When shopping for a new fragrance it soon becomes clear that in many, if not most situations it makes financial sense to go for a larger bottle than a smaller one. Economies of scale I suppose.
Often the difference in price between a 100ml bottle and a 50ml bottle can be just a few £/$ and therefore a no brainier.
This is not always the case of course but often enough to become a 'thing' so to speak.
Sometimes though the difference is more pronounced, a larger bottle may still represent a better price per ml rhan a smaller one but the difference in actual money is more pronounced and thefore not such a no brainier.
So, what's the forums thoughts on this?
Do you tend to buy strictly to budget and refuse to stretch it even if a larger sizes is more bang for buck?
Do you always buy the larger size and to heck with the budget?
Is the cost not your issue and you buy a smaller size for other reasons, mainly I presume when not so sure about the scent or even buying blind?
Would you ever buy a larger bottle as a blind or semi-blind purchase, even if you could afford to do so?
Does the kind of fragrance play a part In deciding if a smaller bottle is appropriate or acceptable to you?
Many of us do not have a regular fragrance 'budget' or war chest, rather just as and when the spare cash comes our way, and therefore making a bad choice can be a real problem as the next purchase could be a long way off.
Often buying a smaller, albeit less bang for buck, size bottle can be the difference between buying a particular fragrance at all as the larger size may be out of budget, sometimes it can even enable buying two fragrances in smaller sizes?
There are lots of permutations but what's your 'go to' or default setting when selecting a fragrance and in particular the size of bottle!
Personally, I seem to avoid wherever possible, smaller bottles because the poor VFM compared to a larger 100ml bottle just irks me, then again it may be necessary on occasion.
Photo by Valeria Boltneva
Choosing a perfume size can be overwhelming. Also, as much as you’d deny it, size does matter when buying your next scent bottle. For some, the bigger means better, and some would prefer to buy a smaller size so they can bring it anywhere they want.This article will help you decide which perfume size you should buy that can benefit you in the long run.Check out our guide below
Understanding the bottle sizes
First, you need to understand the perfume bottles’ sizes and the number of sprays each size can provide. For your reference, perfume sizes come in three measurements : fl oz (fluid ounce), and ml (millilitres).Here’s a table of the most common sizes offered in perfume bottles.
Fluid Ounces (FL. OZ)
Millilitres (mL)
Estimated amount of Sprays
0.05 FL. OZ
1.5mL
15
0.17 FL. OZ
5mL
50
0.5 FL. OZ
15mL
150
0.8 FL. OZ
25mL
250
1 FL. OZ
30mL
300
1.4 FL. OZ
40mL
400
1.7 FL. OZ
50mL
500
2 FL. OZ
60mL
600
2.5 FL. OZ
75mL
750
2.7 FL. OZ
80mL
800
3 FL. OZ
90mL
900
3.4 FL. OZ
100mL
1000
The listed sizes above are just some of the standard sizes offered in perfume bottles. In some cases, particularly the luxury brands, they offer smaller and bigger sizes not specified above.
Now to further help you in narrowing down your options in buying your perfume bottle, we’ve listed some pointers that you should keep in mind. Here are some of them:
First-timers: Buy a smaller size first!
When you visit perfume stores, salespersons can be very overwhelming. They will offer you multiple scents that might entice you to buy multiple bottles at once! So if this happens, we highly suggest you look for smaller bottles first. Sizes between 30mL to 50mL are the best entry sizes if it’ll be your first time using that perfume.
Why less than 100mL? There might be an instance that you’d love the scent while you’re at the store but won’t like it after a few days of sprays. So, it’s better to test out smaller sizes first than investing in an 80mL to 200mL bottle at a single try.
Take note of a perfume bottle’s storage life
Most people assume that perfumes last for a long time and it doesn’t expire. However, perfume bottles do have an expiration date . It may not be similar to how consumed goods expire but their quality does deteriorate over time.Perfume bottles usually last between 3 to 5 years. And if they survived more than that, you can easily identify that it’s not as same as before due to its fragrance. In some cases, it may cause skin irritation and allergies. You must take note of how often you will use a certain perfume to help you decide on the perfect size.
How often will you use it?
Will you buy a bottle for your everyday use? Or is it for occasional use? If you’re fond of spritzing perfume daily, you can choose from 50mL to 100mL. However, if you’ll just use it on special occasions, it’s better to keep it small and choose from 40mL and below.
Buying smaller size perfumes also gives you a perk: you can bring them when you travel around as they are very compact and comes in small bottles. This makes them a safer option to hand-carry than the bigger size in glass bottles.
The Smaller, The Cheaper
Perfume prices may differ based on their size, type, and brand. As we all know, luxury brands such as Gucci or Dior can be sold for a few hundred dollars. However, other perfumes are priced cheaper, but if you’re looking for quality scents, luxurious brands will never fail you.
So if you’re just trying out an upscale scent for the first time, maybe it’s best to get its smallest size; it’ll save you a lot of money should the scent won’t be compatible with you as time passes.
Final thoughts
Choosing your perfume bottle’s size can be pretty challenging depending on your purpose. For you to find the ideal size for you, you should familiarise yourself first with your routine when using perfumes.
We hope we were able to help!
Resources:
• Perfumefairy. (2021). A Handy Guide to Perfume Bottle Size. Bellatory. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://bellatory.com/fragrances/Perfume-Bottle-Size-Guide • Shomo, M.A.M. (2021). An Overview of Perfume Bottle Sizes by Ounces & Milliliters. Fragrances Lover. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://fragranceslover.com/perfume-bottle-sizes/ • (n.d), Expiration date does perfume have a shelf life? Perfume.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022, from https://www.perfume.com/article-expiration_date_does_perfume_have_a_shelf_life
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