A visit to Xinú isn’t like walking into any other retail store. It’s an experience that begins when you ring the bell. The entry is an installation, with paintings on the walls and suspended from the ceiling. The theme is monstera, ingredient and namesake of one of the scents the shop currently offers.

Through the back door of the entry is a long hallway, decorated with images of monstera, and a grey staircase leading to the main showroom. In the center of the room is a long table, set up like an art installation with objets d’art, live plants and drawings. Through the sliding glass doors on two sides of the room you’ll see patios filled with plants.

The shopkeeper who will greet you at the top of the stairs is more a tour guide than a sales person. She explains in painstaking detail each scent, offering a perfumed card at each station of the table.

The scents are unisex. They are created using ingredients from the Americas, with a focus on Mexico, delivered in eco-conscious packaging. The packages have no plastic and include a booklet with the ingredients of each perfume. Materials for the caps and bottles are sustainably sourced, and designed to be reused once the perfume is gone, as an incense holder or vase.

Of all five senses, scent is uniquely linked to memories and emotion. My husband bought me a gift of perfume on our honeymoon, and I remember that trip every time I wear it. If you are looking for a unique souvenir that will remind you of your trip long after you return home, this is it.

Location: Alejandro Dumas 161, Polanco