Following great tradition started by two wonderful bloggers, Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels) and Portia (Australian Perfume Junkies), once a week I or one of the guest writers will keep the lights on in this virtual leaving room, but I hope that you, my friends and readers, will engage in conversation not only with me or the other host, but also with each other.
Saturday Question #8:
Do You Own Any Solid Perfumes?
Solid perfumes are much less typical version of perfumes than many others, but some brands produce them. Do you have any of them in your collection? Are they of the same scent as you have in other format (EdP, EdT, etc.), or are they unique? When do you choose to wear them?
My Answer
I looked at my collection and realized that I do not own a single solid perfume. For a while I was entertaining the idea of getting Diptyque‘s Volutes in this form since it is perfume that my vSO and I share when we fly somewhere, but since this one is (was?) available only from the Paris Boutique, and I made us a decant into a tiny roller ball bottle, I’d never gone through with that plan.
Later, I was tempted by Jo Malone‘s solid perfumes, but since I never saw them in a store, I told myself that I wouldn’t expect them to be more tenacious than their liquid siblings, which already are pushing my tolerance towards the necessity to re-apply perfume multiple times per day, so that lemming had also died unfulfilled.
Thanks to hajusuri who sent me a tiny sample, I tried Bergamoss by Aftelier Perfumes. I didn’t expect that, but I like it very much. Not $275/8 ml much, though. I mean, I do not question the price of this creation (it includes a “refillable” $50 sterling silver case): with all that goes into the development of these perfumes, it might be well worth the money. I just do not love that perfume in that form enough to want to pay this price. But maybe I’ll buy another tiny sample, try again and change my mind? It is quite unique.
Do You Own Any Solid Perfumes?
Undina's Looking Glass 
No solids for me. I think they died for me at the time when SL used to send all their exclusives out as solid samples ( when you purchased from the Paris store) . They were never near what the perfume smelled like, so they sort of defeated the purpose.
I think that’s how I’ve felt about solids ever since. I also don’t really fancy the idea of sticking my finger into it every time I would like to wear it. With all the perfumes I have, it would not have good shelf live I believe, being exposed to bacteria and then just sit there.
Interesting how it will go with the bergamots. Is there no perfume version?
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I’ve never tried SL’s wax samples but read impressions of others, and everyone agreed they didn’t smell as the corresponding perfumes – so, sending them to people to make an impression of how perfume would smell seemed like a waste of time and money.
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I agree with Asali. The solids don’t smell the same as liquids – they can’t really as their formulations are so different. I found that they don’t have much sillage or longevity, and the real downside is that if you don’t wear them for a while, the next time you get them out they have dried and shrunk, leaving just a sad, very expensive little piece of concrete behind!
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I don’t think I’ve ever had a chance to compare any perfumes in both formulations, but I think you’re right. And yes, with our perfume collections it is wrong form in terms of preserving perfumes.
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I have never owned a solid perfume but I do covet those silver antique cases by Aftelier.
Solid perfume has seemed like the perfect plane scent. Maybe one day.
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If I were to fly more often… But these days it seems even less likely to happen :)
I’m less attracted by cases (I don’t like most of anything “antique”), but some of the offered scents attract me. But at that price point it should be love.
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I haven’t bought any in several years, but I still have one I brought from Illluminated Perfumes, Roxana used to be in California and is now in Santa Fe. I have a couple from her which are both at least five years old and still smell good, plus the cases are cute. I believe they are called Vera (lavender) and Sierra (woody/herbal). But I found these to be the exception. I have ordered solid samples from Aftelier, but like you, didn’t love enough for the price. And I’ve had a couple along the way that dried up quickly and had no smell, so I’m generally leery of solid perfumes. Oh, just remembered a nice one! Melange Perfumery in California has quite a few solid scents and they do pallettes, something like the really old ones (from when I was a teen! Old!) from Coty. I got a green pallette and really enjoyed it. The scents are not super tenacous, but smell good.
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I don’t remember how I stumbled upon them, but for a while I way eyeing those palettes… But then I haven’t bought them: while not too expensive, I wasn’t feeling like spending even that much on a blind buy. I’d love to smell them somewhere at a store though.
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No solids for me. I just don’t like the idea. Few years ago when Pacifica used to sell solids, I do not know why I decided to buy 2 solids of French Lilac and 1 solid of Persian Rose. I kept only one of the French Lilacs that I had starting using. The rest that were new and unopened I gave away as presents. They smell exactly like the colognes, which I love, but the longevity of the solid was very poor on me. I prefer to make decants or samples of perfumes and spray or dab them than sticking my fingers into a container that perhaps will get contaminated. No matter how beautiful a case may be, I don’t spend money on them.
