The European Decant Index

{
  "name": "European Decant Index",
  "publisher": "Scento",
  "url": "https://www.scento.com/european-decant-index",
  "datePublished": "2026-06-18",
  "dateModified": "2026-10-22",
  "measuredOn": "2026-10-22",
  "methodology": {
    "measuredOn": "2026-10-22",
    "what": "Publicly stated decant sizes, EU shipping terms, authenticity/sourcing approach, indicative per-decant price ranges, and stated market coverage for European-shipping perfume-decant retailers.",
    "sources": "Each retailer's own public website (FAQ / about / shipping / product pages). Scento figures use Scento's canonical entity facts plus a direct query of its production catalogue on 2026-06-18 (median of 2ml/5ml/8ml one-time decant prices, n≈2,172 variants per size, in EUR).",
    "costPerMlMethod": "Scento cost-per-ml = median live catalogue price for each size ÷ millilitres, rounded to the cent. Competitor figures are quoted as the price RANGES stated on their own sites (sizes and what each range covers differ between retailers), not recomputed per-ml — so cross-retailer per-ml is intentionally NOT tabulated where the underlying size basis differs.",
    "limitations": "This index is observational and associational, not a controlled test. Prices, sizes, shipping terms and claims change; competitor figures are accurate as checked on 2026-10-22, and Scento's catalogue prices as queried on 2026-06-18. Marketing claims (e.g. \"largest catalogue\", \"1,000+ samples\") are attributed to the retailer making them and are not independently verified. No blind smell test or lab assay was performed."
  },
  "keyFindings": [
    "Cost per ml: Scento's computed cost per millilitre falls from €4.45 at 2ml to €3.37 at 8ml (median live-catalogue prices, checked 2026-06-18); the entry price is €4.41 for a 2ml decant.",
    "Sizes: decant sizes across the eight retailers mostly run from 1ml to 10ml; Fragrant World also lists 15ml on most perfumes and up to 50ml on a few, and Scento (on most perfumes, added September 2026, after the 18 June 2026 price snapshot) and 10ML also sell a 30ml decant. Scento offers 2ml, 5ml and 8ml vials; the 8ml vial fits a refillable atomiser case available separately.",
    "Authenticity: every retailer states its decants are genuine. Scento states that it decants from sealed original bottles sourced through authorised European retailers; manufacturer batch codes stay with those full-sized bottles and are not printed on Scento decant vials.",
    "Coverage: Scento ships with tracking to 26 supported European countries, typically in 1–5 business days, while several rivals state only \"Europe\" or \"worldwide\"."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Where can you buy authentic perfume decants in Europe?",
      "a": "Several retailers ship perfume decants within Europe. This index compares eight of them — Scento, Eurodecants, Visionary Fragrances, Fragrant World, TestScent, Tryasample, Hidden Samples and 10ML — on decant size, shipping, authenticity approach, price and coverage. Scento ships with tracking to 26 supported European countries, typically in 1–5 business days. Manufacturer batch codes stay with the full-sized original bottles and are not printed on Scento decant vials. Competitor figures were checked on 22 October 2026; Scento's catalogue prices are a snapshot from 18 June 2026."
    },
    {
      "q": "Which European decant retailer is cheapest per millilitre?",
      "a": "Cost per millilitre depends on the size you buy. Scento's computed cost per ml is €4.45 at 2ml, €3.58 at 5ml and €3.37 at 8ml (median live-catalogue prices, checked 18 June 2026). Most competitors publish per-decant price ranges rather than per-ml figures, and their sizes differ, so a single 'cheapest' ranking would mislead — compare Scento's per-ml column against each rival's stated range and size in the tables above."
    },
    {
      "q": "Are perfume decants authentic and legal to buy?",
      "a": "A decant is a smaller quantity of a genuine fragrance transferred from its original bottle into a travel-size vial or atomiser, and reselling decants of authentic perfume is legal in the EU. Authenticity depends on the retailer's sourcing. Scento states that it decants from sealed original bottles sourced through authorised European retailers. Manufacturer batch codes apply to those full-sized bottles and are not printed on Scento decant vials. Each retailer in this index states its own authenticity approach — see the \"Authenticity approach\" column."
