How to Buy Vintage Perfume? [Ultimate Buying Guide 2024]

Written By Lamaya Mahboob

There are people who are more into vintage perfumes than newly released ones or just want to experience perfumes with old souls.

If you are one of them then this article will be very helpful for you as I have tested many vintage perfumes myself

As a result, I know exactly where to find them and which one you should go for.

To know every detail about buying vintage perfumes, read till the end.

How to buy vintage perfume

How to buy vintage perfume?

Vintage perfumes are harder to buy than modern perfumes as they are less available. You can be sold perfumes atomizers where the juice has completely evaporated or the perfume bottle is filled with only water and color. If you get the chance to dab a juice of vintage perfume, do not make your judgement about it right away. The top notes of the perfume may be damaged but other notes would work just fine.

Where to buy Vintage perfume?

Of course, you can buy an old perfume. Some people love to collect old bottles and some want to use them more than any new formula made perfumes. Originality and strong strength of these perfumes could be a reason.

Here are some places where you can look for vintage perfumes: 

  • Antique malls: most of the time, antique malls have a shelf of vintage perfumes as the malls are designated to have vintage stuff.
  • Ebay: it is the most popular way to find vintage perfumes.
  • Facebook groups: if you not already added to a perfume facebook group, add yourself on one as the perfume community always knows the best information on where you can find these vintage bottle and sometimes members are interested to sell their own vingatege perfumes.
  • Flea market and thrift store: almost all towns have them and here you can find vintage perfume in a cheap price either because they do not need these bottle or know the value of the gem.
  • Swapping: This is how I was first introduced to vintage perfume. It was through swapping that I first smelled vintage Christian Dior Miss Dior. MakeupAlley is a terrific swapping forum, especially if a sample of a vintage fragrance is enough for you. Plus, if you end up with too many bottles of vintage Worth Je Reviens from estate sale shopping, you can swap online for that bottle of Rochas Femme that you crave.

Also, check our latest investigation Should You Wear Perfume to School?

How do you know if a vintage perfume is authentic?

It is quite tricky to understand if a perfume is authentic or not. And the complication increases if you are talking about a vintage perfume. Unless you are an expert in understanding perfumes, you might not understand the nuances that define vintage pieces.

 Here are 4 general guidelines to follow to sniff an original vintage perfume: 

Authentic perfume store/seller: If you find a trusted source to purchase perfumes, 80 percent of your hard work is done. Not only will it help you to buy authentic vintage perfumes, you can buy any perfume without hesitation about its authenticity.

While looking for an authentic seller, notice its website very carefully. It will have a lot of details like size, price, weight, etc. if it is an official website, you can always go back to it if you face any problem. An “About Us” section complete with FAQs, a comprehensive return policy (very important), and a contact number must be there. And lastly, check their shipping policies.

Price: You might think it is a good deal for you when the price is low. However, a low price might mean that the perfume is fake. Therefore, do not jump right in if the price is lower than usual.

Have some time to spare? Check out- Deodorant vs. Perfume

Packaging: vintage perfumes have simple and old designed packaging. And as some of them have been discontinued, perfume houses do not even make new packages. So, there is no reason to get a different kind of box. And also perfumes coming without a box is suspicious. Therefore, tell them you want the box of the perfume and read the details of the box to check its authenticity.

Read the label: most of the time we ignore reading the label of the product we buy online and we do not realize if it is fake or original. One of the most important steps is to read the label of perfume when you buy it and especially when you are talking about a vintage bottle.

What does vintage mean in perfume?

Vintage perfumes means perfumes which have been released a long time ago. Sometimes, people think vintage perfumes mean perfumes which are supposed to smell great but that is not true. It only means perfumes which were made a long time ago.

Before the emergence of well-known brands like Dior or Chanel, exclusive manufacturers existed that developed the most in-demand fragrance trends.

These vintage perfumes are  still going strong. Some of them even influenced people living in our time. This is what makes the old scents that have persisted to this day interesting.

Here are some benefits of using vintage perfumes: 

  • Vintage perfumes are very persistent. The strength of them is way stronger than the perfume we smell nowadays. If you spray them on your clothes, it will linger on them even after multiple washes.
  • Every note which is stated by the perfumer is actually present in the perfume formula. You can smell them one by one throughout the perfume’s journey.
  • Vintage perfumes’ notes were chosen very carefully so the scent created is very long lasting and unique.

But the disadvantage of vintage perfumes is it is very difficult to identify if the perfume is original or a rip off and if it is not stored carefully, the perfume will simply deteriorate.

Also, check our latest investigation Should You Wear Perfume to School?

What are the most popular vintage perfumes?

These perfumes should be considered if you want to collect vintage perfumes:

Chanel No 5: we all have heard the name of Chanel no 5. It is the goddess of every perfume. It is the most popular fragrance of all time. One of the most unique parts of this fragrance is the aldehydes. Aldehydes in here add a lot of texture to it. It makes the scent buttery, fuzzy and powdery which is very different from the aldehydes used in other fragrances.

Yves Saint Laurent Opium Eau De Parfum: its intensity can make people mesmerize. It is a dramatic fragrance that can easily fill a room. You will be the center of attraction. Everyone will come up to you to ask about your perfume because it’s loud and magical.

Guerlain Shalimar: it is one of the perfect examples of old being gold. You get a killer combination of citrus, orange and a little bit of rose. And the perfume lasts with the support of sandalwood.

Dior Miss Dior: it is strong and unisex scent in my opinion. One word sums up this classic fragrance: Austere. The scent reeks of old money. You can definitely smell the powdery iris behind gentle spices.

Conclusion

If you want to purchase a vintage perfume, make sure you are doing it from an authentic source. People get ripped off a lot of the time from buying these perfumes.

To avoid buying fake vintage fragrances, follow the steps carefully mentioned above.

Also, check our latest investigation- How to Find Your Signature Scent?

If you have any further queries, please feel free to ask them in the comment section, and I would be happy to answer them.

About The Author
Perfume has always been Lamaya's passion as she grew up smelling all the perfumes her mother had. And sometimes she would spray them on her secretly. Lamaya likes doing doodling art as well. If you ever see her in person, you can request a doodle art. You might get one. She wants to be an Environmental & Animal rights activist in the future.

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