decanting supplies

Almost everybody in my surroundings knows that I am “into perfumes.” That’s how I got into my possession two different types of perfume atomizers. From there it was a short stretch to getting a couple more and putting them all to test – especially since I had this trip coming up with six flights two of which were longer than eleven hours.

I tested five decanting atomizers – plain bottle, Nordstrom Atomizer, Flo, Travalo and sen7. Ratings (where applicable) are on the 1-5 scale with 5 being the highest. My evidence is anecdotal; I do not claim a scientific approach or validity of the experiment.

Brand: No name plain glass bottle with clear top from SKS-Bottle
Capacity: 5 ml
Refillable from: bottles with removable sprayer, integrated sprayer and splash bottles
Ease of filling: 3
Material of the perfume container: glass
Leak proof: 4 (based on a dozen I tested)
Price, availability and options: $17.28 + S&H for 48 atomizers online
Pros: cheap per piece and works with all bottle types; made of glass
Cons: not as leak proof as other solutions: bottles from the same batch might be better or worse; for bad ones even parafilm doesn’t improve the situation – they leak during air travel (read “being mailed”); requires additional accessories to transfer perfumes from splash bottles; breaks easily.

Brand: Nordstrom Atomizer
Capacity: 5 ml (it says 0.5oz on the page but it’s a mistake)
Refillable from: bottles with removable sprayer, integrated sprayer and splash bottles
Ease of filling: 3
Material of the perfume container: glass
Leak proof: 5 (based on two I tested)
Price, availability and options: $5 online and at Nordstrom stores, comes in 12 colors.
Pros: made of glass and protected by aluminum with anodized finish; great choice of colors; works with all bottle types
Cons: It requires additional accessories to transfer perfumes from a splash bottle and experience to fill it from a bottle with a sprayer.

Brand: FLO
Capacity: 4.7 ml
Refillable from: bottles with removable sprayer, integrated sprayer and splash bottles
Ease of filling: 5
Material of the perfume container: glass
Leak proof: 5 (based on one I tested)
Price, availability and options: $10-$15 online and in some stores; two sizes – 4.7 ml and 6 ml; 3 colors.
Pros: works with any bottle type without additional accessories; made of glass with aluminum cover and built-in funnel that makes it easy to fill it from any bottle
Cons: comes just in 3 colors; it’s bigger than other atomizers.

Brand: Travalo Classic
Capacity: 4 ml
Refillable from: perfume bottles with removable sprayer only
Ease of filling: 5 (for bottles with a removable sprayer); 0 (for splash bottles and integrated sprayers)
Material of the perfume container: plastic
Leak proof: 5 (based on one I tested)
Price, availability and options: $10-$20 online and in many stores; two sizes – 4 ml and 5 ml, 10 colors, with or without the aluminum cover, spray or roller.
Pros: It’s really easy to fill from an appropriate bottle; it’s durable (plastic with aluminum protection cover), looks good, doesn’t leak even under pressure and allows you to have at least 10 travel companions (based on color choices)
Cons: It doesn’t work with a splash bottle; made of plastic; the place where it connects to a bottle picks up the scent (from filling in, not because it leaks) so potentially it’ll transfer to your pocket or a purse if you keep it in there; too expensive for the purpose.

Brand: sen7 classic
Capacity: 5.8 ml
Refillable from: bottles with removable sprayer, integrated sprayer and splash bottles
Ease of filling: 4
Material of the perfume container: plastic
Leak proof: 4 (based on one I tested)
Price, availability and options: $38 – $499 (contact them for pricing for atomizers with diamonds – I’m not kidding) online and in some B&M stores in Europe, comes in more than 20 colors, different finishes including sterling silver and rubber; with funnel or “easyfill system”
Pros: works with any bottle type since it comes with its own funnel; polished gun-metal finish looks very stylish and protects great against breakage; it doesn’t even look like an atomizer; it’s extremely cute, pleasant for the eye and to the touch
Cons: perfume container is made of plastic; that plastic part’s strange shape resulted in me overfilling it and it leaked (at least I told myself that was the reason); the price is totally outrageous even before we go into precious metals option. But all that is nothing compared to the main complaint: it’s not that easy to use – I mean the actual use, once you managed to fill it in with your favorite perfume. It’s hard to get a good grip of to actually spray the perfume on yourself. So it’s a good thing it doesn’t break easily once it slips through your fingers.

None of the atomizers I tested addressed the issue of marking decants, which will be a problem once you make more than one in a similar container – even if you were to go with different colors. I used my label maker but those labels make atomizers less appealing. I’d recommend to manufacturers to look into some materials that allow creating a label by applying pressure with something like a stylus and then affixing that label to the atomizer or at least to designate some space on the atomizer for writing with a Sharpie marker: Travalo, Flo and sen7, it’s great that you spent time thinking on how to make your brand noticeable and recognizable on the bottle but I still care slightly more for the name of the perfume I’m decanting into those atomizers.

Conclusion: while simple atomizers are the most economical way of sharing or testing perfumes, when it comes to decanting favorite (“Travalo Worthy” – ©Vanessa) perfumes for my own use I will probably vote for Nordstrom’s Atomizers: they are small, made of glass (I prefer it to plastic) with protective cover, come in many different colors and do not cost one third of a full bottle price. I would have gone for Flo since it’s even better protected and is easier for refilling but three colors aren’t enough – even if I use those only for my all-time favorites.

