Sunday, September 24th
2023 Perfume Subscription Reviews
Purpl Lux
- Get your first fragrance for just $6.95
- Pay $14.95/month or $119.40/year for subsequent deliveries
- Schedule up to twelve months of fragrances in advance
- A la carte upgrades for premium scents ($5-$20)
- Choose from men's and women's fragrances anytime
- "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
- In business since 1997
FragranceNet has been delighting shoppers with discounted prices on genuine brand-name scents and other beauty products since 1997. The company rolled out its perfume subscription, Purpl Lux, in 2020 - allowing customers to try out hundreds of designer perfumes and colognes.
More than 80 brands
At the time of this review, there were just under 300 perfume and cologne choices in Purpl Lux's basic selection. It's easy to sort them by designer, gender, top sellers, new arrivals, or by the overall customer ratings. Because FragranceNet is such a popular retailer, you can take advantage of hundreds of shopper reviews on almost any scent you're considering. Choose from among 80 different brands ranging from Abercrombie & Fitch to Yves Saint Laurent, and schedule your perfume "calendar" up to twelve months in advance (or change your selections at any time).
Only go premium when you want
There are also approximately 100 premium fragrance choices available through Purpl Lux. We like their novel approach: instead of paying a surcharge every month of your membership, you can simply select higher-tier scents at any time and pay an upcharge ranging from $5 to $20 - but your month-to-month membership fee doesn't change. That way, you're not paying more than necessary if you choose a non-premium perfume in any given month. Big advantage.
Get a new case every month
And, every Purpl Lux perfume or cologne you receive comes in its own colorful atomizer case. That's another plus over some of the subscriptions we evaluated, where you're expected to reuse the same casing as you receive new scents.
Cost per month
- $6.95 for the first month
- $14.95 for month-to-month
- $119.40/year prepaid
- Upcharge of $5-$20 for premium scents
No exchanges
On the other hand, Purpl Lux doesn't offer returns or exchanges on your perfume subscription: if you choose a scent you think is going to smell fresh and modern but that winds up making you smell like your grandmother's bridge club in the 1970s, you're stuck with it (maybe you can give that one to Grandma). Also, there are no options to get more than one fragrance per month: no his-and-hers (or hers-and-hers?) plans or upgrades for trying multiple perfumes or colognes at once.
Customers love this company
Still, those are small drawbacks for a perfume subscription that has an overall fantastic reputation. The Better Business Bureau gives FragranceNet a perfect "A+" rating and accreditation, and most customers seem equally enthusiastic about the company. While Purpl Lux is still fairly new among fragrance memberships, we didn't find any complaints about the scents received, the customer service experience, or anything else beyond the two factors we mentioned.
A great all-around perfume subscription
The selection at Purpl Lux is a little smaller than our top-rated perfume plan. That plus the lack of an exchange policy are the two main factors that keep this subscription from earning our highest rating. But, if you're already a big fan of FragranceNet and you're shopping around for a perfume subscription, Purpl Lux is a great choice - particularly if you want the flexibility of treating yourself to a premium fragrance anytime.
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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.
Perfume Subscription FAQ
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!
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