For many of us smelling expensive is the goal, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're willing to splurge on designer scents to do so. There is, however, another way to add luxury fragrance to your collection for less. Small but mighty in value and longevity, these mini perfumes offer more than meets the eye...
While it's every fragrance lover's dream to own all their favourite long-lasting perfumes, said scents' two (or more commonly, three) digit price tags can bring us crashing back to reality. Of course, if it's a scent you wear every day and will continue to do so for years, buying or repurchasing a 100ml bottle is more than worth the investment. If you tend to flit between multiple signatures because your tastes change with the season or perhaps consider yourself a fragrance buff and thus, want your dresser littered with the most iconic, best perfumes for women (we get it), opting for a smaller size will save you money and likely some regrets.
Although they are sometimes branded slightly pointless, a mini perfume, be it a rollerball, spray or even a solid formula, can be a tactical buy. Depending on the concentration and size, they can offer an impressive amount of wear - and double as very luxe and may we say, adorable gifts - especially where these eight are concerned...
8 mini perfumes to gift, travel and expand your scent collection with
A mini perfume, as mentioned, has its merits. Not only are they typically under the £50 mark, but they're perfect for popping into your handbag (making them great for travel), for on-the-go scent top-ups and will help expand your scent collection. Especially if you're looking to add a premium blend to your collectin but can't afford the full or even medium size. They're also great if you want to share your signature scent with loved ones but can't dole out upwards of £100 on them.
A 10ml fragrance will also allow you to test drive a scent, so to speak, before committing to a full-size. Luckily for us, some of the chicest brands - from Jo Malone London to Le Labo - offer mini, roller or solid perfume variations of their best-selling blends. These are the eight we recommend...
RRP: £18 for 9ml | Notes: mandarin, basil and amberwood.
Featuring the same concentration and luxe blend of mandarin, basil and amberwood, just condensed into a 9ml bottle, this perfume is ideal if you love the scent but perhaps only reach for it every now and then - or are seeking a gift for a fellow Jo Malone fan. Despite being small, the fragrance itself is known to have good sillage, so a little goes a long way.
RRP: £60 for 10ml | Notes: Turkish Rose, patchouli, sandalwood, cinnamon, incense and benzoin
The full 100ml size of Portrait of a Lady will set you back £290. This small 10ml option will give you a taste of the premium scent, which you can reserve for special occasions or when you want to smell really expensive - without making you spend over £100. The scent itself is touted as powerful and long-lasting, so again, just a spritz or two on your pulse points will go a long way.
RRP: £53 for 3g | Notes: White musk, rice steam accord, mimosa and blonde woods
Whilst technically not a mini, this solid perfume offers a similar principle. You're getting the notes of Diptyque's iconic L'eau Papier but for less. This style of perfume is ideal for layering or just wearing on its own for a slightly more subtle but not less chic aroma. You can find a number of the best Diptyque perfumes in solid form (and they're refillable).
RRP: £32 for 9ml | Notes: lotus flower, pepper, close, muguet, orchid, green violet, leather, cedarwood and sandalwood
Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson loves this perfume oil: "The scent reminds me a little of Le Labo's Santal 33 and lingers on the skin all day long. It's warm, woody and slightly leathery - plus, it layers beautifully with Santal and my other spicier signatures." She also notes that because it's an oil, a little goes a long way and despite having it for two years, it's not even halfway empty.
RRP: £32 for 8ml | Notes: Pink pepper, iris, ambrette seed and ambrox
This mini is the perfect gift for any Glossier You fan and is also ideal if you love the scent but want to carry it in your handbag - or take it on holiday with you. You EDP is a skin scent, meaning it's quite subtle but does linger and what's more, it layers well with a myriad of other scents. So if you don't want to spend £62 on the 50ml, this 8ml alternative will serve you well.
RRP: £29 for 10ml | Notes: Cassis, lemon, vanilla blossom, bamboo, jasmine, vanilla beans, sandalwood, patchouli fraction, red orchid, cashmeran and ambroxan
Ideal for your handbag whilst still delivering a chic and long-lasting scent, Floral Street's Wild Vanilla Orchid travel perfume size option is one of Digital Beauty Writer, Sennen Prickett's favourites - plus the cute floral packaging makes it a great gift option or stocking filler.
RRP: £55 | Features: Lancôme La Vie Est Belle L 'Elixir EDP 4ml, Valentino Born in Roma Donna Intense EDP 6ml, Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Over Red EDP 7.5ml, Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb EDP 7ml and Armani Si EDP 7ml
Boasting mini travel-size versions of five iconic scents including Flowerbomb and Le Vie Est Belle, this set is perfect for a fragrance fan or anyone looking to bolster their collection with a handful of new blends - but for the price of one. Plus, it also comes with a £55 voucher so you can purchase one of the five in a full size.
RRP: £36 for ten 2ml bottles | Features: Jazz Club 2ml, Lazy Sunday Morning 2ml, Under the Lemon Trees 2ml, By the Fireplace 2ml, Bubble Bath 2ml, Autumn Vibes 2ml, Sailing Day 2ml, When the Rain Stops 2ml, Beach Walk 2ml and Springtime in a Park 2ml
A perfume discovery set helps you cheat your way to owning an extensive array of stylish and varied scents. Naomi says: "While I own both Jazz Club and By The Fireplace in the 30ml, I'm a fan of several of Maison Margiela's Replica perfumes and this set allows me to flit between them easily. Because they're not scents I gravitate towards as much as my 30ml bottles, it means they've lasted well - and make me feel like I have a big selection to choose from. Lazy Sunday I've worn at least four times, and there's still plenty left." Most brands, from Byredo to Jo Malone offer discovery sets, so if you know you love a brand but can't justify buying any more full sizes, this is a great option.
When should you buy a mini perfume?
Now it's important to note that if you plan to wear Glossier You, for example, every single day, the rollerball option might not be the smartest of buys - unless you've never tried the scent before and are unsure if you'll like it. If used sparingly or in tandem with the full-size spray (for an on-the-go top-up), it will last well, but if not, you're better off buying the 50ml.
The same goes for any of your go-to signatures. A mini, perfume oil or any of the best solid perfumes and hair mists are great for layering with and accompanying the parfum and toilette. But if you're going to use them daily, investing in the full size will save you money in the long run.
If you like to change scents a lot, are looking to gift or trial one or perhaps don't wear perfume all that often, shopping mini can be a clever hack to building a luxurious collection.
Where to buy mini perfumes?
Mini perfumes are mercifully very easy to find. Indeed many of the most iconic brands offer smaller options of their best-sellers. The best Jo Malone perfumes, for instance, offer 10ml bottles of their colognes for under £20.
As for the retailers, everyone from Look Fantastic and Sephora offer mini perfume sets and smaller sizes of parfum and toilettes. SpaceNK is also a great place to snag Diptyque hair mists and solid perfumes (as well as many other brands), and of course, you can always get the official website of the brand whose scent you're trying to snag in miniature size.
