How-to guide
How to use a decant
A decant is the same perfume as the full bottle, just in a smaller atomizer. A few good habits help you get to know it properly and make it last longer.
How to spray it
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01
Prime the spray
The first time, press the sprayer twice into the air so the perfume rises into the tube.
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02
From 15 cm
Spray from 15 cm onto clean, moisturised skin. Wrists and neck are the usual spots.
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03
Let it dry
Don't rub your wrists together after spraying, because the top notes fade faster.
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04
Skin is best
Some perfumes can mark clothes, especially delicate or light-coloured fabrics.
How to test a new perfume
You only get to know a perfume after a few days on your own skin. The first minute tells you very little about it.
One on each wrist
To compare two perfumes, put one on each wrist. With more at once they blend and you can't tell what you're smelling.
Wear it all day
Smell your wrist now and then. By the evening the perfume can smell quite different from the first minute.
Wear it once more
Try it again on another day, at work or on a night out, before you decide whether you want the full bottle.
If you can't smell it after an hour, it hasn't necessarily gone. Your nose gets used to your own perfume while people around you can still smell it.
How many sprays in each size
Durations are based on 3 sprays a day.
An Extrait de Parfum is more concentrated, so one spray a day is enough and the decant lasts three times as long.
As with any spray bottle, a little perfume can stay in the atomizer tube.
How to store it
Upright with the cap on
Keep it at room temperature, somewhere the sun doesn't reach.
Away from heat and light
Direct sun and big swings in temperature are bad for perfume. The bathroom or a car parked in the sun are not good places for it.
Within 12 months
We recommend using it within 12 months of the first spray.
Perfume is flammable and for external use only. Keep it away from flames and out of reach of children.
When it runs out
We fill every decant into a new, sterilised glass atomizer, so we don't refill used ones. If you've finished a perfume you loved, order it again, perhaps in a bigger size.
A 10 ml decant lasts 50 days at 3 sprays a day.
Travelling
- All our decants are under 100 ml, so they can go in your hand luggage, in the liquids bag.
- Put it in your bag with the cap on firmly so you don't press the sprayer by accident.
- Don't leave it in a car in the sun or near anything hot.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't my decant spray on the first press?
The tube is still empty. Press twice into the air and the perfume comes up. If it still won't spray, write to us and we'll replace it.
Why doesn't the perfume last as long on me?
Concentration, skin and heat all play a part. An Extrait de Parfum usually lasts longer than an Eau de Parfum, which lasts longer than an Eau de Toilette. Dry skin holds perfume less well, so an unscented moisturiser applied first helps. In warm weather perfume smells stronger but evaporates faster.
Can I spray it on my clothes?
You can, but some perfumes mark delicate or light-coloured fabrics. Skin is the safer choice.
Is it normal for a little perfume to stay in the decant?
Yes. As with any spray bottle, a little perfume can stay in the atomizer tube.
How long can I use an opened decant?
We recommend using it within 12 months of the first spray, stored upright with the cap on and out of the sun.