How to choose a perfume you will actually wear
This guide helps you understand which criteria to compare before you buy a product. We do not claim to have tested any product, and the guide contains no price or stock information.
Checklist
- Learn the fragrance families you already like (fresh, floral, woody, oriental/amber, gourmand).
- Know the concentration: eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum and parfum last progressively longer.
- Test on skin, not only on a paper strip, and judge it after 30 minutes, when the heart notes appear.
- Check longevity and projection in independent reviews rather than in the product description.
- Compare price per millilitre between bottle sizes, gift sets and travel sprays.
- Buy from the brand or an authorised retailer and check the batch code to avoid counterfeits.
- Check whether the store ships fragrances to your country — many couriers restrict perfume as a flammable liquid.
Before you head to the store
Confirm the exact model number, whether it can be delivered to your address, the final total price, shipping costs, the return period and the seller's reliability directly with the store. For cross-border purchases, taxes, customs and warranty terms may differ.