Since discovering several years ago that I enjoy advent calendars, every August-September, I research offerings in the space.

While beauty and different “edible” (tea, chocolate, jam, etc.) calendars were my main focus, and in the last 3 years I either bought or improvised my own calendars in these categories, I would investigate other curious varieties when they entwine into my search results.

I haven’t done any scientific calculations, but just as an impression: this year, everyone went crazy releasing their version of an advent calendar. In my opinion, rare ones are worth buying. But I’ll get to it later in the post. For now, let’s just observe what was happening in the fragrance space.

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For over a decade, around holidays, Sephora has been selling sets of perfume samples with a voucher for a full bottle of one of the perfumes included. Even though I haven’t been a target audience for perfumes in those sets, I always thought that it was a great idea for a gift for a “civilian” perfume enthusiast. That was probably the closest to a fragrance advent calendar I’ve seen until recently.

Last year, Harrods made the first (I think) Perfume Advent Calendar. It included 12 mini bottles of very high-end fragrances. It was fantastic value and sold out within days, while I debated getting it instead of the beauty calendar.

This year Harrods released another Perfume Advent Calendar with 13 high-end perfumes (different from the previous year). Perfumes included: Parfums De Marly Oriana, Etat Libre D’Orange Nostos, Montale Rendez Vous Chez Harrods, Thameen Peregrina, Tiziana Terenzi La Superba Rossa, Acqua Di Parma Oud and Zagara, Graff EDP VI, Xerjoff Alexandria II, Creed Queen of Silk, Amouage Guidance, Amouage Reflection, Roja London Elysium, The Merchant of Venice Queen of the Night.

Priced at £175 (with a declared £1,144 value), it disappeared during a pre-sale.

And then, fragrance advent calendars were everywhere.

There were several main types of these calendars – multi-brand fragrance calendars with mini/travel bottles of perfumes and candles only, multi-brand beauty calendars with a significant number of perfume-related items, single-brand perfume calendars or perfume-heavy beauty calendars with a mix of full bottles, travel bottles, miniatures and other scent-related items, and finally, multi-brand sampling perfume calendars containing perfume samples (with or without a future redemption option).

Multi-brand Perfume Calendars 2024

In addition to Harrods’ 12 Days of Fragrance Advent Calendar, four more stores offered perfume-centric advent calendars:

Harvey Nichols 12 Days Of Fragrance calendar, priced at £165 (declared value £730), contains 17 mini/travel bottles of high-end and niche perfumes: Acqua di Parma Colonia Hatbox, Bdk Parfums Gris Charnel, Byredo Bal d’Afrique, Creed Carmina, D.S. & Durga I Don’t Know What, Escentric Molecules Escentric O2, Ex-Nihilo The Hedonist, Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady, Hermetica Paris Verticaloud, Memo Paris Irish Leather, Maison Crivelli Neroli Nasimba, Nishane Hacivat, Parfums de Marly Delina, Sisley Paris Eau Révée D’hubert, Tocca Cleopatra, Veronique Gabai Oud Elixir, Xerjoff Naxos. Sold out.

Space NK 12 Days Of Fragrance calendar, $195/£560, has 3 full bottles (DedCool Xtra Milk, Malin + Goetz Leather and Phlur Vanilla Skin Body Mist), 14 mini/travel bottles (Byredo Mojave Ghost, Boy Smells Hinoki Fantome, Diptyque Eau Rose, D.S & Durga I Don’t Know What, E11EVEN Fragrance Oil, Escentric Molecules MO1, Escentric Molecules EO4, Floral Street Wonderland Peony, Glossier You, Jo By Jo Loves, Juliette Has A Gun Not A Perfume, Maison Margiela Lazy Sunday Morning, Vyrao Witchy Woo) and a candle (Shimmering Spice Scented Candle). Sold out.

Bloomingdale’s 12 Days of Luxury Fragrance Advent Calendar ($125/$275) offers 11 mini/travel perfumes (5-7 ml) and one hand cream: Maison Margiela REPLICA By the Fireplace, DS & Durga I Don’t Know What, Initio Parfums Privés Oud for Greatness, Diptyque Eau Rose, Vilhelm Parfumerie Poets of Berlin, Parfums de Marly Delina body cream, Acqua di Parma Signatures of the Sun Zafferano, Mind Games J’Adoube, Byredo Gypsy Water, Bond No. 9 New York Greenwich Village, Memo Paris Marfa, Armani/Privé Santal Dan Sha. Sold out mid-December.

Neiman Marcus 12 Days Of Fragrance Advent Calendar, $155 ($375 value), included 10 travel/mini bottles of perfumes, one mini candle and one lotion. I can’t believe it, but it’s sold out! 60 ml of perfume(s), a 30 g candle and 75 ml lotion. $155.

Multi-brand “Fragrance-heavy” Beauty Calendars 2024

Cult Beauty released one of their beauty calendars with a perfume twist: Scent With Love Advent Calendar (£235/£1,100). I didn’t get why they stressed it out that much (and limited countries to which that calendar could be delivered) because, among 45 products, there were only a couple of perfume-related items. Sold out quickly.

