How to use perfume sample vials and decants

Wear one sample for one full day. That is the whole method.

A sample vial or decant is a small amount of a scent in a tiny bottle. People search for how to use sample vials, how many wears a sample gives and how to test samples because the amount feels so small. It is enough, if you use it slowly.

How to use one

• Wash and dry the spot first.
• Spray once, or dab once, on the inner forearm.
• Check at the start, after an hour and after four.
• Wait a day before the next sample.

A two millilitre vial typically gives a handful of sprays or a few dabs, so about two or three tests. Exact numbers vary by the vial and the spray.

Why one a day

Your nose mixes scents. If you try five on one arm, you smell a muddle. One scent, one day, gives a clean answer.

One scent, one day, one spot.

The exception

If a sample is almost empty, use the last of it on a card or cloth to check the dry-down, rather than wasting it on skin. Cloth keeps scent for a long time, so you can come back to it.

Storing small amounts

Keep vials upright, capped, in a cool, dark drawer. Heat and light change a scent over time. See how to store perfume and attar. Alcohol sprays are flammable, so keep them away from flames, and keep all vials away from children and pets.

For a full test routine, read how to test a perfume on skin before you buy it.

A note on wasted samples

Samples tend to look small, so people use them up in one go. Resist that. One spray tells you most of what you need.