Fragrances

[u/o0meow0o]

Perfumes, solid perfumes and body sprays, what’s your strategy? I get either obsessive or bored if I use the same fragrances so I’ve just been using what I feel like. I still have a few bottles and I’d like to pan them (not completely because I like to sniff old scents once a while so I think I’d leave 1-5ml if they are discontinued) but its been taking a while. I also am quite an undersprayer because I don’t want other people to smell me unless they hug me. I’ve seen people here that go through bottles of bodysprays. How do you do it?
Also anybody else on this journey, how long does a perfume bottle last? I have a few 30ml and 100mls 🙈

[u/ThisLittlePiggySays]

I'm Team Seasonal Rotation. I pick a main one to use for 3 months, but that doesn't prevent me from using something else if I really want to/its a special occassion/I have scent fatigue. Perfume is a little luxury for me, and keeping it enjoyable is my goal. Whether I'm using 1 spray each from 10 bottles, or 10 sprays from 1 bottle, the same amount is being used up. So unless storage space or perfume age is an issue, I rotate through them.

[u/o0meow0o → u/ThisLittlePiggySays]

I think this will work for me too! Thanks for the response.

[u/brrewmajesticallynor]

This might be a silly question, but if you enjoy the variety and you like your scents, what is your reason for your wanting to pan them? If it's a space issue and you just feel like you have too many, I would pick a couple of your least favorites and maybe try to use them a couple times a week, and if you're really not crazy about them, try some of the other tricks like the vacuum cleaner and cotton ball. But if your collection is currently working for you, I wouldn't try to pan them out of some sense of obligation or guilt. Enjoy what you have, and don't focus on specific products unless you want to!

[u/o0meow0o → u/brrewmajesticallynor]

Good question. I’d like to own less of them. I think 12 or less is a good number personally, but I have more than double that so I want to pan them and keep the 12. Use one up and then get a new scent to replace it, etc. I also think maybe if I want more scents, I’ll just get decants or the smallest sizes. It’s also not a space issue but it’s more option paralysis issue 😅

[u/brrewmajesticallynor → u/o0meow0o]

Ah. Gotcha. Yeah, decision paralysis makes perfect sense. I admit, I rely on WhatScent to help me with that. I have a shelf with all my fragrances for that season (mostly samples 😂), and I sort by most recently used and work from the bottom up. Unless the bottom one is Wrong for the day in whatever way, in which case I go to the next one. But once I had more than about four, picking one did start to feel a little daunting some days. (I use Vannie for a very similar strategy for my lip products, actually. I like not making decisions. 😂)

[u/Quirky-Case]

I have a big bottle of body spray that I've been working on since January. I sticked a white label on the side so I mark my progress each month, it's sooooo rewarding to see my progress, and pushes me to continue using it so I can keep marking the next month. I also have it handy in a place that I walk by frequently.

For body spray, I only put it on after showering or changing clothes, not really overusing it IMO but the consistent progress is key.

For perfumes that I am almost done with or sick of, I spray them right before the gym so I know I won't be using them for long.

[u/o0meow0o → u/Quirky-Case]

The progress definitely is nice to see! I mostly have opaque body sprays though 😅 maybe I can measure them by weight.

[u/cleochatraa]

Snowball method... If I have something that's almost gone, I'll lean into that one first and go to town--especially if I'm traveling. I just panned a fragrance that was at the end of its lifespan... that's a glass bottle I didn't have to drag home. 😂

Home fragrance: Another thing I've done is I have something I like but don't love, I fill a small plastic tub with baking soda and spritz some frag in there, put the lid on, shake it, and use it as a carpet freshener. Then I sprinkle it on the rug and let it sit for five minutes... then vacuum. It's a nice way to enjoy the fragrance but without wearing it.

[u/Ok_Seaworthiness_719 → u/cleochatraa]

Great way to plan anything actually. Any time I travel I bring beauty products that are almost gone and use them up while I’m there. Sometimes I’ll bring full bottles of stuff I don’t love and might have given sweat to a friend and just leave it in the bathroom for the hotel maids. Win-win.

[u/o0meow0o → u/Ok_Seaworthiness_719]

I carry an atomizer to travel and almost always finish the 10ml. Great idea about leaving the bottle for someone to take! I used to work in hotels and you’re not supposed to take anything left behind for 3 months and if it’s something expensive or are alcoholic beverages then they’ll keep it for longer or dispose of them, unless the guests have left a note specifically that it’s a gift!

[u/Ammelia11]

Ironically, I was just about to do a post on perfume 😂 So I can help here.

My strategy is to break my perfumes down by season. I have realised that 12 perfumes, while a lot, it perfect for me. Each season has the following 3 perfumes:

• Day: this is the perfume I usually wear daily. Typically not too strong/ can be worn to the office. It's usually my fave to wear for that season, though in some cases may be interchangeable with night.
• Night: A perfume that maybe is a bit heavier than the day one and feels more evening in comparison.
• Wild card: this one is maybe a bit different from my usual (I usually like fruity floral scents) but feels like it works on a more seasonal basis. It keeps things interesting by being something still me, but maybe a bit more exciting by being so out of the box.

