How and Where Can You Buy Tester Colognes?

Tester colognes are simply the bottles on display in retail stores for people to try before they buy, and you can buy them at steeply discounted prices from online retailers like Fragrancenet and FragranceX. We’ve put together a guide containing everything you need to know about tester fragrances, from the differences between cologne testers and the originals to where to find tester bottles and samples.

Tips for Buying Cologne Testers

Purchase tester colognes from reputable sites like Fragrancenet.com and the Fragrance Warehouse.
The fragrance in tester bottles is identical to the retail version.
The main difference between fragrance testers and retail bottles is slightly less expensive packaging.

Section 1 of 10:

Where can you buy cologne testers?

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Buy fragrance testers online. The best places to buy tester bottles are online discount fragrance and cosmetics retailers. You may also see perfume testers listed on auction sites like eBay and Mercari, but it’s harder to determine if an individual seller of offering authentic merchandise.
- Fragrancenet, Fragrance Warehouse, and FragranceX all have good reputations for offering authentic testers.^{[1]
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Brick-and-morter stores occasionally sell their testers. There's no harm in finding a fragrance you like and offering to buy the tester at a department store like Macy’s or Sephora. However, many larger chain stores have policies against selling fragrance testers.
- Try asking to buy testers at a smaller store, which may be less strict about reselling their tester bottles.
- While this is a legitimate way to purchase testers, each store may only have one or two testers at a time.

Section 2 of 10:

What are tester bottles?

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Testers are the bottles on display at retailers. Brands offer testers to stores to allow customers to smell or try on fragrances before they buy. They contain the same product as the retail fragrance, but the tester bottle and box may not have the same print quality and packaging extras like foiling and paper stock.^{[2]
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- Depending on where you buy the tester bottle, it may not be completely full when you receive it.
- Online discounters are more likely to have new tester fragrances that have not been used.

Section 3 of 10:

What’s the difference between a tester and a retail fragrance?

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Packaging is the main difference between testers and retail bottles. Only the boxes and bottle presentation are different.^{[3]
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Research source} Tester fragrances are sold in less expensive packaging than the retail version.
- The packaging of a fragrance can cost up to 6 times more than producing the actual product.
- Tester bottles may be the same basic shape as the retail bottles but have plain black instead of metallic ink and come without a cap.
- Tester products often come in plain, unbranded boxes. If there is branding, it’s basic black and white without the high-end texture or shape of retail packaging.
- Manufacturers mark fragrance testers by laser etching on a printed label or on the bottle’s bottom stamp.^{[4]
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  Research source} You may see labels like “Tester” or “Not for Sale.”
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There’s no difference in the quality of the fragrance in tester bottles. The perfume brand uses testers to entice you to buy their products, so it’s exactly the same as what you would buy in a retail store. If they used a different formulation in the tester, you may be less satisfied with your purchase.
- Industry insiders claim the perfume in testers is most likely mixed in the same batches as the retail versions.
- Some believe testers contain stronger fragrances to make customers more likely to buy, but this is a myth.^{[5]
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- Fragrances often become fuller as they age. As a tester bottle sits on the display shelf, the alcohol in the perfume naturally evaporates, making the concentration stronger. This is called maceration.^{[6]
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- Macerate your new tester or retail bottle of fragrance by spritzing 5-10 times into the air. Make sure you press down the atomizer all the way. Then place the bottle in the original box (if you have one) and store it in a cool, dry place for about a month.^{[7]
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Section 4 of 10:

Why are tester fragrances so cheap?

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Testers aren't usually sold for profit because they're made for marketing. If a retailer allows you to buy a tester, it may be used, or it may come in different packaging than the retail fragrance. In many cases, the cost to make a perfume is only a fraction of its retail price. The high price tag is the result of research and development, and marketing.^{[8]
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- The retail price of a fragrance also covers commissions for salespeople, the manufacturer’s profit, the retailer’s profit, and any celebrity licensing or endorsement fees.^{[9]
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Section 5 of 10:

Should you buy fragrance testers?

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You can buy a tester to try a fragrance for a cheaper price. Many feel buying tester bottles is a great way to experience higher-end fragrances that they may not be able to afford otherwise. Others may feel that buying testers makes it harder to determine if they have received an authentic product.
- Fragrance testers are sold through what is known as the grey market. This is when authentic items are bought and sold by a distributor that doesn’t have a direct relationship with the brand.
- Authentic grey market fragrance testers may have been imported from a country that sells the original at a lower price or purchased as overstock from authorized retailers.^{[10]
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- While buying grey market fragrances from reputable sellers is legal, some prefer to support the brand by purchasing from them directly or from an authorized retailer.

Section 6 of 10:

Can you buy perfume testers in bulk?

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Wholesale distributors sell bulk quantities. While you can purchase bulk quantities of fragrances, including testers, from a wholesaler, they usually only give special discounts to distributors. They also often require minimum order quantities or dollar amounts.
- These distributors primarily sell only to businesses, not directly to the consumer.
- If you are planning to open a retail perfume shop, try networking with professionals in the industry.

