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Best Perfume Subscription Boxes of 2023
Some of our most powerful memories are fueled by scents: those first tulip blossoms each spring, sunscreen and the salt of the ocean every summer at the beach, autumn bonfires, Sunday morning waffles. Scent is visceral and highly personal, which is why perfumes are about more than just smelling nice. Finding fragrances you love is about self-expression and creating those powerful memories.
Perfume subscription boxes make discovering your signature scents easy. By joining a perfume subscription, you’ll receive at least one new fragrance every month. With some services, experts will curate your box based on your answers to a thorough scent profile quiz, and with others, you’ll choose the scents you’d like to try. These services let you sample perfumes before committing to a full-size bottle, which means you can swap fragrances for different events or new occasions in your life. We’ve rounded up seven of the best perfume subscription boxes to help you embrace your inner fragrance aficionado and find your new favorite scents.
Best Perfume Subscription Boxes of 2023
Best Overall: Skylar Scent Club
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $20
- Free Shipping? No
- Featured Brands: All original, limited-edition fragrances
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Clean, hypoallergenic, sensitive skin-safe, vegan products
- Donates portion of subscription proceeds
- Eco-friendly, recyclable packaging
- Leaping Bunny-certified and PETA-certified cruelty-free
Cons
- Because the fragrances are limited edition, your new favorite could sell out quickly
Why It Made the List
You know that feeling when your phone chimes with a notification, you look down, and you see that something you ordered has been delivered? Sometimes you nod and make a mental note … and other times you practically sprint to the mailbox. When a Skylar Scent Club box arrives, you’ll be out the door in an instant to see what dreamy fragrance the company has sent you this month.
Founder Cat Chen started Skylar after her everyday fragrance caused her infant daughter to experience allergic reactions. Today, the company is the world’s largest clean scent club, featuring fragrances crafted with sugarcane alcohol and other good-for-you ingredients and without any potentially harmful substances. Skylar’s incredible fragrances are free of 36 fragrance allergens, endangered plant species, phthalates, parabens, artificial dyes, commonly known toxins, animal notes and byproducts, beta hydroxy acids, sulfates, skin sensitizers, and more than 1,300 other questionable ingredients commonly found in perfumes and colognes.
Aside from the quality ingredients, Skylar’s scents are absolutely beautiful. The website provides detailed fragrance descriptions, including top, middle, and bottom notes. With a Scent Club subscription, you’ll receive that month’s exclusive limited-edition travel-size rollerball (0.33 fl. oz./10 mL) for $20 plus shipping. For 2023, each month’s scent is inspired by a different global destination. If you’re unsure of a scent, you can always skip or swap for another one you’ve been wanting to try.
Other reasons to love Skylar? You’ll earn redeemable rewards points on every purchase, and as a member, you’ll get 20 percent off sitewide, have first access to new products, and be supporting charitable efforts, as Skylar donates part of its subscription proceeds to a new organization every month.
Best Variety: Scentbird
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $16.95
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Featured Brands: Versace, Tommy Bahama, Dolce & Gabbana, Vince Camuto
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Atomizer case included with sample bottles
- Can select your starting scent
- 600+ fragrances to choose from
- Can purchase full-size products at a discount
Cons
- Can’t see the full catalog until you subscribe
- Some billing and customer service issues reported
Why It Made the List
Scentbird is one of the most well-known perfume subscription boxes, in part because it pretty much started the concept when it launched back in 2013. This subscription is a lovely way to try fragrances before committing to a full-size bottle, and with over 600 niche and designer fragrances to choose from, there’s bound to be a scent you’ll enjoy.
Every month, for $16.95, you’ll receive a 0.27 fl. oz. (8 mL) bottle in the scent of your choice and a free atomizer case. Each bottle holds roughly 120 sprays, so it should be plenty to last you the whole month. If you forget to choose a scent before the monthly cutoff date, don’t worry — you’ll receive the expert-selected Scent of the Month. If you find a fragrance you love and want to purchase a full-size bottle, you’ll get a members-only discount as a subscriber.