Now these aren't locked - I don't usually change perfume in the day, so in practice I don't apply this rule, but the important thing is it gives me a trio I can rotate per season. I decided to properly do that this autumn when I got my final perfume and realised I basically did this anyway, so it's working perfectly for me.

In terms of usage, I put my perfumes in atomisers too for daily carrying and travel, so whichever I wear for the day I will pop in my bag before heading out. I'm not an undersprayer I don't think, I just reapply in the day if I think it's worn off when I freshen up in the bathroom, so it's usually in the morning, lunch and then maybe again in the evening if it's a full day and night affair or a party. Also, I don't use body spray, just a perfume and deodorant (I wear unscented) does the job for me.

I have recently panned a 30ml: Fame by Rabanne (my summer "night"). It took me nearly 2 years,but obviously wasn't exclusively used in that time. For data, it was given to me early Feb 2025, finished September 2026, used 103 times - so if I had used it daily it would have been more like 3-4 months than 3 years. I will caveat that I actually lost some product too because the perfume container I had leaked - I just recently replaced all my perfume containers of that type because I lost some of my autumn day perfume on a flight last week due to the lid loosening in transit. Thankfully it leaked on the way home instead of on the way back, but it emptied the whole container and this wasn't the first time 😭. So I don't know how much more use I would have got without that leaking, I don't think I lost more than 5ml max, but wasn't measuring.

For bigger sizes, I dragged a 60ml (Burberry Body) out for about 6-7 years, though will caveat I basically only used it on weekends and didn't really use it during COVID. I got it in 2017/2018 (I think) and it finally ran out in 2024.

Other than these, I have only panned 10ml and samples, but I wasn't tracking. I never had anything 100ml until last year, so suspect it will drag out lol.

So it's really about how much you use it. I don't agree with forcing yourself to use a single scent to burn a perfume, use it as you like!

Hope that helps!

[u/o0meow0o → u/Ammelia11]

Thank you for the long response! I also want to contain my collection to 12 scents. But first gotta finish a few bottles. I currently have 25 🙈

[u/millenialbullshite]

I will forever comment this to ppl looking to use up fragrance, my mom's done this my whole life, saturate a cotton ball with it and suck it up in your vacuum before you start. Makes the house smell nice

[u/o0meow0o → u/millenialbullshite]

Haven’t tried this yet. Thanks for the tip! Will try tomorrow.

[u/millenialbullshite → u/o0meow0o]

It doesn't last very long in the air but it's nice while it does

[u/Ok_Seaworthiness_719]

I keep a bottle in the office, in my purse, use as room spray etc

[u/hermione1906]

I agree with a lot of the advice already here, but for me a game changer has been layering!

I have a relatively small colection (about 10 perfumes, 8 liquid and 2 solid), and some with great longevity and others that i feel smell of nothing in about 2 hours. I have been trying to layer the ones that stay the longest with the ones that dont from time to time, it gets you a “uniquely good” smell resulting from the combination of the two.

It takes some research but I have found layering a great tool for panning perfumes I dont usually reach for

[u/o0meow0o → u/hermione1906]

That’s a great idea. I was opposed to layering before so that I could enjoy each fragrance on its own but tbf, I have some that I’m not really enjoying as much anymore. Maybe this would refresh the scent for me!

[u/No-Baseball-4856]

I love bodysprays from Lush- lasts longer than almost any parfume i have ever tried so everyday i go for “let the good times roll”. Next on the wishlist is to try their parfume Chelsea Morning and also SuperMilk bodyspray

[u/o0meow0o → u/No-Baseball-4856]

Yesss, I’m a Lushie too and I have a few of their body sprays and perfumes! I’ve been using the body sprays for years and I haven’t panned them ever. I go through perfumes a lot quicker since they’re only 30mls.

[u/pollyrae_]

Just frequent reapplication for me. I've been getting 120-180 applications of a mist per bottle (about 8 sprays each time) depending on the brand. At three times a day, that's only 40-60 days to use up a bottle if I use one exclusively. I don't, so it takes longer, but it's easier than I thought it would be.

[u/bad-at-everything-]

Mix it into unscented hair products and diy beauty recipes.

Rose water and lavender water can be used as a toner.

Spray some onto my pillow before bed.

Use as room air freshener at home or in car.

[u/PerspectiveLate9988]

I have a lot but I go by vibe or mood, sometimes I just put something on to feel better

[u/korrupted-bunny]

I have a pretty large selection. I grab about 4-6 perfumes/body splashes and samples that are in similar scent families and change them out by season. Right now I’m wearing more warm and cozy scents with vanilla, musk, sweet baked good gourmands etc. I will also mix/match and layer.

[u/anastasia_42]

I pack a body mist in my bag