A very light touch of a clean, inoffensive scent is generally fine, but wearing no perfume at all is also a perfectly safe choice — scent is highly subjective, and the risk of putting off an interviewer who dislikes or is sensitive to fragrance is genuinely higher than most people assume.

Why Interviews Deserve Extra Caution

Unlike a night out where you are choosing to please yourself, an interview is a situation where you have no idea how the person across the table will react to a strong scent, and some people are genuinely sensitive or allergic to fragrance in a way that could distract from your actual answers. It is one of the few situations where being memorable for your fragrance is not the goal.

What Actually Matters More

  • Being freshly showered and using unscented or lightly scented deodorant matters far more than any perfume choice
  • If you do wear something, go for a clean, soft, unobtrusive scent rather than a bold or heavy signature fragrance
  • Apply far less than you would for a night out — a single light spritz rather than several

Our guide to perfume for every occasion, part of the complete guide to perfume, covers reading a room like this properly.