Scentbird has three plans, all of which include the same perks, such as free shipping:
- 1 item per month: $16.95
- 2 items per month: $27
- 3 items per month: $37
Best for Fragrance Aficionados: Scent Trunk
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $18
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Featured Brands: All original scents
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Scent experts curate boxes to match your preferences
- Provides education about scent families, notes, and layering
- Three subscription plans
Cons
- Provides little information about perfume ingredients
Why It Made the List
Scent Trunk showcases the art of perfumery to help you develop a personal collection of unique, true-to-you fragrances. All of the company’s fragrances are original, curated by expert indie perfumers, and inspired by the vibrancy found in art, culture, fashion, beauty, food, and travel.
Instead of simply answering a few questions about your scent preferences, you begin your experience at Scent Trunk with discovery, learning about scent families, notes, and layering so that you can start customizing the way you wear fragrances. To start your education, Scent Trunk offers a Discovery Palette that includes six fragrance families: citrus, wood, floral, aromatic, amber, and chypre (green and earthy scents).
Scent Truck has three subscriptions to choose from, each of which costs $18 per month and will send you a travel-friendly 0.17 fl. oz. (5 mL) spray bottle with 100 spritzes:
- Original Edition: Choose which scent you’d like to receive from a list of collaborations inspired by themes, seasonally focused ingredients, and geographic locations.
- Botanical Machinist: Botanical scents inspired by plant intelligence and technology
- Supernatural Future: Future-focused scents inspired by technology and interplanetary travel
Best Designer Brands: LUXSB — Luxury Scent Box
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $15.95
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Featured Brands: Prada, Burberry, Les Deux, Jimmy Choo
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Exclusive brands and scents
- Membership discounts on full-size bottles
- Larger samples than other subscriptions (0.30 fl. oz./9 mL)
- Free protective case with your first order and quarterly
Cons
- “Premium” and “Ultra Premium” fragrances cost extra
Why It Made the List
LUXSB — Luxury Scent Box is the best perfume subscription box for lovers of all things designer. With over 550 designer and niche brands to explore (including some exclusive scents), you’re bound to find a unique, perfect-for-you fragrance in the collection.
Getting started with the service is simple: Choose a fragrance, select a plan, and build out your new calendar with the fragrances you’d like to receive each month. Once you start spritzing your new perfume, you can take a fragrance survey to review your picks and get tailored recommendations based on your feedback.
There are lots of perks to the service, like a larger spritzer size than some other perfume subscription boxes and complimentary new cases each quarter. But be warned: fragrances considered “Premium” or “Ultra Premium” will up your cost significantly, and the company provides no details about why those specific fragrances are marked up.
Best Sampling: Scent Box
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $16.95
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Featured Brands: Gucci, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Discounted first month is just $9.72
- Over 850 designer fragrances to choose from
- Free TSA-approved atomizer case each month
- Rewards program with money back on all purchases
Cons
- Slightly misleading advertising
Why It Made the List
Scent Box is an amazing way to try out an enormous number of perfumes, including lots of designer brands. You’ll build out your scent calendar by choosing one scent per month when you subscribe, and your first month comes with a discount.
Every time your box arrives, you’ll find a 30-day supply of fragrance (0.27 fl. oz./8 mL) and a fresh atomizer case in a fun color, and everything’s travel-safe and TSA-approved.
Scent Box advertises 850-plus designer fragrances as part of its subscription, but there’s an important caveat: You won’t have access to all of them if you’re subscribed to Scent Box’s basic plan. The company has three subscription tiers, each unlocking additional scents from the collection:
- Standard Plan: $9.72 the first month, $16.95 per month thereafter; access to 600+ “designer” fragrances
- Premium Plan: $12.59 the first month, $21.95 per month thereafter; access to 850+ fragrances, including 250 “premium” scents
- Platinum Plan: $17.75 the first month, $30.95 per month thereafter; access to 1,000+ fragrances, including 150 “platinum” scents
Best Value: Perfume.com
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $14.95
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Featured Brands: Givenchy, Guerlain, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Over 500 brands to choose from
- Can select fragrances or have an expert choose them
- Can browse all available fragrances before subscribing
- Discounted first month is just $7.47
Cons
- No option to add more than one scent per month
Why It Made the List
If you want to treat yourself to new designer perfumes on a budget, Perfume.com offers the perfect subscription box. Your first month will be just $7.47, after which your subscription will still only be $14.95 per month.
