clients' orders of unique perfumes. The secret recipe passed down by the century-old perfumers is another challenge that awaits players as you must identify the specific ingredients used in the secret formula by smelling. So let the journey began — smell all the way around the world to earn the most honors, and become the most celebrated perfumer of all!
The Perfumer supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Perfumer is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Perfumer for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Perfumer has a complexity rating of 2.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Perfumer belongs to these categories: Industry / Manufacturing. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Memory, and Pick-up and Deliver. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Perfumer are: Chu-Lan Kao. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Perfumer as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.