Perfume vs Perfume Surprise for October 2024

Item: Perfume vs Perfume Surprise
Rating: 3.5
Author: Top Consumer Reviews

Tuesday, October 8th

2024 Perfume Subscription Reviews

Perfume

Choose one fragrance per month from over 500 scents
Atomizer case included with every perfume
Rewards program with points on every purchase
In business since 1995

Perfume is well known for selling top fragrance brands at discounted prices. Overall, the company has a solid reputation with thousands of five-star reviews. But, their perfume membership is a little less developed than some of its rivals: you only get a limited selection of options for your first delivery (including some not-very-high-end scents and brands), there's no easy way to switch between perfume and cologne, and you can't browse the 500+ available fragrances until after you sign up. It's not a terrible option, but there are better perfume memberships you should look at first.

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Perfume Surprise

Each monthly delivery comes with 5 preselected 2.5 mL bottles plus a jewelry surprise set
Fragrances only for women
Pay month-to-month or get a month free when you prepay for a six-month subscription

Perfume Surprise offers the most variety of any subscription we've seen: five 2.5mL bottles in every delivery, plus a cute piece of jewelry or other bonus. Brands you might receive include Escada, Versace, Burberry and more - but you don't get to choose what you get. Customer service here leaves some room for improvement, and you won't want to subscribe to Perfume Surprise if you want control over which fragrances come to your mailbox. But, enough customers have enjoyed this membership that we can give it a middle-of-the-pack rating.

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The 10 Best Perfume Subscriptions

Scentbox

Purpl Lux

Olfactif

Luxury Scent Box

Scent Trunk

Perfume

Perfume Surprise

Scentbird

The Fragrance Club

Debonair Scent

Which Perfume Subscription is the Best?

We all know what it's like to notice that someone smells amazing and say, "What are you wearing? I love your perfume!” But, after we shell out the cash to get ourselves a bottle of it, we're disappointed by how it interacts with our own body chemistry - and now we have a pretty decoration on our vanity full of a fragrance we'll never wear again.

The same goes when we experiment with a new-to-us scent. Maybe we have a brand that we love and want to see if we like the next variation on that theme, as the top perfumers release their newest fragrances. Or we go adventurous and buy a scent based on the description alone. Spin the wheel, so to speak, and hope you get lucky? That's where perfume subscriptions come in and save the day.

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Perfume Subscription FAQ

What is a perfume subscription?

A perfume subscription is a membership that delivers new fragrances to your mailbox every month. Think of it as a "scent club”: just like foodies can get hot sauces and fashionistas can get accessories, fragrance fans get to try out something new with each delivery.

Are the perfumes authentic?

As long as you get your subscription from a reputable retailer, yes. You'll often see the word "decant” used in reference to these services and to other discount perfume shops: it just means that they buy the original, authentic fragrances in bulk and transfer them to smaller containers.

Can I get well-known, brand-name perfumes?

Yes! Perfume subscriptions eliminate the "blind buy” expense of getting a full bottle of a fragrance you hope that you'll love... but wind up hating. Maybe you already have a Jimmy Choo or Marc Jacobs scent in your regular rotation and you want to see if you like their newest release. Or you're going way out of your comfort zone and trying something with notes and a profile totally new to you. That's the beauty of perfume memberships: all the fun for much less money.

What do I get with my perfume subscription?

That depends on the one you select. Most clubs' monthly deliveries feature a small glass bottle with approximately 8 mL (or 0.27 oz) in an atomizer case. Some retailers expect you to swap out the tube in the case with every new perfume that comes, while others include a new case every time. Also, some perfume subscriptions include more than one fragrance per month. And, most memberships give you rewards points and/or discounts that can be used to get full bottles of any perfume you wind up wanting to add to your permanent collection.

What is a "niche” fragrance?

Niche fragrances typically come from independent, lesser-known perfumers. They're not your well-known brands like Bvlgari or Calvin Klein. Some perfume memberships stick strictly to designer brands, others focus solely on niche brands - and a few let you choose freely from a catalog that includes both. If you love the idea of wearing a perfume that's cutting-edge or that no one else has, niche scents are the way to go.

Are perfume subscriptions expensive?

Not at all: you'll get about 30 days of scent for the price of a couple of lattes. Most perfume subscriptions are priced between $15-$20 per month, and some memberships give you the first month at a big discount.

What if I don't like the perfume?

Unfortunately, most perfume memberships have a strict "no refunds” policy - but it's much more affordable to try a $14 sample size and find out you don't like it than to buy the whole bottle. However, our #1 perfume subscription lets you exchange anything you get that isn't a good match, up to five times every twelve months.

Can I get a cologne subscription too?

Yes! Why should women get all the fun? While some perfume subscriptions focus just on more traditionally feminine scents, most plans have options for cologne too. If you want to get both cologne and perfume, be sure to choose a retailer that offers that kind of flexibility. One of our top rate perfume subscriptions lets you get two scents (or more) in every delivery, and another gives you three masculine/unisex and three feminine niche fragrances each month.

Continued from above...

When you sign up for a membership, you'll typically spend less than $20 to try up to three new perfumes (or colognes) every month. While most services don't have a refund or exchange policy, it makes it so much more affordable to get out of your comfort zone and give a new scent a try. And, as long as you stick with a reputable perfume subscription, you don't have to worry about getting anything that isn't 100% authentic.

Over the past few years, perfume memberships have become quite popular. Which one is right for you? That depends. Here are some factors to keep in mind as you browse all of the fun options out there:

Designer vs. niche brands. Some perfume subscriptions focus just on the designer brands you already know and love: Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, and so on. Others work with independent perfumers around the globe to give you that one-of-a-kind fragrance experience with scents that no one else is wearing. And some give you access to both.
Perfume, cologne, or mix-and-match. Are you looking for a subscription that is just perfume or that also offers cologne? Would you like to be able to choose between the two at any time you please? How about getting one of each in every monthly delivery? If you have a strong preference for that kind of flexibility, look for the memberships that offer it.
Who chooses what you get. Usually, the designer brand perfume memberships let you select each ragrance - often giving you a calendar you can use to plan several months in advance, and only sending you a "surprise” if you don't enter a specific preference. On the other hand, most niche perfume subscriptions are all about the experience: monthly scents may be developed around a theme like "Saturday in the Park” or "Winter Chill” and unboxing your mystery fragrances is part of the fun.
Exchanges or returns. Unfortunately, most perfume subscriptions don't let you return any fragrances that aren't quite to your liking (although there is one very popular retailer that lets you make up to five exchanges per year). You should probably get comfortable with the idea that you might not love everything you get as you try new perfumes.

To help you sample all of the most classic and newly-released fragrances, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked today's most popular perfume subscriptions. We're sure that you'll find a membership you love that will have you smelling like a million bucks - without having to go broke to get it!