Every month, you’ll receive a fragrance in a new 0.27 fl. oz. (8 mL) travel atomizer. You can browse all of the fragrances in the collection before you subscribe, and there are no tiered pricing policies. The company offers more than 500 brands, including a variety of premium brands like Versace and Calvin Klein.
You can choose what fragrance you want to receive each month or opt to be surprised with an expert-selected bestseller. Either way, you’re bound to discover fragrances you love.
Best for Unique Scents: Olfactif
Key Specs
- Average Price per Box: $20
- Free Shipping? Yes
- Featured Brands: Memento, Wilgermain, 4160 Tuesdays, Kelly + Jones
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unique fragrances from around the world
- Multiple plans so you can customize your subscription
- Discounts on all other purchases
- Rewards program
Cons
- Doesn’t carry major designers
Why It Made the List
Olfactif has a truly curated collection of fragrances. The company prides itself on being the destination for those who don’t want to smell like anyone else. If you’re looking for your signature scent and want it to be absolutely unique, you’ll enjoy Olfactif’s monthly boxes, which contain three premium niche fragrances from around the world.
Olfactif has three plan options. When you subscribe, you can choose to receive three feminine scents or three masculine and unisex scents for $20 per month, or you can opt for the Deluxe collection, which includes all six fragrances and costs $38 per month. By prepaying for three, six, or 12 months, you’ll save two, three, or five percent, respectively. As a subscriber, you can earn free fragrances with rewards points, and you’ll save 20 percent on full bottles of featured scents and 10 percent on all other products.
Final Verdict
The best perfume subscription boxes provide high-quality fragrances and let you try new, unique scents you couldn’t sample anywhere else. Whenever possible, the fragrances should be good for the environment and those in it as well. That’s why Skylar is our top pick.
Skylar’s Scent Club gives you the opportunity to enjoy new, limited-edition, clean, and hypoallergenic fragrances every month. The company goes above and beyond with its ingredients, and its fragrances are unique and beautiful. Skylar also provides stellar customer service; if you’re not a fan of a fragrance, the company will always make it right. Most perfume subscriptions come with little atomizers, but Skylar’s rollerballs are easy to apply on the go and recyclable, which we love.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in a perfume subscription box?
Typically, a perfume subscription box includes one to three sample-size perfume bottles. Most come with a vial of fragrance and a spray atomizer, but some, like Skylar, use rollerballs.
Do perfume subscription boxes give you full bottles?
No, perfume subscription boxes don’t provide full bottles, but some services, like Skylar, Scentbird, and LUXSB, offer members-only discounts on full bottles if you find a sample you love.
How much do perfume subscription boxes cost?
Though pricing varies, most perfume subscription boxes cost between $14 and $20 per month. Some companies claim to have affordable pricing but tack on hefty added costs to subjectively labeled “premium” scents.
Do perfume subscription boxes include knockoffs?
All of the perfume subscription boxes on our list promise 100 percent authentic scents. With anything being repackaged, though, there’s a level of risk. Companies like Skylar and Scent Trunk alleviate this concern by providing only original and hand-curated fragrances.
Is it hard to cancel a perfume subscription box?
It’s easy to cancel a perfume subscription box as long as you choose a monthly plan. All of the boxes on our list should be easy to cancel, unless you choose to prepay for a service, such as Olfactif’s. In that case, you’ll likely need to finish out the subscription you’ve already paid for.
Methodology
We reviewed more than a dozen perfume subscription services to find the best options for different types of customers. Factors like cost, scent and brand variety, and the ability to customize the subscription were weighted most heavily. We also considered shipping fees, easy access to customer support, sample size, number of plan options, and membership perks.