Luxury fragrances for under €50

The most expensive fragrances we carry cost €300 to €460 a bottle. The same fragrance costs €35 to €80 for ten millilitres and €19 to €45 for five — which means every fragrance in the top price bracket is within reach for what you'd spend on dinner for two. Below are five of them, with both prices so you can see the ratio. Five millilitres lasts roughly ten to fifteen wears at two sprays, so two weeks of daily use.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood Extrait: Bottle €345 for 70 ml (€4.93/ml), 5 ml decant €41. Violet, geranium and cinnamon up top, Damask and Turkish rose in the heart, oud, vanilla, amber, benzoin and caramel underneath. The most expensive per millilitre, which also makes it the one where a decant makes the most sense.
Kilian Angels' Share Paradis: Bottle €385 for 100 ml (€3.85/ml), 5 ml decant €41.99. Cognac and liqueur up top, caramel with Bulgarian rose and tonka in the heart, praline and vanilla in the base. Distinctly sweet — exactly the kind of fragrance you don't buy blind.
Amouage Outlands: Bottle €430 for 100 ml (€4.30/ml), 5 ml decant €45. A pyramid of more than twenty notes — cardamom, incense and pepper up top, cumin with saffron and anise in the heart, resins, oud and birch underneath. A fragrance that keeps changing all day.
Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif: Bottle €305 for 75 ml (€4.07/ml), 5 ml decant €27. Bergamot, pear and lychee up top, rose with incense in the heart, vanilla, musk, moss and tonka underneath — the most popular feminine niche pick in this price bracket.
Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique Extrait: The most expensive bottle we carry: €460 for 100 ml (€4.60/ml), while a 5 ml decant is €30. A reworked, not merely intensified, version of a well-known bestseller — osmanthus up top, freesia in the heart, sandalwood in the base. The price difference is fifteenfold.

How to test smart: (1) Take 5 ml, not 2 ml, if you're seriously considering a bottle. Two millilitres are for a first impression, five for a decision — at two sprays a day they last about two weeks. (2) Wear it in three different situations: one workday, one evening, one warm or cold day depending on the season. A fragrance that doesn't work at the office can be great for the evening. (3) Note when you can no longer smell it. Longevity is the one thing about a fragrance we can't tell you — only you can measure it on your skin. (4) Do the maths. With MFK Oud Satin Mood a 5 ml decant is an eighth of the bottle price; even if only every second try is a hit, testing is still cheaper than one mistake. (5) Buy the bottle only once the decant runs out and that bothers you. It's the only reliable sign you actually wear the fragrance.

How many wears do I get from five millilitres?

At two sprays a day roughly ten to fifteen wears, so two weeks of daily use. With dense fragrances where one spray is enough, as many as twenty. That's more than enough to decide on a bottle.

Is a decant the same quality as a full bottle?

Yes, because it's the same fragrance, decanted from the original bottle. The difference is the packaging and the fact that a decant doesn't come with the original box — which only matters if it's a gift.

Which expensive fragrance is worth buying without testing?

None over €200, unless you already know the fragrance. With profiles as wide-ranging as Amouage Outlands or Angels' Share Paradis, the chance of getting it right first time is small — and the gap between €45 and €430 is tenfold.

Is a 10 ml decant better value than two fives?

Yes, practically always: with MFK, 5 ml is €41 and 10 ml €80, so you get double the amount at almost the same price per millilitre. But ten millilitres only make sense once you know the fragrance — otherwise you're paying for an amount you won't use.

And 30 ml — when is that the right choice?

When you know you wear the fragrance regularly but don't need a bottle. Thirty millilitres of MFK cost €222 against €345 for 70 ml; per millilitre that's more expensive, but you save on the amount you hand over and on shelf space.