    },
    {
      "q": "What perfume decant sizes can you buy, and what is the largest?",
      "a": "Across the eight retailers, decant sizes mostly run from 1ml up to 10ml; Fragrant World also lists 15ml on most perfumes and 20ml to 50ml on a few. Scento offers 2ml (~30 sprays), 5ml (~75 sprays) and 8ml (~120 sprays) vials, and on most perfumes a 30ml bottle decant (~450 sprays); 10ML also sells 30ml decants, alongside 3ml and 10ml. The 8ml fits Scento’s separately available refillable atomiser case. A 2ml decant is typically enough to wear a fragrance several times before deciding on a full bottle."
    },
    {
      "q": "Which sites ship perfume decants within Europe?",
      "a": "All eight retailers in this index ship within Europe, but terms differ, and Tryasample's webshop was closed for an update when checked on 22 October 2026. Scento ships with tracking to 26 supported European countries, typically in 1–5 business days; others state terms such as free shipping from €25–€100 or a flat per-order rate. See Table C for each retailer's stated coverage and shipping terms, quoted from their own sites and dated 22 October 2026."
    },
    {
      "q": "How was the European Decant Index measured?",
      "a": "Every competitor figure is quoted from the retailer's own public website (FAQ, about, shipping or product pages), checked on 22 October 2026 (first published 18 June 2026). Scento's numbers use its canonical company facts plus a direct query of its production catalogue on 18 June 2026 (median of 2ml/5ml/8ml decant prices, n≈2,172 variants per size). Marketing claims such as 'largest catalogue' are attributed to the retailer making them and are not independently verified. The full dataset is published as machine-readable JSON on this page under a CC-BY 4.0 licence."
    }
  ],
  "scento": {
    "hq": "Paris, France",
    "founded": 2024,
    "sizesMl": [
      2,
      5,
      8,
      30
    ],
    "shippingCountries": 26,
    "fragrances": "1,000+ fragrances",
    "housesRoster": "200-brand designer & niche sourcing roster",
    "entryPriceEur": 4.41,
    "costPerMl": [
      {
        "sizeMl": 2,
        "typicalEur": 8.9,
        "fromEur": 4.41,
        "eurPerMl": 4.45
      },
      {
        "sizeMl": 5,
        "typicalEur": 17.91,
        "fromEur": 8.01,
        "eurPerMl": 3.58
      },
      {
        "sizeMl": 8,
        "typicalEur": 26.96,
        "fromEur": 12.51,
        "eurPerMl": 3.37
      }
    ]
  },
  "retailers": [
    {
      "name": "Scento",
      "isPublisher": true,
      "hq": "Paris, France",
      "founded": "2024",
      "sizes": "2ml, 5ml, 8ml, 30ml",
      "euShipping": "Tracked to 26 supported European countries, typically 1–5 business days",
      "authenticity": "Decanted from sealed original bottles sourced through authorised European retailers; original-bottle batch codes are not printed on Scento decant vials; legal-strict reference labelling on flagged houses",
      "catalogueClaim": "1,000+ fragrances across a 200-brand designer & niche sourcing roster",
      "priceRange": "Vial decants from €4.41 (2ml) to ~€27 (8ml) for most houses; the 30ml bottle decant is priced above that",
      "coverage": "26 supported European countries",
      "bestFor": "Authenticated 2ml, 5ml, 8ml and 30ml decants from authorised-retailer bottles",
      "source": "https://www.scento.com/european-decant-index",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eurodecants",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Netherlands",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml, 5ml, 10ml",
      "euShipping": "Europe; €4.95 to the EU, free over €60; PostNL ~5–9 business days",
      "authenticity": "States decants are made from original bottles; batch codes available on request",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche selection (no headline catalogue-size claim)",
      "priceRange": "≈ €3.95–39.95 per 2ml; 10ml from €5.95",
      "coverage": "Europe (PostNL)",
      "bestFor": "Batch codes available on request",
      "source": "https://eurodecants.com/pages/faq",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    },
    {
      "name": "Visionary Fragrances",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "United Kingdom (ships UK + EU)",
      "founded": "Not stated (EU office since 2023)",
      "sizes": "1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 10ml",
      "euShipping": "EU free over €100, marketed as no-customs, ~7–10 days",
