And more importantly, is the juice worth the spend?
Fragrance is an invisible accessory that serves as the finishing touch to any outfit.
And is an expensive perfume worth the spend?
Carol Yepes/Getty Images
Carol Yepes/Getty Images
How Fragrance Cost Differs From Value
Generally speaking, perfume is an investment.
But whats the justification for a fragrance that costs several hundred dollars?
For example, you could pay $200 for a bottle of perfume that you end up hating.
Maybe it doesn’t smell the way you thought it would on your skin.
Maybe it doesn’t last as long as you expected it to.
But in any case, the value of the perfume doesn’t match up to the price you paid.
Similarly, you could pay $25 for a perfume that you absolutely love.
In that case, the value compared to what you paid for the perfume is tremendous.
Bottom line: just because something is expensive doesn’t mean you’ll like it more.
Why Is Quality Perfume So Expensive?
Here are some factors that set quality perfume apart from cheaper versions.
Typically, something cheaper will be less complex and more simple and obvious, notes fragrance expert Aimee Majoros.
You cant quite identify what the notes are exactly, Majoros says.
She adds that such perfumes also tend to beautifully evolve as it settles on your skin.
All that said, the ideation and conception phaseplus testing until the scents perfectly fine tunedtakes time and experience.
The experts who are exceptionally good at this process can charge top dollar.
Cheap perfumes will use synthetic oils, rose, patchouli, jasmin, etc., says perfumer Darryl Do.
The key difference between synthetic oils and natural oils is the depth and realness of the scent profile.
The latter costs much more, so the perfume that uses these ingredients is naturally more expensive.
Mass vs. Limited Production
When you mass produce anything, its going to cost less.
This is true for fragrance, as well.
Thats because the perfume house can buy the ingredients in bulk and produce them more quickly.
Conversely, when a fragrance is produced in smaller batches its almost always going to cost more.
They had the bridge between mass market and prestigethemasstigefragrance category.
However, when you add in the exclusivity factorAKA a little supply and demand actionthe price tag may soar.
When theres limited supply and a strong sense of demand, a product naturally costs more.
A luxury fragrance will almost alwayslast longer on the skinthan a less expensive one.
The more concentrated the perfume, the more expensive the price tag.
Packaging is another huge factor where [manufacturers] cut costs, Majoros says.
A more expensive fragrance … will not have this problem, but they have spent more on the packaging.
High-end perfumes tend to feel weighty in your hands and look beautiful on your dresser.
How to Choose a Perfume That’s Right for You
Fragrance is highly personal.
Ultimately, the goal is to consider which scents resonate most with you.
Get samples to take home and then wear and live with each fragrance for a while.
