Perfume questions answered

A note list is written in three layers. Top notes are what you smell in the first few minutes — usually citrus, light fruit or herbs. Heart (or middle) notes appear after about fifteen minutes and carry the character of the scent, typically florals or spices. Base notes are the heaviest ingredients — woods, amber, musk, vanilla — and they are what you still smell hours later. Read the base notes first if you want to know how a perfume will actually smell on you by the afternoon.

Keep the bottle upright in its box, somewhere cool, dark and dry — a bedroom drawer or wardrobe is ideal. Heat, sunlight and humidity break the oils down fastest, which is why a bathroom shelf or a sunny windowsill is the worst place for it. Leave the cap on to slow evaporation and avoid decanting into a spare bottle unless you will use it quickly.

An opened bottle stored properly generally holds its character for three to five years; unopened and cool, it can last longer. Heavier woody, amber and oriental scents age best, while fresh citrus and light florals fade first. If the colour has darkened noticeably or the opening smells sour or metallic, the perfume has turned.

It is the concentration of fragrance oil. Eau de toilette sits around 5-15% and is lighter and shorter-lived — good for daytime and hot weather. Eau de parfum sits around 15-20%, smells richer and typically lasts several hours longer, which is why the same fragrance costs more in EDP. Parfum or extrait is stronger again.

Spray onto pulse points — wrists, the base of the throat, behind the ears and the inner elbows — where skin is warmest, and onto unscented moisturised skin, as dry skin loses fragrance quickly. Do not rub your wrists together: it crushes the top notes. A light spray on clothing or hair makes the scent last longer, though check the fabric first.

Two to four sprays is plenty for most eau de parfums. Lighter eau de toilettes can take four to six, while a strong extrait needs only one or two. If people notice your fragrance before they reach you, use one spray fewer.

Check the packaging first: genuine boxes have crisp printing, a batch code that matches the one on the bottle, and cellophane that is neatly sealed rather than loose. The bottle glass should be free of bubbles, the cap should sit firmly, and the spray should be fine rather than splashy. A price far below every authorised UK stockist is the clearest warning sign — comparing across our listed retailers shows you what the real market price is.

Fragrance discounting follows the retail calendar: Black Friday and the January sales bring the deepest cuts, with smaller dips around mid-season sales in June and in the run-up to Christmas gifting. Prices also drop when a house refreshes its packaging or launches a flanker. Setting a price alert on the bottle you want is the reliable way to catch it rather than guessing.

Yes. Skin pH, natural oiliness, diet and even medication all change how the base notes develop, which is why a fragrance can smell sweeter on one person and sharper on another. Always test on skin rather than a paper strip, and wait at least half an hour before deciding.

Usually, but not always — it depends on the price per millilitre. A 100ml bottle is often around a third cheaper per millilitre than a 50ml, yet retailer promotions frequently make the smaller size the better deal for a week or two. Each of our product pages compares the live prices side by side so you can see which size is actually cheaper today.

No. We are an independent UK price comparison service for perfume and beauty. You buy from the retailer you click through to, on their own site.

Prices are imported directly from each retailer's live product feed. Every product page shows how recently the price was refreshed.

We list authorised UK stockists only, so items are sold and dispatched by the retailer under their own authenticity guarantee.

Never. You pay the retailer's own price. We may earn a commission from the retailer when you buy, at no extra cost to you.

Retailers change prices throughout the day and feeds refresh on a schedule, so always confirm the price on the retailer's page before paying.

Sign in, set a target price on any product, and we email you when a retailer's price drops below it.

Yes — perfume, skincare, make-up, haircare and bath & body, all priced in pounds from UK retailers.

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