Perfume has become Ridiculously Expensive

[likeamillpond]

A few years ago 30ml bottles were around the £35 - 40 mark and people expected to pay £60 - 70 for a 50ml bottle ,
But now it's difficult to find anything of quality for under £80
And that's for the smallest size.
Now I realise that there's inflation, but surely not this big a jump.
It's pure greed and I won't be buying any mote perfume for myself or presents for family for a long time. I cant afford to any more and i speak as a perfume lover.
Usually I've bought lots from Boots and HoF by now.

They're taking the piss surely?
Are people really willing to fork out over a 100 quid on a small bottle of, lets face it, chemicals
and we can't even test before we buy !

Dioressence was also reformed but hasn't changed totally. It's still recognisably itself, but the oskmoss legislation affected it big time. Diorella may as well be a completely different perfume on the other hand

Tell me about it - and I've always absolutely loved it

Anyone know of a decent substitute ... ?

@Fortunefavours1 to be honest it’s really difficult to fake the Chanel back catalogue ... I’ve never come across a good dupe. I’d only buy the real thing. Chanel are amazing at producing perfumes... they are very high quality (I’m talking about the older ones ... personally I don’t like Gabrielle, Chance etc)

Coty L’aimant is said to be a dupe of Chanel No 5. It really isn’t but it IS in the same style with the aldehydes that’s so characteristic of Chanel. It’s also got good longevity. I enjoy wearing it, but it’s no match for Chanel. Still a steal at a fiver for a small bottle.

Perfume parlour do have some excellent dupes though. Some even known to be better than modern reformulations.

@MandalaYogaTapestry Perfume Society sell little boxes of high end samples. They’re only about £20 a box and make great gifts (especially for yourself!)

They also sell selection boxes from niche perfumeries.

Unfortunately their selection this month is a bit limited... but in the past I’ve phoned and they’ve sold me an older box. There are 2 fab discovery boxes on there for men right now. And an expensive niche box which is more unisex

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Dioressence was also reformed but hasn't changed totally. It's still recognisably itself, but the oskmoss legislation affected it big time. Diorella may as well be a completely different perfume on the other hand

Tell me about it - and I've always absolutely loved it

Anyone know of a decent substitute ... ?

No, but I've got a lifelong stash of the old stuff from eBay! eBay.de is surprisingly good for vintage perfume.

@Passmeabottlemrjones

'Designer' perfume is a total con these days, I don't know why anyone would fork out the ridiculous prices when you can get such good dupes now. Just Pink from Next smells exactly like Ralph Lauren Romance and is a fraction of the price. And Perfume Parlour dupes are excellent as well.

As an aside, I have never really liked the fragrances from 'proper' perfume places. I got some 4160 Tuesdays samples and a couple of them were nice, but a lot of them just really weren't for me, they were too 'niche'. Same with Frédéric Malle etc I always wanted to be a perfume connoisseur and be really into proper sophisticated perfume but it's not meant to be for me.

Give me Marc Jacobs Oh Lola any day!

Oh god yes. I fell for the MN hype about 4160 (I think there was a fair bit of product placement going on in the early days) and bought loads of samples and they are just generally way too sweet and fruity sickly to me. The perfumer has certainly never heard of less is more! They smell like a little girl mixed all her mum's scent together to me. I also felt uncomfortable reading the owner's personal rants and strops on Facebook. Bit weird tbh.

Thanks, TheSilentStars - it wouldn't have occurred to me to try the German ebay, so I'll definitely have a look at that

I love Dior perfumes, but the cost is just totally prohibitive now. Given that more people are WFH/not going out, the need/desire to wear perfume when there is nobody around to smell it has put me off buying a new one, even before I factor in the over-inflated prices (plus perfume ads are utter annoying shite).

I will probably look at Body Shop and Lush in future due to them being slightly cheaper and more ethically produced. They don't last as long though which is a shame.

If anyone can find me the Miss Dior Cherie blend from 2012 I would pay good money. It’s what I wore at our wedding but it’s been reblended so many times now it just doesn’t evoke the same senses.
I love Dior too but their perfume is so expensive now I cannot justify it

I totally agree, I guess they have to claw back the expenses on their hideous adverts.

Miss Dior was my first “good” perfume. I first had it in the late 60s. The current incarnation is a travesty and I don’t trust eBay, I’d be so cross to spend lots of money only to find it had gone off.

