Quick answer: To blind buy perfume successfully, start from a family you already know you like, read the base notes rather than the top, check the season and strength, and choose the smaller bottle. Versatile, well-reviewed scents are the safest blind buys; perfumes built around distinctive notes such as smoke, coffee or milk are better once you know you enjoy that style.
Most people who blind buy perfume do so because there is no easy alternative: the scent is not stocked nearby, or a description has simply won them over. As an online store, we think about blind buying a lot. It does not have to be a gamble. With a bit of method you can predict quite accurately how a perfume will wear before you ever smell it.
Why blind buys go wrong
Three things cause most disappointments:
- Buying the opening. Descriptions tend to lead with the top notes, which last minutes. The base notes, which last hours, are what you actually live with.
- Unfamiliar or divisive notes. A note you have never knowingly smelled, or one that people tend either to love or to dislike, is the biggest wild card.
- Your skin and your climate. The same perfume can wear sweeter, sharper or quieter on different people and in different weather; see why perfume smells different on your skin.
How to blind buy perfume in six steps
1. Start from what you already love
Look at the perfumes you have worn happily for years. Are they fresh and citrusy, soft and musky, warm and sweet, or woody? Your favourite family is the best predictor you have. If you are not sure what to call it, fragrance families explained will help, and our find your scent page is another good way in.
2. Read the base notes first
Top notes are the hook; the base is the perfume. If the base is full of materials you already enjoy, such as vanilla, amber, sandalwood or musk, the odds are in your favour even if the opening includes something new. Our guide to fragrance notes explained covers how the layers work.
3. Flag the distinctive notes
Some notes are wonderful to the people who love them and challenging for everyone else. Smoke, coffee, liquorice, tobacco and milky accords are common examples. That does not make them bad blind buys; it makes them better second or third purchases, once you know the style suits you.
4. Match the season and the occasion
A scent intended for autumn and winter evenings will feel heavy on a summer commute, however good it is. Check the season and occasion guidance before you buy, and see choosing perfume by season if you are unsure.
5. Check the strength
Most of our range is extrait de parfum, and many of our scents are rated strong for sillage and projection in the brand handbook. If you want something for the office, or you dislike heavy perfume, look for moderate ratings. Sillage and projection explained tells you what the ratings mean, and how many sprays of perfume helps you dose a strong one.
6. Buy the smaller bottle
For a scent you have never smelled, 50 ml is the sensible choice: you spend less on the ones that do not work out and can move to 100 ml for the ones that do. Our 50 ml or 100 ml guide explains the maths, and the 50 ml collection lets you browse by that size.
How to use reviews
Reviews help most in numbers. One glowing or scathing comment tells you about one person's skin; dozens of reviews with a consistent rating tell you a scent works for many people. At the time of writing, Mykonos Empire, the Mykonos collaboration with RRQ, has 108 reviews averaging 4.73 out of 5, and Mykonos Sorrento has 47 reviews averaging 4.64. Our round-up of the best Mykonos perfumes by reviews brings the most-rated scents together in one place.
Read the words, not only the stars. Look for comments on how long a scent lasts, how strong it is and when people wear it, and notice whether the reviewer's taste sounds like yours.
Safer blind buys and bolder ones
Safer: versatile and widely liked
The safest blind buys are scents that are fresh or clean, work across seasons and have a strong review record. Empire is listed for all four seasons, with lime, bergamot and tropical fruits over ginger, jasmine and coconut water, and a base of patchouli, white musk and tonka bean. Mykonos Reflection, a unisex citrus with grapefruit, ginger and marine notes over musk and ambroxan, suits three seasons and the office, and had 62 reviews averaging 4.52 at the time of writing. Sorrento, with fizzy grapefruit, neroli and ginger over musk and cedar, is a good choice if you already know you like fresh citrus. For more in this vein, see our bestsellers.
Bolder: distinctive by design
Some of our most characterful perfumes make better second purchases. Mykonos Black Opera combines vanilla and orange blossom with liquorice, almond and coffee. Mykonos Bonfire Vanilla is built on smoked wood, warm spice and caramel. Mykonos Milk Drops is a soft milk accord over tonka bean and white musk. If you already love gourmand or smoky scents, these can be excellent blind buys; if you have never worn one, start with a more familiar style.
If a blind buy does not work out
Give it a fair trial before deciding. Wear it on three or four different days, in different weather, with a single spray on clean skin. Try it on clothing as well as skin, since some people prefer a scent on fabric. Try a different spot, or fewer sprays. Or pair it with something you already own; our guide on how to layer perfume shows how a fresh scent can lift a heavy one, and the other way round.
Our store accepts returns of unopened bottles within 14 days, so a return is only possible before the first spray. That is why the research above matters: it is the part of a blind buy you can still control.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a good idea to blind buy perfume?
It can be, if you reduce the risk: stay close to a family you know you like, read the base notes, check the strength and choose 50 ml. Blind buys of very distinctive styles are riskier than blind buys of versatile fresh or clean scents.
What is the safest type of perfume to blind buy?
Fresh citrus and clean, versatile scents that work across seasons and have a solid number of reviews. Strongly smoky, milky or coffee-led scents are better once you know you like that style.
Should I buy 50 ml or 100 ml when blind buying?
50 ml. It keeps the cost of a miss lower, and you can move to 100 ml once you know you love the scent.
Can I return a perfume I bought without smelling it?
Our returns cover unopened bottles within 14 days. Because that means deciding before the first spray, do your research on the notes, family and strength before you order.