Perfume decants and samples. Are these terms identical and do they really mean the same thing? Not quite. If you’re into perfumes and want to add to your lingo or are just curious for one reason or another where the difference lies, our article is full of answers so you’ll always know better.
I must acknowledge that there are some similarities between perfume samples and decants, hence why some people easily mistake one for the other. And you can derive a sample from a decant. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t use these terms interchangeably.
Without further ado, let’s get down to business.
What is a perfume sample?
A perfume sample is essentially also a smaller partition of a large fragrance pool. But it’s not quite intended for the same purpose as a perfume decant.
Moreover, perfume samples tend to be smaller in terms of quantity or amount. Your typical sample container usually holds no more than 3 ml and is intended for customers to try out to get a feel of the scent and make up their minds.
A perfume sample allows you to test out various scents so you can find “the one” without necessarily having to buy different bottles of expensive perfume on a hunch. Beyond testing, a sample serves no other purpose hence it is named as such.
What is perfume decant?
So what is decant perfume? To best understand the differences, we must start at the very beginning. Let’s say you buy an original bottle of perfume today right from the store. Imagine you want to split these up into smaller portions, maybe for travel, to try out different scents, or to share the cost with a friend. To do that, you’d get an empty container and pour a small portion of the original fragrance into it. Each of these smaller bottles would qualify as a perfume decant.
You can decant perfume through a variety of techniques such as spraying directly into a decant bottle, using a pipette, or by way of a syringe. To learn more about that, take a look at this other article I wrote on how to decant a perfume
In a nutshell, a perfume decant is a division of the original perform, typically stored in a vial or some other significantly smaller container. They are simple bottled forms of the original perfume.
Decant bottles range in size, including variations in the ranges of:
- 1 ml
- 5 ml
- 10 ml
- 50 ml
- 100 ml or even bigger
Perfume decant vs samples: Mapping out the differences
1) Concentration
The purity of the fragrance sets apart perfume samples and decants. Perfume samples tend to be available in pure or highly concentrated forms. Decants, on the other hand, are not as strong possibly due to:
- Possible contamination during the decanting process
- Loss of fragrance quality due to prolonged exposure
- Poor sealing of decant bottles
- Manufacturer dilution (samples are usually made available in their raw & expensive form. Manufactures tend to dilute concentrations for larger batches destined for retail)
2) Quantity
A perfume decant bottle can hold up to 100 ml and sometimes even way more. Conversely, perfume samples are usually available in smaller quantities, typically ranging between 1 ml and 3 ml. Overall, perfume decants tend to exist in larger quantities than samples.
3) Shell life
Due to possible contamination as the perfume is exposed to air, perfume decants tend to not last as long as samples. The latter usually have a smaller surface area exposed to contaminants, hence may have a longer shell life. This could also be due to the fact that samples are usually more concentrated. Both still face degradation nonetheless due to the natural effects of light and heat.
4) Source & purpose
A manufacturer makes a sample for its market to test so they can make up their minds about a purchase. Meanwhile, a perfume decant is made by anyone other than the manufacturer for various reasons such as splitting costs, making a profit, or enhancing the portability of your favorite fragrance. That said, I must also point out that you can also derive a sample from a decanted perfume.
Case closed
It’s the end of the road for the perfume decant vs sample debate, for now at least. Just to recap, a perfume decant is the result of splitting an original bottle of perfume into smaller containers. However, samples are a small portion of pure perfume provided by the manufacturer for testing purposes. Both vary significantly in terms of quantity, purity, purpose, and source. They might seem like two peas in a pod but now you know better. The next time someone asks about the difference between perfume samples and decants, you’ll be ready. Be sure to chip in and leave a comment if you’d like to share something more on the matter. I’d love to hear from you. Or show us some love by sharing this article.