Section 7 of 10:

Can you get free testers or samples?

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Due to the popularity of tester colognes on the grey market, they’re usually not given away. The best way to get a free tester is to know someone who either owns a fragrance shop or someone who works in a store that allows employees to take unused tester bottles.
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Get free samples from retail shops, online retailers, or manufacturers. If you’re just getting into perfumes, you may not know how to find perfume samples. Most stores that sell fragrances have small sample vials of around 2mL that they give to customers for free. This allows you to test out a perfume at home to see how you like the scent, longevity, and projection over the course of several days.
- Stores, brands, and online retailers often have a limit on how many free samples they will give to each customer. However, they may give more if you make a purchase.

Section 8 of 10:

Where to Buy Samples

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Purchase samples from department stores and online fragrance sites. Discount fragrance retailers often have manufacturer-packaged samples for sale that cost as little as a few dollars. These samples are bought from wholesalers on the grey market, much like fragrance testers.
- Department stores like Sephora and Ulta sell sample sets of their most popular fragrances. These sets often come with a voucher that’s redeemable for a full bottle of one of the fragrances included in the set.
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Buy decants or scent splits. Decants and scent splits are samples the distributor creates by splitting a larger bottle. Both DecantX and Scent Split are reputable companies that sell authentic decants.
- When purchasing scent splits, be sure to use trusted retailers that have good reviews from customers.
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Sign up for a fragrance subscription. Popular fragrance subscriptions like ScentBox and Scentbird charge a set monthly fee and send you a large sample each month.^{[11]
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Research source} Most samples are between 5 - 10mL, and you have the chance to select the fragrances you want to try.
- Many of the fragrance subscriptions also offer quizzes and other information to help you learn more about fragrance notes and scent profiles.
- Both Scentbird and Scent Box have tiered subscription plans that allow you to choose how many samples to get per month.
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Buy a fragrance discovery set. A brand may sell a set of samples to let you try several of their fragrances before you buy a larger bottle. This is a good way to determine which fragrances you like if you are interested in a particular brand.
- Brands often curate discovery sets that feature their most popular fragrances.
- Another curated set may include fragrances that fall into a specific scent category, such as floral, fresh, woody, or oriental.^{[12]
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Section 9 of 10:

Blind Buying Fragrances

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Blind buy fragrances with caution. Blind buying a fragrance is when you purchase a full bottle without testing it first. People usually blind buy after hearing multiple positive reviews for a new or trending fragrance.
- It’s very common to be disappointed when you buy a fragrance without testing it out first.
- If you don’t like a perfume you’ve blind-bought, give it away, swap it for something you like better, or sell it on eBay it to recoup some of your money.
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Do research to successfully blind-buy fragrances. If you really want to purchase a fragrance without testing it first, gather as much information about its scent profile and performance as possible before you buy.
- Reading reviews on store websites, asking questions on fragrance message boards, and watching video reviews on YouTube are good ways to learn what other people think after trying the perfume.
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Buy fragrances with scents you know you like. If you already wear fragrances, jot down the notes of your favorite scents. Then go to the manufacturer’s website of the perfume you want to blind buy and see what notes it includes. Try to find fragrances with notes you already like.
- Look for flankers of fragrances you already like. Flankers are fragrances that share some of the notes with a popular perfume.
- The manufacturer uses one of their best-selling fragrances as inspiration for a new perfume that has a similar scent profile with a few changes to make it unique.

Section 10 of 10:

How to Choose a Fragrance

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Spray it on a tester strip. Most stores have paper strips available near their tester bottles. Spritz the fragrance onto the tester strip and take it with you to see if you still like the scent after a little time has passed.
- Only smell a few fragrances at a time. If you smell too many different strong scents, you may overwhelm your senses and go nose blind. That means you may not be able to smell all of the notes.
- Fragrance departments often have a small container of coffee beans on their counter. Take a moment between spritzes to smell the coffee bean to help your nose reset.
- If there aren’t any coffee beans available, smell an unperfumed section of your skin or clothes to help your senses adjust.^{[13]
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Test the fragrance on your skin. The very best way to decide if you like a perfume is to test it out over the course of several days. This tells you if it will work well with your body chemistry and lifestyle before you pay.^{[14]
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- When you spray a fragrance on your body, your temperature, what you ate that day, and – most importantly – the pH level (or acidity) of your skin makes a difference in how it smells.^{[15]
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- When testing a fragrance, don’t wear scented lotions or body sprays. The scents of these products change the scent of the fragrance you’re testing.
- It’s a good idea to smell fragrances before you spray them on your skin. Many people are sensitive to some of the commonly used perfume notes and may get a headache.
Many people spray perfume on their wrists and then rub them together or dab their wrists behind their ears. When you rub or dab perfume on, the friction heats your skin up. This can change the scent and longevity of your fragrance.^{[16]
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