You do not need to know their signature scent — only which family they already live in. A short framework for choosing on someone else’s behalf.
Buying fragrance for someone else feels like a guess because most people try to guess the bottle. Guess the family instead — there are only a handful, and people rarely move between them.
Look at what they already wear. If the bottles on their shelf are woody and resinous, a bright citrus will be admired and never worn. Match the family first and the specific composition becomes a low-stakes decision.
When you genuinely do not know, oud and amber blends are the safest ground in this region, and a soft floral-musk is the safest ground outside it. Both read as considered rather than assumptive.
Concentration is a kindness, not an upgrade. Someone new to fragrance is better served by an eau de parfum they can over-apply harmlessly than by a 24% intense that punishes a heavy hand.
And a discovery set beats a full flacon every time you are unsure. It turns the gift into an invitation rather than a verdict — which is usually the more generous thing anyway.