Most of our range comes in 50 ml, 100 ml or both. The larger bottle is almost always better value per millilitre, which makes it look like the obvious choice. It is not always.
How long a bottle actually lasts
A spray delivers roughly 0.1 ml. So, very roughly:
| Sprays per wearing | 50 ml lasts | 100 ml lasts |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sprays, daily | about 8 months | about 16 months |
| 4 sprays, daily | about 4 months | about 8 months |
| 4 sprays, twice a week | about 15 months | about 2.5 years |
Look at the bottom row. If a fragrance is one of several you rotate, a 100 ml bottle is a multi-year commitment to a single scent.
Perfume does not keep forever
Unopened and stored properly, most fragrances are good for years. Once opened, air enters every time you spray and slow oxidation begins. Three to five years is a reasonable working life; citrus-heavy compositions turn soonest, while heavy woody and vanilla bases can outlast that comfortably.
This is the case against the big bottle: a 100 ml you use twice a month may well degrade before you finish it, which erases the per-millilitre saving entirely. Storage matters here too — see how to store perfume.
Choose 50 ml when
- You are buying a fragrance you have never smelled. Most of our range is inspired by something you may know, but it will not be identical, and your skin is a variable.
- You rotate between several fragrances.
- It is seasonal — a summer citrus you wear for three months a year will take a very long time to finish.
- You travel with it. 100 ml is the absolute cabin-baggage limit in the EU and is often refused if the bottle is unlabelled or partly used; 50 ml is never a problem.
Choose 100 ml when
- It is a signature you already know you love.
- You wear it most days — an office or everyday scent.
- You apply generously, four or more sprays.
- It is a long-lasting family. Woody, amber and vanilla bases age well; browse Woody & Vanilla.
A sensible approach
Buy 50 ml first for anything new. If you finish it, buy 100 ml of that one. You will spend slightly more per millilitre on the first bottle and save considerably on the fragrances that turn out not to be for you.
You can browse by size directly: 50 ml and 100 ml. A few perfumes are made in one size only — Nautilus, Marbella and Inferno are 100 ml, while several gourmands such as Milk Drops and Pink Drops are 50 ml.
One thing size does not change
The juice is the same. A 50 ml and a 100 ml of the same perfume are identical in concentration and formula — there is no "stronger" large bottle. If you want to understand what does change strength and longevity, read extrait de parfum vs eau de parfum and how to make your perfume last longer.