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Scents have an uncanny ability to trigger memories and emotions in a way that other beauty products do not. So, it’s no surprise that many beauty lovers find fragrance to be an innately personal category. Now, thanks to these fragrance subscription boxes, you can have a really fun experience exploring your scent preferences.
These clever perfume subscription boxes reimagine the department store salesperson chasing you down with a paper-scented sample into a personal, at-home experience that allows you to explore your fragrance palette without committing to the hefty price tags that come with most full-sized fragrance bottles.
The ability to sample and test new trending scents, classic staples, and under-the-radar gems at a fraction of the cost invites a level of experimentation and discovery that makes searching for your signature fragrance a whole lot of fun.
The 7 Best Perfume Subscription Boxes of 2021
Best Overall: Scentbird
In an attempt to eliminate the clutter of half-used fragrance bottles on your nightstand, Scentbird designed a monthly subscription service to help you regularly switch up your scent.
For around $16 per month, you can browse and select a favorite scent from a catalog of over 500 designer and niche fragrances. Plus, they come delivered in a travel-friendly, eight-milliliter vial filled with about 140 sprays to get you through four weeks and then some.
The vial fits snugly in the chic silver atomizer case that is included in your first order and is perfect for on-the-go spritzing. From forever fragrance classics by Gucci, Prada, and Acqua di Parma to noteworthy new scents from Tom Ford, Tocca, and Fresh, Scentbird’s extensive selection invites you to discover new fragrances or revert back to tried-and-true favorites each month.
You will be sent monthly suggestions based on the scent preferences you fill out at sign-up, and you can continue to add favorites to your queue to enjoy month after month. And, if you just so happen to stumble upon your forever favorite, you can purchase the full-size bottle and cancel the subscription portion anytime.
Best Value: The Fragrance Club
There is a reason—scratch that—many reasons why this cologne and perfume subscriptions company made our list.
The Fragrance Club has a lot of options depending on the frequency of your delivery, including bi-monthly shipments for roughly $18 per month. Let’s face it, some days we are spritzing old favorites from our perfume collection, and these samples can pile up quickly. Plus, when your sample weighs in at 10 milliliters—about 25% more than competitors—it’s sure to last you well past that one-month cutoff mark.
The samples themselves are also something to be admired. Your welcome package will come with a fancy atomizer—available in black or white, with gold trim detailing—and an insert bottle with your selected fragrance. The atomizer makes the whole experience less sample-y and more like a luxury travel scent that you would proudly display on your vanity.
To start, you will create a fragrance queue including three preselected offerings that will be curated in upcoming deliveries (with the option to swap and make changes along the way). Some of the company’s selections are from Versace, Gucci, and Coach, new scents are updated regularly, and there are plenty to choose from.
Your order is shipped within 24 hours of purchase.
Best Sampling: Scent Box
If the branding and concept look familiar, you’re not alone (or seeing double). Many elements of this fragrance experience are often confused with Scentbird; so often, their phone recording says, “If you’re calling for Scentbird you’ve reached the wrong company,” when you dial to speak to customer service.
But don’t let the vague similarities confuse you—the Scent Box monthly service also delivers on a convenient fragrance sampling experience, with almost double the arsenal of scents to choose from.
With a selection of over 850 designer fragrances, subscribers have an extensive mix of trending, classic, and coveted scents to browse each month. Choose from luxury brands like Byredo, Chloe, and Creed. Once a fragrance selection is made, Scent Box delivers an eight-milliliter refillable travel atomizer to your doorstep, filled with a 30-day supply, so you can spritz all month long.
For about $15 per month, Scent Box makes the entire experience feel fun and pressure-free, with convenient month-to-month memberships that make it easy to switch up your picks, cancel, or commit to a full-sized favorite.
Best Variety: Margot Elena
It’s not exactly your traditional fragrance subscription box, but the assortment of products found inside this seasonal box is sure to delight any fragrance enthusiast or novice scent explorer alike.
Margot Elena is the name behind the brands Lollia, Library of Flowers, TokyoMilk, and The Cottage Greenhouse—whose products you have likely stopped to sniff while browsing through Anthropologie, thanks to their eye-catching packaging and aromatic scents.
The seasonal assortment includes a variety of products from the four Margot Elena brands. For around $60 per month, you will get either full-sized products or minis, along with a bonus surprise gift that ranges anywhere from trendy nail color to a greeting card, cosmetic bag, candle, or tunic. With upward of $200 in products packed into each box, it’s not hard to see the value.
The extensive range of pampering products will have you indulging head-to-toe with delicious fragrances and candles, scented oils and creams, and pampering aromatherapy. The ornate packaging also makes these products some of the most giftable on earth, so even if it’s not fit for your scent preferences, it will be a welcome surprise to pass along to a friend.
