The European Decant Index

{
  "name": "European Decant Index",
  "publisher": "Scento",
  "url": "https://www.scento.com/european-decant-index",
  "datePublished": "2026-06-18",
  "dateModified": "2026-06-18",
  "measuredOn": "2026-06-18",
  "methodology": {
    "measuredOn": "2026-06-18",
    "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 / product pages) and their live Trustpilot profile. Scento figures use Scento's canonical entity facts plus a direct query of its production catalogue (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.",
    "reviewMethod": "Review profiles are linked live rather than tabulated as a static score. Trustpilot scores move continuously and review volumes differ by orders of magnitude between these retailers, so a frozen score column would be misleading. Read each live profile for the current picture.",
    "limitations": "This index is observational and associational, not a controlled test. Prices, sizes, shipping terms and claims change; figures are accurate as checked 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 seven retailers range from 1ml to 10ml. Scento offers 2ml, 5ml and 8ml, and the 8ml ships in a refillable atomiser case.",
    "Authenticity: every retailer states its decants are genuine. Scento is the one in this set that prints each batch code on the label and shows it on the order page, with stricter reference labelling on flagged houses.",
    "Coverage: Scento discloses the most specific European reach in the set — 27 markets with tracked 1–5 business-day delivery — while several rivals state only \"Europe\" or \"worldwide\".",
    "Reviews: review depth varies by orders of magnitude, from a handful of Trustpilot reviews to large review bases — so every live profile is linked rather than frozen into a score column."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Where can you buy authentic perfume decants in Europe?",
      "a": "Several retailers ship perfume decants within Europe. This index compares seven of them — Scento, Eurodecants, Visionary Fragrances, Fragrant World, TestScent, Tryasample and Hidden Samples — on decant size, EU shipping, authenticity approach, price and coverage. Scento ships to 27 European markets with tracked 1–5 business-day delivery and prints each decant's batch code on the label. All figures were checked on 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 decants from sealed original bottles and prints the batch code on every label (also shown on the order page) so you can verify the production date. 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 seven retailers, decant sizes range from 1ml up to 10ml. Scento offers 2ml (~30 sprays), 5ml (~75 sprays) and 8ml (~120 sprays); the 8ml ships in a 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 across the EU?",
      "a": "All seven retailers in this index ship within Europe, but terms differ. Scento ships to 27 European markets with tracked 1–5 business-day delivery; others state terms such as free shipping over €60–€100 or a flat European rate. See Table C for each retailer's stated coverage and shipping terms, quoted from their own sites and dated 18 June 2026."
    },
    {
      "q": "How was the European Decant Index measured?",
      "a": "Every competitor figure is quoted from the retailer's own public website (FAQ, about or product pages) and its live Trustpilot profile, checked on 18 June 2026. Scento's numbers use its canonical company facts plus a direct query of its production catalogue (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
    ],
    "marketsReached": 27,
    "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",
      "euShipping": "EU-wide tracked, typically 1–5 business days",
      "authenticity": "Decanted from sealed original bottles; batch code printed on the label and shown on the order page; legal-strict reference labelling on flagged houses",
      "catalogueClaim": "1,000+ fragrances across a 200-brand designer & niche sourcing roster",
      "priceRange": "Decants from €4.41 (2ml) to ~€27 (8ml) for most houses",
      "coverage": "27 European markets",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/scento.com",
      "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; free over €60; PostNL ~5–10 days",
      "authenticity": "States decants are made from original bottles; batch codes available on request",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche selection (no headline catalogue-size claim)",
      "priceRange": "≈ €4.95–8.95 per decant",
      "coverage": "Europe (PostNL)",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/eurodecants.com",
      "source": "https://eurodecants.com/pages/faq",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    },
    {
      "name": "Visionary Fragrances",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "United Kingdom (ships UK + EU)",
      "founded": "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": "≈ £2.99–7.99 per sample",
      "coverage": "United Kingdom + European Union",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/visionaryfragrances.com",
      "source": "https://visionaryfragrances.com",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fragrant World",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Portugal",
      "founded": "2016",
      "sizes": "Decant sizes vary by house",
      "euShipping": "Ships worldwide",
      "authenticity": "States genuine fragrances, decanted",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche selection (e.g. Creed range)",
      "priceRange": "≈ €5.25–8.50 per decant (e.g. Creed)",
      "coverage": "Worldwide",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/fragrantworldshop.com",
      "source": "https://fragrantworldshop.com/pages/about-us",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    },
    {
      "name": "TestScent",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Europe (multi-currency)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml, 3ml, 5ml, 10ml + full bottles",
      "euShipping": "EU + North America; prices in EUR/USD/GBP/SEK",
      "authenticity": "Markets authentic samples + full bottles",
      "catalogueClaim": "Claims \"largest catalogue in Europe\" (their marketing claim — unverified)",
      "priceRange": "Varies by size & house",
      "coverage": "European Union + North America",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/testscent.com",
      "source": "https://testscent.com/why-samples",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tryasample",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "Europe (Denmark-linked)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml-centric",
      "euShipping": "€6 flat Europe, ~3–5 days",
      "authenticity": "Markets samples; 90-day returns stated",
      "catalogueClaim": "Designer & niche sample selection",
      "priceRange": "2ml-focused (flat-shipping model)",
      "coverage": "Europe",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/tryasample.eu",
      "source": "https://tryasample.eu",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hidden Samples",
      "isPublisher": false,
      "hq": "US-listed (Arabian / niche focus)",
      "founded": "Not stated",
      "sizes": "2ml only",
      "euShipping": "See site for EU options",
      "authenticity": "Markets authentic Arabian / niche samples",
      "catalogueClaim": "Arabian & niche-focused selection",
      "priceRange": "≈ €3.50–5.95 per 2ml",
      "coverage": "See site for shipping regions",
      "reviewProfileUrl": "https://www.trustpilot.com/review/hiddensamples.com",
      "source": "https://hiddensamples.com",
      "checked": "2026-06-18"
    }
  ]
}