      "authenticity": "Carries a non-affiliation disclaimer; markets independently decanted samples",
      "catalogueClaim": "States \"1,000+ samples\" (their claim)",
      "priceRange": "≈ £2.24–28.99 per 2ml; 1ml from £1.49 (lowest prices on sale, was £2.99 and £1.99)",
      "coverage": "United Kingdom + European Union",
      "bestFor": "1ml trial sizes",
      "source": "https://visionaryfragrances.com",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fragrant World",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Portugal",
      "founded": "2016",
      "sizes": "1ml, 2ml, 3ml, 5ml, 8ml, 10ml; 15ml on most perfumes, up to 50ml on a few",
      "euShipping": "Ships worldwide; cost by weight, shown at checkout; dispatch in 2–3 business days",
      "authenticity": "States 100% authentic decants",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche selection (e.g. Creed range)",
      "priceRange": "2ml from €4.50; Creed €10.75–16.25 per 2ml",
      "coverage": "Worldwide",
      "bestFor": "Designer and niche houses such as Creed",
      "source": "https://fragrantworldshop.com/pages/about-us",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    },
    {
      "name": "TestScent",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Europe (multi-currency)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml, 3ml, 5ml, 10ml + full bottles",
      "euShipping": "Typically €12–14 per order to the EU, duty-free; ~2–14 business days in Europe; prices in EUR/USD/GBP/AED",
      "authenticity": "Markets authentic samples + full bottles",
      "catalogueClaim": "Claims \"largest catalogue in Europe\" (their marketing claim — unverified)",
      "priceRange": "Varies by size & house",
      "coverage": "EU, UK, Canada and selected other countries; US shipping suspended",
      "bestFor": "Samples plus full bottles in multiple currencies",
      "source": "https://testscent.com/why-samples",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tryasample",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Europe (Denmark-linked)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml-centric (as of 2026-06-18)",
      "euShipping": "Webshop closed for an update on 2026-10-22 (\"opening again soon\"); was €6 flat Europe, ~3–5 days",
      "authenticity": "Markets samples; 90-day returns stated (as of 2026-06-18)",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche sample selection (as of 2026-06-18)",
      "priceRange": "2ml-focused (flat-shipping model, as of 2026-06-18); not orderable on 2026-10-22",
      "coverage": "Europe (webshop closed for an update on 2026-10-22)",
      "bestFor": "Flat €6 EU shipping as of 2026-06-18 (webshop closed for an update on 2026-10-22)",
      "source": "https://tryasample.eu",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hidden Samples",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Spain (ships from Spain)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml; 1ml on selected perfumes",
      "euShipping": "€3.95 to most of Europe, free from €25",
      "authenticity": "States samples are decanted from original bottles and never diluted",
      "catalogueClaim": "Arabian & niche-focused selection",
      "priceRange": "≈ €2.50–16.95 per 2ml (lowest price on sale, was €3.50)",
      "coverage": "Europe, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and South Korea",
      "bestFor": "Arabian and niche 2ml samples",
      "source": "https://hiddensamples.com",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    },
    {
      "name": "10ML",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Europe (ships from an EU warehouse)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "3ml, 10ml, 30ml",
      "euShipping": "Free standard shipping from €75 to 26 EU countries; ships the next working day",
      "authenticity": "States each decant is filled by hand from an original bottle, with nothing added or diluted",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche selection (no headline catalogue-size claim)",
      "priceRange": "From €5.53 (3ml), €12.60 (10ml) and €34.02 (30ml), VAT included (lowest 3ml and 10ml prices on sale, was €6.50 and €22.90); Creed Aventus 3ml was €18.90, now €11.88",
      "coverage": "26 EU countries (not Ireland; no delivery outside the EU)",
      "bestFor": "30ml decants and free EU shipping from €75",
      "source": "10ML",
      "checked": "2026-10-22"
    }
  ]
}