Do you have any favorite atomizers? (share your links if different from those above).

Images: my own

This is a public service article. I’m sure that all experienced perfumistas (meaning “my regular readers”) know all that and then some. But I decided to put together in one post information I wish I had when I started sharing my perfumes with others (not that long ago). So for most of my readers it’s a post with pictures of Rusty helping me to illustrate my points.

If you plan decanting as a business there will be completely different rules, this post probably won’t help you.

Decanting Supplies

You might find useful to get 1-2 ml dab vials (for sharing your small samples, extraits or perfumes of which you do not have enough); 3-4 ml sprays for samples; 5 ml and 10 ml sprays for bigger decants. Pipettes might be useful if you plan to decant a splash bottle into many decants. Otherwise just get some straws from a coffee shop: it’s less convenient but it will do the job.

I know that some perfumistas prefer plastic bottles: they are cheaper and are safer to ship but if I have a choice I won’t go for a plastic bottle. I don’t know that for a fact but I’m afraid that plastic will dissolve a little and contaminate my sample.

There are many places to buy bottles for decants. They vary by selection, prices and minimum order size.

Best Bottles: has better prices but require minimum $50 order (plus shipping; please note that shipping to a commercial address is cheaper).

Accessories for Fragrances: almost twice as expensive as those from Best Bottles but they allow smaller orders.

1 ml, 3 ml (with screw-on spray pump) and 10 ml are good at both sites, 5 ml decants, in my opinion, are nicer from Accessories for Fragrances.

If you have other favorite places for decanting supplies (and especially in Europe) – please share.

Labeling

Labels are important. You do not think about them when they are alright but when they go wrong it might be devastating. Read Steve’s (The Scented Hound) story – though it’s a lot of fun to do a detective work guessing which perfume you’re testing, in general it’s better to avoid those situations.

There are many ways of making labels – from the simplest hand-written labels supplied with decanting vials, through printed on a printer (I saw some fancy ones with brand fonts/logos reproductions) all the way to those printed on label makers (functionality of some of those is just a mind-boggling).

If you do paper labels, it’s a good practice to put a transparent tape over it to prevent smudging during the shipping leakage or further use.

I use a simple label maker similar to this one but I’m too lazy to learn how to do more styles (I got it used without documentation) so I just chose the font size and stopped there.

Preventing leakage

There is an assumption you should make: if a package with your decants flies it will leak. There are a couple of things you can do to prevent/minimize that.

After you make sure that a vial/atomizer is closed as well as it can be you’ll need a tape. Many perfumistas are using an electrical tape and it works just great. Vanessa (Bonkers about Perfume) wrote the Ode to it: The Unsung Hero Of The Swap Scene – Electrical Insulation Tape.

But black color bothered me so I found an alternative and for a long time I was using colored vinyl tape. The only bad thing about those tapes is that when a perfume leaks a little and you do not take the tape off after it arrives the tape might leave some sticky residue on the bottle.

Recently, thanks to Ruth Kaminski from Facebook Fragrance Friends Group, I’ve discovered an even better solution – a parafilm. If you’re not in a hurry, you can watch for the price drop (I bought it for ~$18). I suspect that package will serve me for years: all it takes is a really small piece of parafilm per a decant. You just cut it, peel a protecting paper, stretch it warming in your fingers and wrap around a vial. No leakage, no sticky residue. I plan to use it also for some of my samples/decants that I’m not using up too quickly to prevent evaporation.

No matter what you use, just make sure you’re wrapping it around the place where plastic part connects with glass. If you wrap it around the place where a covering cap ends you will reduce leakage into the package but it won’t prevent a perfume from leaking into that cap and evaporating.

Packing and Shipping

Bubble wrap is your friend. Just make sure you are not trying to re-use the one that has been popped or lost air. Do not wrap too tight. Think about it this way: this wrap will protect only if with a pressure applied a bubble bursts before the conducted pressure squashes the vial.

Vanessa wrote a post about bubble wrap as well: Another Unsung Hero Of The Swap Scene – Bubble Wrap.

For sending decants in/from the U.S. there are several options: bubble mailer envelope, small box (you have to have your own) shipped First Class Mail (you have to specifically ask for it, many post office clerks try to upsell) or Priority Mail® Small Flat Rate Box (box provided). Padded envelopes are cheaper in bulk from stores/online, not from a Post Office. You can also re-use those that have been sent to you. Sometimes I use small boxes from jewelry or from cosmetics inside a padded envelope to make it sturdier. Small box for priority mail are free and if you print your labels online it’ll be cheaper and will include delivery confirmation without extra charge.

Other Considerations

Summer is really not the best time to be sending any perfumes: think about storage rooms and mail trucks. Somehow I do not think they have a climate control. If you have to send it in summer try doing it on Monday or Tuesday so that it doesn’t spend a weekend at the storage facility.

Have I forgot anything? Please share in the comments.

Happy decanting!

Images: my own.

Undina's Looking Glass

Perfumed Reflections of Life

Have Perfume Atomizer – Will Travel

Know-how: Decanting, Labeling, Packing and Shipping

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