2 ml, 5 ml or 10 ml: which sample size should you pick?
The right size depends on how long you want to live with a perfume before you decide. A plain guide to 2, 5 and 10 ml, and how to combine them.
Choosing a sample size is mostly choosing how long you want to live with a perfume before you decide. Our samples are filled in three sizes: 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml. The page of each perfume shows the sizes. The notes below are a way to think about the decision, whichever vial you end up taking.
2 ml: the first meeting
A 2 ml vial is for meeting a perfume. It is enough for a few wearings, which is usually enough to know whether the opening and the first stretch of the drydown are for you. It is the right tool when you are looking at many perfumes and want to cross most of them off. The numbers behind this are in how many sprays are in a sample.
Bujairami Too Damn Good is recorded with blackcurrant, bergamot and lemon on top, praline, musk and violet in the heart, and black amber, cedarwood and vetiver in the base. A pyramid that reads this clearly is a good fit for a first meeting: within a few wearings you know whether the sweet and fruity opening is something you want more of.
5 ml: the proper trial
With 5 ml you can wear a perfume in several settings across a week or two: a weekday, a weekend, a warmer day and a cooler one. That is long enough to separate a first impression from a real opinion, so it suits the second round, after a small vial has put a perfume on your shortlist.
Mykonos Penthouse is an extrait recorded with sparkling blackcurrant, aldehydes, mandarin zest and rose mist on top, a velvety white floral, white tea vapor, a white soap accord, cashmere wood and cedarwood in the heart, and tonka bean, Iso E Super, amber, clean musks and cashmeran in the base. With that many layers, a second wearing in other weather often changes what you hear.
10 ml: living with it
A 10 ml vial is for wearing. It carries you through weeks and, if you ration it, through a change of season. Choose it when you already know the house, when you want to see whether a perfume survives familiarity, or when you want to be sure before you commit to a full bottle. It is the largest of our three sizes, and the 10 ml samples are listed in one place.
Tiziana Terenzi Kirkè is recorded with passion fruit, peaches, raspberries, cassis, pears and warm sand on top, lily of the valley in the heart, and heliotrope, sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli and musk in the base. A perfume with this much fruit up front is one you might want to wear in a warm week and in a cooler one before you decide.
Ask these questions
- How many perfumes am I comparing? Many perfumes call for the smallest vial, a few for the largest.
- Do I already know the house? If its style suits you, a larger vial saves a second round.
- Will the season change my verdict? If so, you need enough to wear it more than once in different weather.
- Do I want to share it? A partner or friend borrowing from the same vial uses it up faster.
- Am I close to buying the bottle? Then wear the biggest vial you can and take your time.
Work in two steps
The most efficient way is two steps. First a small vial of several perfumes, then a larger one of the one or two that stayed on your mind. Imagine a shortlist of Nishane Wūlóng Chá, recorded with bergamot, orange, litsea and mandarin on top, oolong tea and nutmeg in the heart, and musk and fig in the base, and Sospiro Vibrato, recorded with grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin, ginger and rosemary on top, magnolia, Damascenia rose and blond wood in the heart, and vetiver, patchouli, Indian sandalwood, musk, crystal amber and tonka in the base. Both look bright on paper. Wear a small vial of each, then go bigger with the one you thought about during the day.
Building such a round of small vials is easier with a plan, and how to build your own sample set offers three. The sample sets page is where you put it together, and the FAQ covers the practical side of our vials. Every vial, of any size, is filled by FragranceGems from the original bottle, as described in How we fill your sample.
FAQ
Which sample size should I start with?
The smallest size if you are comparing many perfumes, and the largest if you already have a short list. We fill samples in 2, 5 and 10 ml, and the page of each perfume shows the sizes.
Is 10 ml too much to test a perfume?
No. It lets you wear a perfume across different days and different weather, which is how most people end up judging it. If you only want a first impression, the 2 ml vial is enough.
Can I combine sizes in one set?
The three sizes are shown on the page of each perfume, and the sample sets page shows what you can put together. Mixing a small vial for a first look with a larger one for a keeper is a sound way to work.
