Buying perfume samples in Europe: what to look for
A decant shop should say who fills the vials, from what and how they are labelled. A checklist you can use on any seller, ours included.
Perfume samples are sold by hobbyists, by marketplace sellers and by proper webshops, and from the outside they can look alike. A small vial with a label and a photo does not tell you who filled it or from what. What does tell you is what the seller writes on the page. Here is a checklist for any decant shop in Europe, and our own answers next to it.
Why Europe matters
A shop based in the EU that ships within the EU does not send your parcel through customs, so there are no import forms or surprise charges at the door. The seller is also bound by EU consumer rules and is reachable in your time zone and often in your language. Parcels from outside the EU can bring charges and longer waits. Our shipping countries are listed on the shipping page.
The checklist
- A named company. A name, a postal address and a registration number. DecantGems is the sample department of FragranceGems B.V. in Zoetermeer, and the details are on the about page.
- The source of the liquid. The page should say that the perfume comes from the original bottle and that nothing is added or diluted.
- A label you can read. House, perfume, concentration and size, so you know what is in the vial a month from now.
- A real container. A glass spray vial with a pump, and a stated size.
- An honest status. The seller should say that a decant is not an official brand sample and that the house is not involved.
- Notes with a source. Notes should be those published for that exact perfume and concentration, and left out when there is no source.
- Visible conditions. Shipping countries, options, track and trace for parcels, how opened samples are treated, and a way to reach a person.
- No impossible promises. Be wary of promises about how long a perfume lasts, of claims that one perfume is the same as another, and of reviews of other products shown as if they were about the vial.
Our own answers are on How we fill your sample and in the FAQ. What is a decant and decant, tester, brand sample or miniature explain the terms.
What notes with a source look like
Take Rasasi Hawas Fire. It is recorded with French clary sage on top, Egyptian jasmine and marine notes in the heart, and ambergris and mineral amber in the base. That is a short list, and a page is more honest for showing exactly that than for dressing it up with notes nobody published.
Bujairami Executor, in contrast, is recorded with pear and bergamot on top, orange blossom and Arabian jasmine (sambac) in the heart, and amberwood, sandalwood, vanilla, Ambrofix™ and musk in the base. The page copies what is recorded and does not move a note from one stage to another.
What the label should say
The label is your only record of what is in the vial. Afnan Lynked Freedom, for example, is an Eau de Parfum recorded with bergamot, grapefruit and sage on top, lavender, cardamom and juniper in the heart, and oriental notes, caramel and vetiver in the base. A good label says exactly that much: the house, the name, the concentration and the size. French Avenue Liquid Brun, recorded with cinnamon, orange blossom, cardamom and bergamot on top, Bourbon vanilla and elemi in the heart, and praline, Ambroxan, guaiac wood and musk in the base, is the same: whatever the notes, the vial carries its name.
When something goes wrong
A good shop says in advance what it does if a vial leaks or the wrong one arrives. With us, a damaged vial is put right when you send a photo through the contact page within two days, and a wrong sample is corrected at our cost. The wider terms are in the policies linked from the shipping page.
Next steps
When a seller passes the checklist, the rest is about choosing well. How to test perfume on your skin describes the routine, and all samples shows what we fill. You can also go back to the home page or browse the Arabic samples.
FAQ
Are perfume decants legal in Europe?
We cannot give legal advice. What we can say is that filling decants is a common practice, and that a seller should use brand names only to say which perfume is in the vial and should state plainly that it is not affiliated with the brand.
How do I know the vial holds what the label says?
A seller can only show you how it works: the company behind it, a statement that the perfume comes from the original bottle, a label with house, perfume and concentration, and a way to reach a person. If we send the wrong sample, we correct it at our cost.
Can I order samples from a shop outside the EU?
You can, but parcels from outside the EU can bring import charges and longer waits, and consumer rules differ. Buying from a seller inside the EU keeps both simpler.
