How do you get perfume samples?
Five ways to get perfume samples, what each one gives you, and how to pick the route that fits the question you are trying to answer.
How do you get perfume samples? There are five usual routes: ask at a perfume counter, receive a brand sample with an order, buy a brand discovery set, pick up a promotion, or order a decant from a seller who fills vials. They differ in two things that matter: how much choice you have, and how much perfume you end up with. This guide puts them side by side so you can pick the one that fits your question.
Route one: the counter
A counter assistant can spray a strip, and sometimes hand over a small vial. It costs you nothing but a few minutes and it tells you quickly whether the opening is worth another look. What it cannot do is show you how the perfume lives on your skin through a day, which is why testing on skin comes afterwards.
Route two: a brand sample with an order
When you order from a brand or a large retailer, a small sample sometimes lands in the parcel. The giver picks it, so you meet whatever the house wants to introduce. It is a pleasant surprise, not a plan. The question of whether such samples cost anything is covered in are perfume samples free.
Route three: a discovery set
Some houses sell a box of small vials covering their own range. It is the quickest way to meet one house in depth, at the cost of choosing the house first. Our guide to the perfume discovery set explains how it compares with a set you assemble yourself.
Route four: a decant
A decant seller fills a glass vial from a full bottle, labels it and posts it. This is the route that lets you name the exact perfume and the concentration, in a size you pick, and it works across houses. It is what we do: read How we fill your sample for the details. A decant is not an official brand sample and the house is not involved, and a good seller says so. Decant, tester, brand sample or miniature sets out the differences.
Route five: friends and swaps
People who collect perfume sometimes pass on a few sprays of something they own. That is generous and informal, and it depends entirely on who you know. Keep it for the perfumes your circle happens to hold.
Choose the route by your question
If the question is "what do I like, in general", a counter and a free strip are enough. If it is "will I enjoy living with this one perfume", you need it on your skin for days, and that means a vial of your own. If it is "which house suits me", a discovery set or a sample set you build works best.
Take Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum. It is recorded as hedione, ambroxan and saffron, a short list that tells you very little about how it behaves. A strip gives you an opening; a vial gives you days.
Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia is a Cologne, recorded as williams pear on top, freesia in the heart and patchouli in the base, and tagged light. Velixir Icarus has pear, Calabrian bergamot and mandarin on top, orange blossom, georgywood and ginger in the heart and musk, Ambrofix™, akigalawood and cedar in the base. Both are the kind of fresh perfume where a long wear shows what a quick spray does not.
Bujairami Hectic and Rasasi Hawas Ice are an Arabic pair. Hectic is recorded with citron, Calabrian bergamot and Sicilian orange on top, Nigerian ginger, Ceylon cinnamon and Tunisian neroli in the heart and ambroxan, guaiac wood, olibanum and Chinese black tea in the base. Hawas Ice opens with apple, Italian lemon, Sicilian bergamot and star anise, moves to plum, orange blossom and cardamom and rests on musk, amber, driftwood and moss.
Asking for what you want
When you contact any seller, say which perfume, which concentration and which size you have in mind. A seller who answers clearly, names the company behind the shop and says where the liquid comes from is worth trusting; the checklist is in buying perfume samples in Europe. Not sure where to start? The scent finder narrows the field, designer and niche samples sit in their own ranges, and all samples shows everything. Once you know which size you want, which sample size helps, and the FAQ covers ordering.
FAQ
Do perfume counters give out samples?
Many will spray a strip or hand over a small vial if you ask, but it depends on the shop and the day. It is a quick first look and rarely a full test.
Which route lets me choose the exact perfume?
A decant. You name the perfume and the concentration, and a vial is filled for you. The other routes give you what a brand or a shop has on offer.
Is it worth trying more than one route?
Yes. A strip to narrow the field, then a decant of the few you still think about, is a sensible order.
