Perfume Bottle Size Guide to Choose the Perfect Size

Introduction

Hearing the word perfume, the first thing that comes to our mind is a sweet-smelling scent. Many of us even have a hobby of collecting perfume bottles besides just wearing it.

But choosing the right size perfume bottles can be a little confusing, especially for a newbie. Why? Because there are so many different sizes. Choosing a smaller size bottle will make you run to the mall days before you had planned to. Whereas a bigger one may long laster than you would like to use it for. You certainly don't want that.

That’s why a size guide for different perfume bottles might be handy. So let's delve into the world of perfume bottles. 

Little History About Perfume Bottles

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You may have heard the term antique perfume bottles. The reason for calling perfume bottles antique is their elegant shapes and designs that have been around since ancient times. These containers have come in various materials, sizes, and designs through the ages and differ from culture to culture.

The origin of perfumes is Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Persians and the Romans then picked it up. But there were no bottles in ancient times. They used to have different types of containers, like large vases, to store perfumes.

Major evaluation happened when early Europeans started to make a wide variety of containers in the 18th century. They used to make beautifully shaped bottles of copper, silver, gold, shells, semi-precious stones, or glasses. These were not just perfume containers; at that time, these became decorative objects as well.

Perfume bottles in the modern era still have the touch of that ancient designs but most of them have functionality and usability of current times.

Why use perfume? 

The most obvious answer to this question would be “fragrance”! Perfumes will make you smell good and keep unwanted body odor away. Knowing that you smell good will boost your confidence.

Fragrances impact moods as well; different perfumes can create different moods.  You can wear a cologne with a fancy party dress on a dinner date or use a perfume for office.

Moreover, your fragrance can say a lot about you, even before your visual appearance.

Different Types Of Perfume

Many of us are often confused about the difference between Fragrance, Perfume, Toilette, and Cologne. Well, let's get that sorted out.

Perfumes are available in different flavors, scents, and even different types. Mainly the five types are- Fragrance, Cologne, Toilette, Perfum and Perfume. The differences are usually based on the concentration of essential oils and each scent's ingredients.

Fragrance (Eau Fraiche)

It contains the lowest percentage of perfume oils, 1-3%. The scent lasts less than an hour. So it is not very suitable for any occasion. Rather if you like wearing perfume, you may use it at home.

Eau de Cologne 

Unlike the above perfume types, it contains the lowest percentage of perfume oils, 2-4%, and a high concentration of alcohol and refined water.

As it has a very low concentration of perfume, cologne lasts for only 2 hours. It is suitable for casual outings like goind to movies or shopping.

Toilette (Eau de Toilette)

Toilette or  Eau de Toilette is often referred to as “aromatic water.” It contains 5-15% perfume or essential oils and a very high alcohol content.

Toilette typically lasts 3 to 4 hours a day and slowly fades away. But this scent is very light, so that you can reapply it during the day. It is great for casual outings and meetups.

Eau de Parfum

It’s a perfume that contains 15-20% perfume oil (essential oil). It has other ingredients like a significant amount of alcohol and a percentage of refined water.

As it contains a significant portion of alcohol, this fragrance can be used on both pulse points and clothes. Typically, it lasts for 4 to 5 hours.

Perfume

Unlike the other types, this one has the highest concentration of perfume oil. Along with the other ingredients like jasmine absolute, rosemary, and orris oil, it contains 15-40% perfume oil.

Perfume has a very low alcohol content. That’s why it is best to apply it directly to pulse points, and it lasts for up to 24 hours. This is suitable for use in office, day-long outings and long journeys.

Common Perfume Bottle Sizes

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Perfume bottle comes in different sizes. Commonly you can find two types of size labels in these bottles. Either it’s in fluid ounces (fl oz) or milliliters (mL). Perfume bottle sizes also vary from brand to brand. 

Below, I’ve made a size chart of different perfume bottles based on well-known brands worldwide.

I’ve also added information about no. of sprays (unless it’s a dropper bottle) and no. of days in the chart. But this is an approximation. These numbers vary depending on different persons and how often they use perfumes.

