Discussing perfume prices, we periodically say something like “It is nice, but not enough to pay that price” or “I wouldn’t pay that much for what it is.” This usually describes our reaction to new for us perfumes that we just smelled or tried. And it is easier to dismiss a new scent that you have no emotional connection with yet. But let’s consider a hypothetical (once again – hypothetical!) situation: one of your top favorites was stolen from your collection. Would you want to get it back?
Saturday Question #205:
How Much Would You Pay For Your Favorite Perfume?
Would you pay its today’s official full price? How about more? What if it is not available for the official price? You know this perfume, it proved over the years that it works for you, and you love it (I’m sure you have at least one or two such perfumes in your collection – so, think of one of them). Provided that you’re guaranteed the authenticity and freshness, what is the absolute maximum you would be willing to pay to get it back even if it means not buying any other perfumes and having to save money for a year or two (or more) to do it? After which price you’d give up and decide that it’s not meant to be?
Don’t “cheat” thinking and telling us that you’d pay any price. But don’t disregard it completely either just because now you have a bottle and a back-up of it and don’t think you’ll ran out any time soon. Ask yourself how much that “one of the top N” perfumes is actually worth to you if you don’t have another choice.
My Answer
My quick scanning of my collection gave me an idea that even though I haven’t paid the full price for most of them, I would have paid a full retail price ($350 or less) for approximately 50 perfumes in my collection (I don’t mean for all of them but rather for any one of them). I wouldn’t want to replace them with anything newer, so if I had a budget, I would have funneled it first towards repurchasing one of these 50.
But if to talk about my absolute favorites – let’s say, one of the top 3 (Lancome Climat, Ormonde Jayne Ta’if and Amouage Ubar, two of which are sadly discontinued now), – I estimate that I might consider paying up to $1K for one of them if I knew they were genuine. I wouldn’t have done it lightly (it’s a lot of money!), but I would be willing to save my perfume budget for as long as it’s necessary to repurchase one of these three. Of course, all of these exercises assume that my regular bills are paid, I’m not starving, and the regular necessities are taken care of. So, one thousand doesn’t feel like something completely out of question. Would I pay more? I don’t know. On one hand, it seems crazy to spend that much on perfume. But then… If I really think that they are that great and love them, aren’t they worth twice as much? Three times? I really hope never to test my hypothesis.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I think $800 would be my limit for one perfume. Two of my favorites are Guerlain L’Arts et Matieres— Angelique Noire and SD Vanila. They will probably cost that much in a few years. My other faves that I can’t live without are Ormonde Jayne Ta’if and Champaca.
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I share all four of your “lives” but I own only decants of the two Guerlain perfumes you’ve mentioned (I still “owe” you the split we discussed – I’ll get to it soon, promise). Champaca is beautiful. I should wear it soon!
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Hey Undina,
I think at this point I’d just have to be sad about not having it and start using up something else in thaw collection.
Talk to me again when business is doing better and I’m not paying off last years holidays, teeth and taxes. Then I’d have much more free spending money to throw at unicorns.
Portia xx
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I didn’t specify how quickly one would have to repurchase the “unicorn” ;) But I hear you!
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XXX
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I am simultaneously overwhelmed by my collection and deep down – frugal. I think I might pay $250 (which is kind of comical since so many new perfumes cost at least that and much more) for a single bottle. This is why I don’t own any large bottles of newer perfumes. The most expensive (at purchase) bottle I own is Ormonde Woman, the 120ml size – which was gifted to me by a group of football parents who had taken up a collection. I don’t think I have a single bottle that cost more than $150. (I think I only own one pair of shoes that cost more than $150 too, so it’s not just perfume…) But no shade to anyone who spends more or is willing to save up to splurge. I just way overspent on the backsplash tile for my kitchen, which in my mind I can justify. And I could buy many bottles of perfume with the funds I spend on acupuncture and trigger point massages 😂
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I too am frugal so I am with you on the $250 range for the max I might pay for a bottle of perfume that I absolutely loved. The most I’ve spent on a full size bottle is also about $150 to $160 or so (Jo Malone 100 ml size). As much as I love the perfumes in my collection and there are a few go-to favorites, I can’t think of one that I absolutely must have and would pay an inflated price to make sure I had a bottle in my collection.
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The last sentence in Juli’s comment pretty much sums up how I feel about my own perfume collection. I might pay retail if it’s available, but then again, I might let it go…
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Well, with my strong favorites I lived longer than some people live with their spouses. So, I’m quite attached to them :)
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I could say that about mine too, even with my relatively short time in perfumery! Maybe after some more time, I’ll feel more strongly about some of them.
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I will admit that I would be sad if I no longer had any SJP Stash. I don’t usually do backup bottles but I have one for that! Would I pay loads of $ if I ran through both of my bottles? More likely I would stretch the last mls out forever…
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Even though I like Jo Malone a lot, for whatever reason, that price for a 100 ml bottle seems too high. I realize that it’s even more expensive for a 30 ml bottle, but still.
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Well, priorities, right? :)
Most of my perfumes are definitely below… it’s hard to say what since I own many more expensive perfumes that were bought at a significant discount – so, they ended up being less expensive than some cheaper ones, for which I paid a full price.
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I think maybe $1000-$1200.
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I see that you and I are the craziest perfume lovers :)
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I would pay the £260 to replace Papillon Hera but downsizing & DH cancer diagnosis has taught me I could probably live quite happily without any fragrances.
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I completely understand you. Even with my cat not feeling well, I skip wearing perfumes for days. I can’t even imagine all the horrors you and your DH went through!
But when everything is more or less fine, perfumes bring joy (and some of them more than others).
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This is a tough one…when I start seeing the price around $350 for a perfume I love I will hem and haw about paying for it. And in many cases I balk. But now that I really don’t buy perfume but rarely, I might would pay up to $500. Just talking about spending that kind of money makes me nervous without wanting to buy anything. LOL.
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Well, let’s hope that none of us would ever have to face this type of a situation! :)
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I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while. After some careful consideration, I would have to say yes, I would spend the $375 to replace Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens. I love it that much. I originally purchased this at Barneys New York for one-third of that price, but that was a long time ago.
On the flip side would I pay $1,125 to replace my 250ml bottle of Spice & Wood by Creed. Absolutely not, even though I love this one too. There is a limit, and the replacement price is ridiculous.
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Perfume prices skyrocketed in the recent years beyond reasonable. But then, if you need just one or two bottles per year, it still should be doable… 250 ml – it’s definitely for longer than a year. Unless one bathes in perfume. But it’s a lot. Especially for people who do not have just one or two perfumes in their rotation.
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Probably not much! I just bought two slightly used bottles for £50 each and I realized that my limit is not dissimilar to what niche perfume used to cost 15 years ago i.e 60 or 70 pounds. I’d go up to 100 maybe – big maybe – at a pinch. ;)
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