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If I were to buy any solid perfume, I would use a plastic spatula from a cream to get it from the container (though, this days I try not to buy creams in a jar any more either – for the same reason that I don’t want to contaminate it, even though I go through a jar much faster than I use up any perfume.
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One of my favorite body creams only comes in a jar format so I just make sure I wash my hands and wipe them on a clean towel before dipping into it and just like food dips, no double dipping.
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What is your favorite body cream?
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Diana Vreeland Body Creme – oohlala!
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As always, a good question. I only own one solid perfume from Sabe Masson, which was given to me. It’s not a format I’d go for.
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I’m not familiar with that brand. And, risking to sound chauvinistic, I can hardly imagine a man using solid perfume. Not for any other reason but because it seems like such a “purse item” :)
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Ha! Ha! So controversial, Undina, and on a Monday morning too.
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I’ve had a couple, really only suitable for wearing to bed or other occasions when you want no sillage. My dog likes Lush Cardamom Coffee so sometimes I rub it on my temples to wear to bed (she sleeps on the pillow above my head).
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Awww… You wear perfumes for your dog’s pleasure. It should be really cute how she sleeps with you. Is she a sound sleeper? Can she sleep through the night without getting up?
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She’s a good sleeper. I think she does get up in the night, but she is so small it doesn’t wake me up. I love hearing her soft breath and heartbeat next to my ear.
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I don’t own any solids and that’s the way it’ll stay. As a couple of you have said, the idea of sticking my fingers into it and leaving bacteria swarming on it makes me go ewwww. I can’t even think if I’ve ever seen a solid perfume for sale, but even if I did I wouldn’t have any interest in trying it. I just love spraying 😉
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I must admit that I had some reservations of that kind even with extraits. I told myself that with 70+% of alcohol it should be fine… but still, after each use I at least wipe the dabber part with Kleenex not to transfer skin sells from where I touched into a bottle.
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The extraits I have that are in dabber bottles I decant a little bit at a time into mini sprays. Only a ml or so at a time. Apart from the skin bacteria thing I think of the air getting in. Most of my extraits are vintage so I feel duty bound to take extra care of them. Ha, that sounds like I’ve got loads of them when I’m fact there are fewer than ten.
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I tried doing that but I discovered that I do not like my extraits sprayed. So, now I’m looking for something to serve as smaller vessel for extraits: just regular dabber vial doesn’t seem right for nice and expensive perfume.
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I use 2ml screw top vials for my extraits. That way only a small bit at a time is touched by my fingers.
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No solid perfumes at my house. I don’t think they would hold scent as well as liquids and the concept of solid perfumes is just a turnoff for me. If I want to rub a scented substance on my body, I’ll go for a nice scented body cream that also moisturizes my skin.
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I agree, cream or lotion somehow feel more natural.
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The first and only solid perfume I’ve tried was a tiny sample from For Strange Women. While the scent was nice enough and lasted longer than I expected close to skin, the waxiness of the format just doesn’t appeal to me.
From what I’ve read, solid perfumes use fewer aroma ingredients than alcohol-based liquid perfumes, so it’s no surprise if they smell different.
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I know almost nothing about that format, but it seems plausible. I would expect that not all ingredients would hold in that form.
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Also, I want to thank you, Undina, and the lovely people who have also hosted your blog, for keeping us perfumistas interested and engaged during this period of social isolation. I love talking about perfumes with all of you. It’s a bit of normalcy and fun in a world turned upside down.
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Well said ricky, I totally agree with you
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100%
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Thank you, rickyrebarco. Being able to talk to people who share my interests is one of the main joys of my hobby.
One of the things I miss now is an ability to send packages: not only I don’t want to send now anything that would make the recipient uneasy (all packages I get these days are quarantined in my garage for several days – though, I wouldn’t want to do that to perfumes), but also I don’t own a printer to print my own prepaid labels, and I don’t want to go to a post office (BTW, a package to you is one of those sitting on my desk waiting for a label that I’d be able to print once we’re allowed back in the office). Let’s hope it’ll improve soon.
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I only have one and I love it. It’s Lust from Lush and I really love that it is so small and inexpensive and such a bomb of a scent.
I have similar concerns to others already expressed about scent drying up and the bacteria worries and the scent being milder or less complicated so I don’t think I would consider purchasing a serious expensive perfume in solid instead of a bottle, but I’ve really enjoyed this one and plan to explore others in the same line. It kind of seems like a different kind of fun, low key, inexpensive, less commitment because of the smaller amount and the lower price.
