How to compare perfume prices

1. Match the exact bottle

Two prices for "the same perfume" are often for different products. Check four things on every listing:

• Fragrance name, including flankers. A flanker such as an "Intense" or "Elixir" edition is a different product from the original.
• Concentration. EDT and EDP versions of the same name are different formulas and usually different prices. See EDT vs EDP vs Parfum.
• Size. Compare 100 ml with 100 ml. To compare different sizes, use price per ml (below).
• Packaging. Retail boxed, tester, unboxed, refill and gift set are different purchases. See tester vs boxed perfume.

On ScentsHunt each combination has its own page, and offers for one are never ranked against another.

2. Convert ounces to ml

US listings often give sizes in fluid ounces. One US fluid ounce is 29.57 ml (NIST), so:

Those rounded pairs are the same bottle sold in two markets, so a "3.4 oz" listing and a "100 ml" listing can be compared directly.

3. Use price per ml, but only within one product

Price per ml is the item price divided by the volume. It is the same idea as the unit prices shops put on shelf labels, which US weights-and-measures rules express per 100 ml or per fluid ounce for liquids.

Example: a 100 ml bottle at $120 is $1.20 per ml. A 50 ml bottle of the same fragrance and concentration at $85 is $1.70 per ml. The larger bottle costs more up front but less per ml.

It stops being useful when:

• the products differ. A cheaper per-ml EDT is not a cheaper EDP;
• it's a gift set. The price covers several items, so dividing by the main bottle overstates the value. ScentsHunt doesn't show price per ml for sets;
• it's a sample or mini. Small sizes always cost more per ml. That's the price of trying before committing, not a bad deal.

More detail: how to use price per ml.

4. Add shipping before you decide

A lower item price can disappear once shipping is added. Check the delivered cost for your order. If a retailer doesn't publish its shipping cost, treat it as unknown, not free. On ScentsHunt, the comparison table shows shipping and a total where the retailer provides them, and cards say whether the price shown is the item price or the total.

5. Count a coupon only if you qualify

Coupons often come with conditions: first order only, members only, a minimum spend, or excluded brands. A code only lowers your price if you meet its terms, and the retailer decides whether it is accepted at checkout. We show coupons separately and only apply ones without special conditions to the ranking.

6. Compare before sales tax

Sales tax depends on where the order is delivered. The Tax Foundation counts 45 states with a statewide sales tax, plus local taxes in many places; five states have no statewide sales tax. Because the rate depends on your address, comparison prices on ScentsHunt are shown before tax.

7. Check how fresh the price is

Retailer prices can change several times a day. A price checked last week is a hint, not a quote. ScentsHunt only ranks prices confirmed within the last 24 hours and labels older ones as out of date.

Our view

This is editorial judgment, not fact. When two offers are close, the one whose full delivered total you can see, from a retailer whose return policy you can live with, is usually the better buy.

Next steps

• Compare current prices in the catalog.
• Read how ScentsHunt compares prices.
• Shopping for someone else? Try the gift finder.