Difference between a US Fluid Ounce and UK Fluid Ounce? 

Besides the two types of different units (fluid ounces and milliliters), there are also two different types of fluid ounces. Though they merely have any difference.

One is the American fluid ounce, said as “US fl oz,” and another, the most common, is the UK fluid ounce, said as “fl oz.” Below is the equation of how they are measured:

1 US fl oz = 29.57 mL

1 fl oz = 28.41 mL (UK) 

Basically, 1 US fl. oz = 1.04 fl. oz

Check this article to get a better idea about USA fluid ounce.  

This article is exclusively written for MeasurementOf.

How to Measure the Number of Sprays from Bottle Size? 

You can estimate the number of sprays from the perfume bottle's size.

On average, there can be ten sprays for every 1 mL.

For instance, in a 0.5 fl oz (15 mL) travel-friendly perfume bottle, you’ll probably get 150 sprays. However, this can vary because of a multitude of factors including manufacturing variation of different brands.

Top Tips For Picking The Perfect Perfume Bottle Size? 

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Choosing which bottle size you need depends on how and where you’ll use the perfume. However, there are some other things too that you need to consider. Let’s have a quick discussion on that.

1. Go With Varieties

Smaller bottles are perfect for you if you like to explore varieties. Depending on your mood, you can buy each bottle you like and use them on different occasions.

2. Try Samples

You can try samples if you are still determining which scent you like the most. Samples are usually available in a small spray or dropper bottle.  You’ll get an approximate amount of sprays per bottle. Besides, samples are much cheaper.

3. Suitable Perfume Bottle That Fit Your Handbag

You may carry perfume in your handbag if you need to reapply perfume in the daytime. But a 100mL larger bottle, for example, is not suitable to carry around.

So whether it is a dropper bottle or spray bottle, you should go with the smaller one (up to 5 or 15mL). It’ll be easy to carry.

4. Pick The Scent You Love The Most

If you’re loyal to one scent or have a particular love for one fragrance, buying a larger bottle of that perfume is the best choice.

A large perfume bottle of 150 or 200 mL is enough for more than a year. So you can leave perfume off of your shopping list for a long time.

5. Choose A Travel-Sized Perfume Bottle

It’s important to pick the right perfume bottle size while traveling. Especially when traveling by air. Because there’s a limit to bringing liquid on board.

They are available in up to 5mL and at a low cost. You can choose either a spray bottle or a dropper bottle.

When Should I Buy A Travel-Sized Collection?

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You need to consider many factors while choosing the ideal perfume bottle size. And one of those factors is travel. That’s why so many perfume brands have travel-sized collections for their customers. But do you only need them while travelling by air? Not really. The situations below also warrant the need to have a travel-sized collection.

• Travel-size Perfume While Traveling By Air

The obvious one! Considering travel-sized perfumes is very important if traveling by air because you can carry up to only 100mL liquids on board. Perfumes fall into this category, too, along with other liquids. 

• If You Want To Carry Perfume With You Everywhere

Instead of traveling with a larger bottle, you can choose a travel-sized collection. Travel-sized perfumes are around 1.5-5 mL. That will be perfect for carrying in your purse or backpack, and you can have more variety.

• Considering Budget

Another reason to have a travel-sized collection is the price. These are budget-friendly and their price ranges anywhere from $15 to $100.

• Travel-Size Perfume Refillable

If you’ve already bought larger perfume bottles and having trouble carrying it, there’s an alternative solution too. That is travel-sized perfume refillable bottles.

You’ll get tons of refillable perfume bottles (up to 5mL) with atomizers in offline or online shops such as amazon. You can also use a dropper bottle to take a portion of perfume with you while traveling. These are all about travel size perfume and bottles. When you are traveling you need another thing, a bag! If you are backpacking then read this article.  

Final thoughts

Whether it is for the pleasure of the scent or the beauty of the bottle, their sizes always need to be considered. This guide will help you, especially when you buy perfume online. Make sure you know what size you need before making any purchase.

Header photos by Agustina R Street, Khabbab Abdelmaqsoud and Olga Divnaya on Pexels