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Twins! This is my only solid and do like the scent: Lust is pretty strong so it works well in this format. Plus: cheap.
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I think I’d like to have something like a single application (pills-like packaging) with a couple weeks’ supply of each scent.
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I have a bunch of little Pacifica solid perfumes. They smell nice but with even less projection than the sprays I never got into the habit of using them. I like the packaging on the Diptyque solid perfumes but they didn’t seem to be worth the price. (Maybe if I traveled all the time, but I just make small decants for my 2-3x/year travels.
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Solid perfumes seem like a good idea… I’m just not sure for what :)
I think, Teo Cabanel had an interesting idea: a solid perfume compact in a pouch and a special “needle” to apply perfume without touching it by fingers.
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I have a few that I never wear. I don’t like them. Mine are from Lush, vintage compacts from places like Estee Lauder, and an indie perfumer on Etsy. Not a fan. They just don’t have enough OOMPH for me.
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I liked some of those EL compacts – just do not care for perfumes.
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Joining the chorus of no solid perfume — I’ve just never been interested. I’ve tried a couple at Lush, they didn’t appeal to me.
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It seems like we have a consensus on the topic. So, I wonder: are those “civilians” who buy solid perfumes?
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I have Persian Rose from Pacifica and another one from Pacifica, something with lotus in the name I think. They were a gift and the scent and wax stayed fine, but I’m not a fan of that waxy feeling on my skin, so never got into the habit of using solids. I don’t even know exactly where those tiny tins are now.
I think using a scented body cream or body butter is a better option for me if I want a very subtle scent (not happening very often really).
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It’s interesting: until this topic I didn’t think that the texture/material would cause people to dislike solid perfumes.
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I think I had Lush karma a decade ago. I was nice but I didn’t reach for it much. Finally gave it to my mother. But I am tempted by the new solid of Tauers LADDM, the price is nice too.
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I was also tempted to try LDDM: on more than one occasion I felt like Tauer’s perfumes were “too much” – even though I liked many of them. So, in solid form it might be … subtle enough :)
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Me too, except no shipping to the US right now. 😭
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Hey Undina and crew,
Yes, I had a couple of LUSH twist up solid perfumes. They almost never got used so I passed them on to more loving hands.
There is something luxurious and old school glamorous about spritzing my fragrance. Part of my enjoyment of the whole experience.
Portia xx
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I imagine you with a bulb atomizer on a long line (?) :)
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HA!
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I have the beautiful silver compact of Aftelier Bergamoss as that was the only format available until Mandy came up with the limited edition liquid EDP. I also have solids of some Estee Lauder figural compacts but don’t know which scents because I only bought them for the compact and not for the scent – in fact, I’ve been tempted to gouge them out but that would be destroying something that could just be left alone as long as they are stored at coolish temps which they are.
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It was my first thought – to check for an EdP version of Betgamoss. But I didn’t find it on their website.
As to the EL’s compacts: unless I’m mistaken, not only they are collectible but they are refillable. If so, then perfume should be relatively easy to get out. There should be a hole to push by a needle.
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Yes, I meant destroying the nice even texture of the solid perfume. Maybe I’ll find someone who may like the solids…pristine / never used.
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Without thinking it through, I once purchased the entire range of Pacifica fragrances in solid format as it was so inexpensive. However, due to an OCD thing that I have, I cannot stand the feeling of anything greasy or waxy on my fingertips whatsoever, and ended up having to apply them all with q-tips. No more solids ever for me.
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I understand from where you come, but I would be even more bothered by lint from a q-tip :)
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None. I have had samples. There is a magic in holding the bottle, the heft of it.. and spraying away. I’m okay with perfume oils but solids feel like pretend perfume. There’s no appeal.
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I see that you and Portia are in the same camp of bottle lovers :)
I like perfume bottles myself but I use decants a lot, even for those perfumes for which I have a FB: I’m decanting perfumes to take with me either for re-application or on trips.
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No is the short answer. I do remember coming across some knock off perfumes in solid form you could buy in tins – I think on a Greek island nearly 30 years ago. Of Opium and other well known scents from the era. I may have bought a couple of them out of curiosity and because of the pretty packaging and cheap price!
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After reading all the negative answers, it would be interesting to get a “portrait” of a typical solid perfume buyer and learn the volume of sales for that type of perfumes. If somebody keeps producing them, there are those who buy them – right?
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