@TheSilentStars 4160 Tuesdays definitely has not done product placement on mumsnet! It’s true they are marmite, but the perfumer is passionate about her craft. And lots of the perfumista thread regulars genuinely like them (although others don’t). They are very different and I can see why people don’t like them. I too dislike many in the range but 2 of my favourite perfumes are made by 4160T.

Re: the personal ranting of the owner ... I think that’s just the identity of the brand. They are very friendly with their customer base and have some die hard fans.

I agree that John Lewis aren’t going to be rushing to stock them. Because they are very playful. But to be fair the ingredients are high quality and justify the price they charge.

Lol I’m wearing more perfume than usual because I don’t have to worry about offending anyone with my niche perfumes working from home

People going to Lush thinking they are ethical? They treat their staff really badly, especially during COVID. Google 'the smell of bullshit' to read more (part of Mitherings in Morningside).

Plus they really do not value their customers - stuff like Flying Fox gets discontinued, for them to pour in loads of cheap citrus shit. I am done with Lush

Grateful for the Perfume Parlour recommendation though

The worse perfume tv ad ever was the Chanel one with Nicole Kidman on a roof saying "I love to dance". It was the most ridiculous and cringey one ever. Although Kiera Knightly in motorbike leathers was funny too.

Just seen that Perfume Parlour Opium smells like 80s Opium - yay! Hoping the same is true of their version of Poison. I am not willing to pay high prices for a perfume that is a dupe of itself, which is what Dior's Poison is.

[quote Ifailed]....Oh and, of course, women pay more then men.

inews.co.uk/news/consumer/pink-tax-on-perfume-women-are-being-charged-more-for-their-favourite-fragrances-than-men-are-for-the-aftershave-equivalents-257553[/quote]
I'm not a great one for spending money especially on myself! I actually prefer some after shaves, not liking flowery perfumes, one I really like is Obsession aftershave. One day I'll buy myself some Penhaligan.

I've started buying this lush body mist from boots. It's about £20 a bottle but really long lasting and I can happily chuck £20 at it when it runs out meaning it shouldn't just sit and go out of date

Does anyone know if there is a dupe for Guerlain's Aqua Cherrysia?

Still love Britney Curious which is cheap as chips. Also the perfume parlour sells amazing oils which often smell better than their wannabes.

[quote BlueSkies2020]@TheSilentStars 4160 Tuesdays definitely has not done product placement on mumsnet! It’s true they are marmite, but the perfumer is passionate about her craft. And lots of the perfumista thread regulars genuinely like them (although others don’t). They are very different and I can see why people don’t like them. I too dislike many in the range but 2 of my favourite perfumes are made by 4160T.

Re: the personal ranting of the owner ... I think that’s just the identity of the brand. They are very friendly with their customer base and have some die hard fans.

I agree that John Lewis aren’t going to be rushing to stock them. Because they are very playful. But to be fair the ingredients are high quality and justify the price they charge.[/quote]
I was on the perfumista thread for years under another name, which was how I fell for the hype. I adore Ealing Green but everything else I ebayed. (I wonder if we "know" each other from the perfumistas? I was the vintage collector in the south of Europe- haven't posted there for about 3 years)

@ChristmasFluff

Just seen that Perfume Parlour Opium smells like 80s Opium - yay! Hoping the same is true of their version of Poison. I am not willing to pay high prices for a perfume that is a dupe of itself, which is what Dior's Poison is.

IMO, no, sadly Poison doesn't. It's not a million miles apart, but it's not as good as the Opium and the Rive Gauche which are better than the new versions because they are more like the old ones.

[quote BlueSkies2020]@TheSilentStars 4160 Tuesdays definitely has not done product placement on mumsnet! It’s true they are marmite, but the perfumer is passionate about her craft. And lots of the perfumista thread regulars genuinely like them (although others don’t). They are very different and I can see why people don’t like them. I too dislike many in the range but 2 of my favourite perfumes are made by 4160T.

Re: the personal ranting of the owner ... I think that’s just the identity of the brand. They are very friendly with their customer base and have some die hard fans.

I agree that John Lewis aren’t going to be rushing to stock them. Because they are very playful. But to be fair the ingredients are high quality and justify the price they charge.[/quote]
I had some of the sets back in the days of Mrs Gloss and really liked a couple of the fragrances.
I spoke to the owner online about something and she seemed lovely

My Friend buys his SIL a bottle of £100 perfume every year. I nearly had heart failure.

I can think of many better things I could spend that amount of money on.

Am I allowed admit that aged 39, I've always loved M&S florentina