Selfridges’s beauty calendar (£250/£1,000+) had 2 full bottles, 3 travel bottles and 1 candle among 38 products. Sold out.

Saks Fifth Avenue 25-Day Advent Calendar ($295/$1,200) included 5 travel bottles of perfumes and a candle. Sold out (just a couple of days ago).

Single-brand Perfume and Beauty Calendars 2024

I was surprised by the number of perfume brands that came up with advent calendars. This isn’t a comprehensive list – just those that I came across in my searches and recognized.

Juliette has a gun released a 6-item set called (surprise!) Not an advent calendar. Priced at $160 ($200 value), it includes (all names preceded by “Not a”) bar soap, hand cream, body lotion, a mini bottle of Not a perfume, a mini candle and hair & body mist. As I write it, the set is still available.

Ormonde Jayne offered a set – 8 Days of Christmas (“extending the joy of discovery from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve”). It included one full bottle (Levant), 4 travel bottles (Verano, Sakura, Champaca and Osmanthus) and 3 special holiday candles (Nocturne, Etoile and Infini). It was sold out in a blink of an eye; I don’t even remember the price.

Maison Margiela offers Fragrance Advent Calendar that includes one 30 ml bottle (By the Fireplace), 2 travel bottles (Beach Walk and Jazz Club), travel bottles of a shower gel and body lotion and 2 mini candles. $120/$165. Still available.

Diptyque was one of the brands for which it wasn’t the first rodeo: I recall at least two of their previous calendars. This year, it was priced at $495 (I’m not sure the value was even mentioned). As always, it was sold out quickly. It included 10 mini candles, 1 larger candle, room spray, solid perfume, 7 travel sprays (L’Eau Papier, Do Son, Philosykos, Fleur de Peau, Orphéon, Tam Dao, Eau Rose), soap, travel sizes of hand and body gel and hand and body lotion, exfoliating hand wash and a set of decorations.

Same as Diptyque, Jo Malone is known for their yearly Advent Calendars. At $495, it was sold out a long time ago. The collection contained: one 30 ml bottle (Orange Bitters), twelve 9 ml travel bottles (Blackberry & Bay, Fir & Artemisia, Velvet Rose & Oud, English Pear & Freesia, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, English Pear & Sweet Pea, Cypress & Grapevine, Myrrh & Tonka, Wild Bluebell, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Oud & Bergamot, Red Hibiscus), 3 mini candles, 2 travel candles, a soap, 2 body & hand washes, 1 body & hand lotion, 2 body & hand creams and 1 hand cream.

For $525, L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Advent Calendar offers one 50 ml bottle (Histoire d’Orangers), 10 travel bottles (Cuir Grenat, Passage d’ Enfer, Mémoire de Roses, Un Air de Bretagne, Mûre et Musc, Tonka Blanc, Abyssae, Vetiver Ecarlate, Fables D’Orient, Tenebrae), 3 mini bottles (Ode a L’Oudh, Il Etait un Bois, A Fleur de Peche), 2 travel body washes, 2 travel hand & body lotions, 2 hand creams, 2 hand soaps, red leather pouch and a ceramic object. Still available (I’m not surprised).

Penhaligon’s 24-Day Advent Calendar, for $570, includes 1 30 ml full bottle (Luna EdT), 9 travel sprays (Halfeti, The Tragedy of Lord George, Quercus, Duchess Rose, Empressa, The Blazing Mr. Sam, Eau The Audacity, Juniper Sling, Highgrove), 4 mini bottles (Elisabethan Rose, Al Ula, Endymion, Halfeti Leather), 4 mini candle, two travel size body washes and a body lotion, a hand cream, a mini soap and a Christmas charm. It is almost sold out.

Acqua di Parma had a 25-day Holiday Advent Calendar, $650, with twelve 12 ml travel bottles (Colonia Futura, Colonia C.L.U.B., Colonia Essenza, Signatures Oud, Signatures Quercia, Signatures Sandalo, Signatures Osmanthus, Signatures Yuzu, SignaturesLily of the Valley, Arancia di Capri, Fico di Amalfi, Mirto di Panarea), 20 ml bottle of Colonia EdC, travel sizes of different body products and 2 mini candles Sold out.

Guerlain had their traditional fragrance-heavy The Hive of Wonders Advent Calendar ($720). Among the 25 products, it included seven 10 ml L’Art & La Matière miniatures (Musc Outreblanc, Cuir Beluga, Oud Nude, Angélique Noire, Néroli Outrenoir, Jasmin Bonheur and Herbes Troublantes, a 7.5 ml miniature of Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic Forte and a 5 ml miniature of Shalimar EdP, 4 mini candles, 2 perfume soaps and 2 ceramics to perfume. Not that I was planning to buy it, but I am not even sure it ever came to the site.

