Have you ever bought a fragrance only to realize you really don’t like it? It’s a sucky situation to be in, especially if this happens with an expensive fragrance. 

Fragrance sampling is a great option to ‘try-before-you-buy’ something. Most places that offer samples will generally have the 2ml size, which is about 2 inches tall. Some offer a smaller size, which will be an itty bitty 0.7ml vial that doesn’t spray. And some places will have a variety of sizes from 0.7ml up to 30ml, which is one ounce. Most of the time, any sample from 2ml and up will be a spray vial.

If you’ve ever ordered from an online fragrance store, they tend to include a couple of complimentary samples with your order, and these are the 2ml sizes.

Some places will do it for free, while others will charge varying prices.

Charging for samples seems to be a somewhat controversial topic when you read about it online, as a lot of people feel like samples should be free.

Maybe once-upon-a-time, when the companies weren’t as ‘stingy’ about how many samples they provided to smaller stores. And, maybe once-upon-a-time, before Tiktok created 12-25 year old fragrance ‘addicts’ who want to try it all. It’s such a fast moving industry, and there is so much out there, that many young people want to try everything without committing to the full bottle before trying it out. And a lot of what is on social media cannot be found easily, and tried before buying easily.

Big box stores with unlimited budgets and better access to samples from the companies, of course will tend not to charge for their samples. I have heard stories, though, of sales associates catching on to people who only come in and take samples, and start to get a little more stringent on what you can take.

Small businesses, and some growing businesses that seem to be bigger scale, will charge for samples, and then give free samples if you purchase a full bottle of fragrance. 

As a small business, this is what we do. If you only want samples, we charge for them. But then, if you buy a full bottle of fragrance, all of your samples are free.

As an added perk for being a frequent shopper, we will give you samples for free from time to time. As we start to get to know you and your style/taste, if we have your address we will mail you samples of new fragrances we think you’ll like. If you usually come in, we’ll show you before you start to browse.

At Parfumerie Nasreen, we offer 2ml and 5ml sizes. Both are spray vials. The prices can vary depending on the fragrance, but on average are $10-12 for the 2ml and $22-27 for the 5ml. There are a few Pure Parfum and Attar fragrances that are not meant to be sprayed, but dabbed or dripped onto the skin, and with these fragrances we use the 0.7ml, non-spray, vials. 

The 2ml will generally give you about 20-25 sprays, which is good if you want to try a scent out for a couple of days before deciding if you like it or not. The 5ml will generally give you 60-65 sprays, which is good if you want something to travel with or stick in a purse or gym bag, or to keep in the car. The 5ml size is also good if you just want to have a little bit of something because you know you’ll never finish a regular sized bottle.

When purchasing samples, we decant directly from our tester bottles, and so we can make samples of any fragrance as long as we have enough of the tester. 

At Parfumerie Nasreen, you are also welcome to just come in and browse and try fragrances on the skin without having to buy samples.

We want you to enjoy your experience of diving into the world of fragrances.

Feel free to comment here, or call or email us, with any questions about sampling fragrances of Parfumerie Nasreen.