Most Personalized: Scent Trunk
Unlike other fragrance subscription boxes that require you to fill out your preferences from the start, Scent Trunk helps you discover them from the get-go.
The brand’s concept is to showcase the art of perfumery by educating you about scent families, notes, and layering, allowing you to explore and curate a custom product to meet your preferences. The company offers the Discovery Palette which gives you the opportunity to sniff six different fragrance families—citrus, wood, aromatic, floral, amber, and chypre (the green, earthy family). You can easily decipher your top picks and least favorites to guide Scent Trunk’s curators in crafting the perfect scent for you. In addition to the discovery palette, the company offers their Original Editions Subscription. Where each month one of their 25 scents is distributed to you allowing you to discover curated scents from unique fragrance ingredients.
You’ll fill in your preferences using an online guided scent test, which resident fragrance experts will use to curate a scent that genuinely matches your preferences. Each month, you’ll receive a 30-day supply of your chosen scent for about $15.
Best Hidden Gems: Luxury Scent Box (LUXSB)
The concept is simple: sample first, size up later. This perfume subscription concept first launched as a local service running out of the brand’s brick-and-mortar Santa Ana, California, store in 2010.
In 2016, Luxury Scent Box rolled out nationwide, and the sister-founded brand relaunched (and renamed) as LUXSB.1 Their fragrance expertise is very clear from the start. The company boasts an impressive selection of scents includes department store favorites, hard-to-find scents, plus buzzworthy brands that are tough to track down (like Juliette Has A Gun, TokyoMilk, or Jimmy Choo).
As a member, you have the option to choose your fragrance for the month, select from a lineup of generated recommendations based on your preferences, or get picks directly from one of the brand’s fragrance specialists.
For around $15 per month, you will receive a .30-ounce/nine-milliliter spray to fit into your reusable case, which Luxury Scent Box provides every season in your February, May, August, and November boxes. Once you find a scent you love, you can purchase the full-sized bottle at a membership discount.
Best Scent Story: Perfume Surprise
If you love perfume and jewelry, this box combines your two favorite things and delivers them to your doorstep as a welcome surprise each month.
And, instead of receiving just one perfume sample every month, this box (for around $25 each) includes five, 2.5-milliliter mini spray bottles and a jewelry surprise. Each month’s fragrance and jewelry selection is curated based on a theme. For example, one month’s theme could include a lineup of scents that share a warm, sensual smell, and classic notes like vanilla, wood, and exotic flowers and spices.
The jewelry piece—which could include anything from a charm bracelet to a watch—will also be aligned with the theme, for a cohesive fragrance story to explore each month. It’s not the cheapest fragrance subscription box, but it holds its value usually in the jewelry piece alone—not to mention the lineup of coveted fragrance brands like Marc Jacobs, Versace, and Salvatore Ferragamo.
How We Chose the Best Perfume Subscription Boxes
It started with a list of 15 fragrance subscription services, which pretty much covered any companies that existed in this category. From there, we dove into the experience for each one to learn about the method of their fragrance-selection madness. While almost all began with completing a scent profile, some—like Scent Trunk—went above and beyond delivering actual samples of different scent families for a real-life smell test, which made for a more fun and memorable experience. Next, we looked into the fragrance selection.
While many were flooded with the usual suspects you can find on any discount shelf, few (like Scent Box and Luxury Scent Box) delivered a range of hidden gems and hard-to-find favorites from brands like Byredo and Jimmy Choo. Then, we compared the unboxing experience and sample size, where companies like Margot Elena impressed.
What are perfume subscription boxes?
If you’re constantly testing and trying new fragrances, then you and perfume subscription boxes are a match made in heaven. Perfume subscription boxes give you the ability to sample several trending, classic, and under-the-radar fragrances at a fraction of the cost of a full-sized fragrance. The best part? They’re delivered right to your door every month.
How much do perfume subscription boxes cost?
There is a perfume subscription box fit for every budget. Signing up for a perfume subscription will cost you anywhere between $15 to $60.
How many fragrances will I receive?
The number of fragrances that will arrive at your door varies from company to company. With some perfume subscription boxes like Luxury Scent Box and Scent Trunk, you’ll receive one fragrance per month. With other subscription services like Margot Elena and Perfume Surprise, you’ll be shipped an assortment of scents.
Can I exchange a fragrance if I don’t like it?
Exchange policies differ with each fragrance subscription company. Because scent is subjective, not many fragrance subscription services will allow you to exchange a scent if you don’t like it. However, at Scent Box, members are entitled to one exchange shipment per month.