Dior this year had two beauty advent calendars. The more “egalitarian” one, just for $750, included a tiny 3.5 ml mini bottle of J’adore l’Or, five 5 ml mini bottles (J’adore EdP, J’adore Parfum d’eau, Miss Dior EdP, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet and Miss Dior Parfum), three 10 ml mini bottles (Sauvage EdP, Sauvage EdT and Dior Homme EdT) and a mini candle. Sold out.

The Trunk of Dreams, a limited edition (as an opposite to what?) Dior’s advent calendar is the most expensive advent calendar I’ve ever encountered in my searches. Among 24 items, this $4,400 calendar included five full bottles of their La Collection Privée line, the smallest 40 ml size, (Gris Dior, Jasmin des Anges, Ambre Nuit, Oud Rosewood and New Look), 1 full-size scented candle, 3 mini candles and 3 full-size hair perfumes (Gris Dior, Oud Rosewood and Jasmin des Anges). Only 120 calendars were produced. Sold out.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian re-released his limited edition of The Countdown Calendar. Priced at $995 on the brand’s site, it is sold out, but it’s still available from Harrods for $1,100. The set includes a full bottle (70 ml) of Baccarat Rouge 540 extrait de parfum, a Baccarat Rouge 540 scented body oil (35 ml), a trio of 724 precious elixirs (3×4 ml), a trio of mini candles, a limited-edition Mon beau Sapin scented candle (95 g), Grand Soir EdP (35 ml), OUD satin mood sparkling oil (200 ml) and a miniature of Aqua Universalis (10 ml).

Other single-brand perfume calendars that I saw this season: Jo Loves (£375/£750UK only; sold out), M.Micallef (295.00 € or $295, still available), Mind Games ($225, still available) and several designer brands I won’t even mention.

Multi-brand Sampling Perfume Calendars 2024

Surprisingly, I didn’t see too many advent calendars with perfume samples. Macy’s still has a $35 13-Pc. Macy’s Favorite Scents 12 Days Of Scent For Her Advent Calendar with the current releases of designer fragrances. Sephora, as always, had several sets of designer fragrance samples with a redeemable voucher for either a travel-size or a full-size bottle (dependent on the set). These are not calendars per se but are quite a convenient “civilian” gift. This is probably why most of them are sold out.

ScentBird decided to participate with a 12-day advent calendar. For $52, they offered twelve 1.5 ml samples of designers fragrances. The set included Versace Bright Crystal Absolu, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Prada Candy, Juliette Has A Gun Not A Perfume, Commodity Rain, Michel Germain Sugarful, Room 105 Cherry Punk, Confessions Of A Rebel Get A Room, Dedcool Xtra Milk, Deck of Scarlet Not Your Girl, Catherine Malandrino Violet Gem. Was available almost until Christmas.

If you think the ScentBird’s offering is expensive, wait till I tell you about Olfactif’s Advent Calendar.

For $225, you get to enjoy 24 days of 2 ml samples of undisclosed perfumes. The only known fact is that they are not the same as were previously features in their subscription boxes.They made just 50 sets. Five of these have a $100 gift card. The rest just get 48 ml of random perfumes for $225. Still available on the site.

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Are you still with me? Let me share my thoughts about these calendars and in general the idea of fragrance advent calendars.

High-value multi-brand calendars are the most likely to be useful: if they contain 2-3 perfumes you know, like and want to own, and their price equals or exceeds the price of the advent calendar, the rest might be considered a GWP.

Similar considerations apply to beauty calendars: if the price of the items that you would buy otherwise covers the price of the calendar, having additional perfumes to try is a pleasant bonus.

Single-brand perfume calendars confound me: if someone is a devotee of the brand, wouldn’t they already have all the possible products from it? And if they are not, what are the chances that they would like the whole lineup (if multiple perfumes included) or need the complete range of the products? Especially considering that the prices are, mostly, retail minus 20-25%. It isn’t a bad discount for a bottle of specific perfume you want to buy. But why would you pay that price for a selection of products someone else made?

As to sampling advent calendars, 18 ml of designer perfumes $52 or 48 ml of who knows what for $225… I find it the strangest idea. And judging by the availability of those calendars long after the time they were supposed to be used, the brands didn’t trick others either.

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This December I went through two Advent Calendars – a multi-brand beauty advent calendar that I bought for myself from SpaceNK and a loose leaf tea calendar that I made for me and my vSO from 4-5 discovery sets I bought and repackaged into the box from the last year’s Cult Beauty Advent Calendar. We both enjoyed the daily ritual of finding a new gift in the numbered box. 70% of the calendar cost could be counted towards 6 products that I like, currently use and would have repurchased during the upcoming year anyway. And I was more than happy to pay the remaining 30% of the cost to try all the other included products. Ironically, the only two items from that calendar I didn’t care for and wasn’t happy to get were… two perfumes – D.S. & Durga I Don’t Know What and Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 perfume mist. So, if I decide to go for another Advent Calendar next year, I don’t think it’ll be a perfume one. Unless I get 24 samples of my choosing and make my own calendar, which might be not such a bad idea.

Images: All images but the last one are from brands or stores’ websites.