The Best Scentbox Alternatives You Should Try ASAP

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Crystal Schwanke

Socially Fragrant at Scent Chasers

Crystal enjoys investing in expensive perfumes and colgones, so she's usually wearing fragrances in social settings to make a statement. While other people are impressed with fancy jewelry, she can always tell a cheap perfume from an expensive one!

Latest posts by Crystal Schwanke (see all)

• How to Find Your Scent No Matter How Long You Have to Explore Fragrance - December 25, 2023
• The 7 Best Personalized Perfume Services for Discovering Your Signature Scent - December 24, 2023
• The Best Scentbox Alternatives You Should Try ASAP - December 23, 2023

The best Scentbox alternatives offer you a variety of fragrances that you can use to express your personality or make a statement. You get to try on scents without committing to the full-size bottles, just like you can with Scentbox. You can even find more personalized options than you might find at Scentbox.

As someone who’s been perfume-obsessed since at least the 90s when I caught a whiff of Sun Moon Stars in one of my mom’s old magazines, I’ve purchased and often regretted an embarrassing number of full-sized bottles, proclaiming that surely this one would be my signature scent for the next decade.

I eventually gave up on the idea of a signature scent. Now, I keep several tried-and-true favorites in my rotation and use services like Scentbox to mix things up, guilt-free, for less money and less of a space requirement.

Bottom Line Up Front

Find Your Signature Perfume | Noteworthy Scents

Noteworthy Scents is your premier destination for exquisite, handcrafted fragrances that leave a lasting impression. Our artisanal scents are meticulously crafted to evoke emotions and memories, making each fragrance a unique and cherished experience.

Buy Now

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

How I Chose the Best Scentbox Alternatives

Since you’re looking for an alternative to Scentbox–which means there is probably something Scentbox does or doesn’t do that won’t quite fit your needs–I cast a wide net when looking for alternatives. I looked for similar, decently-priced services that differed in a few ways:

• Selection (Are there hundreds of fragrances, or do they have a small but carefully curated group of perfumes and colognes? And do they carry things other sites don’t?)
• Personalization (How much effort does the service put into matching you with something you’ll love?)
• Commitment requirements (Not all Scentbox alternatives are subscriptions, and some let you ease into purchasing a full bottle with a sampling process.)

The 6 Best Scentbox Alternatives to Try

Scentbird – The Closest Scentbox Alternative

Scentbird is fun because of its hundreds of designer scents, and it’s (usually) low-cost first month to try it. As of this writing, the first month is half off, so you’ll only pay $8.47. There’s a quiz, but feel free to go rogue and order whatever catches your eye if something interests you.

You can set up a queue full of their recommendations and fragrances you’ve discovered on your own. Rearrange them as necessary. Each travel size gives you about 120 sprays, so the next olfactory adventure will arrive in the mail as soon as you use one up.

Pros

• You can try designer fragrances at a fraction of the cost of buying a whole bottle.
• Good for people who like to explore fragrance and switch it up often.
• Travel-friendly packaging
• Affordable way to explore scents–especially the first month

Cons

• It may not be the best deal financially if you stick with fragrances for a long time (you’ll save by buying a full-size bottle).
• Fewer scents to choose from than Scentbox (but there are still about 700!)
• There are not a lot of niche or obscure fragrances here.

MicroPerfumes – For Those Who Want to Avoid Subscriptions

I’ve loved MicroPerfumes since day one. They make trying high-end fragrances I can only get my hands on where I live if I drive 30-45 minutes easy and budget-friendly, and they don’t require a subscription. While they don’t have 1000 fragrances to choose from, I can’t remember looking for one I wanted and not being able to get it there.

Pros

• It is not a subscription, so you can buy and try at your leisure.
• They have more niche and high-end fragrances you might not find on similar sites (like Baccarat Rouge 540, which I got from them and am obsessed with).
• These are authentic designer fragrances, so if you already tried a fragrance and fell in love, you can be sure this will match the experience.
• You can purchase sample sizes, travel sizes, or full bottles.
• Fast shipping

Cons

• There’s a quick quiz when you get to the site, but it’s pretty basic and didn’t provide me with any recommendations based on my answers.
• They have less of a selection than Scentbird and Scentbox.
• If you want a subscription that allows you to try new fragrances on autopilot, this isn’t the one for you.

Dossier – For Those on a Budget

Suppose you already have a general idea of what you like, but you’d love a budget version. In that case, Dossier’s fragrances are inspired by designer scents but cost much less. For example, their Floral Marshmallow is inspired by Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy, but instead of $290.00, you’ll pay around $40.00. If you need help deciding which scent to choose, their quiz can help.

Pros

• You have a good idea of what you’re getting based on fragrances you already love that these are inspired by.
• Free returns
• Matching candles are available if you love the fragrance but don’t want to wear it on your body (or if want everything to smell like it–you and your house!).
• The frills-free bottles will look lovely on any vanity.

Cons

• These are 1.7 oz. bottles, so you won’t be able to try them and replace them with new scents at the same pace as you would with travel sizes.
• To get free shipping, you’ll need to buy three items.
• There’s always a risk that any inspired-by fragrance will smell different from the original. If the way they differ is what you loved about the original (or what blossomed once it was sprayed on your skin), you could be disappointed.

Noteworthy – For Those Who Like Personalized Surprises

You can use Noteworthy’s quiz to get matched with a perfume from their line that you’ll love. The first step is to take a quiz and get a discovery kit sent your way.

They’ll choose the fragrances they think you’ll love, or you can choose the set with all of their fragrances, experiment with them, and choose your favorite. Once you’ve settled on your top pick, you can put the price you paid for the sample kit ($24.99) toward your full-sized bottle.

Pros

• Low-commitment
• Money-back guarantee on personalized kits
• No subscription is necessary.
• What you spend on the discovery kit applies to a full-size bottle purchase.
• Travel sizes are available if you’re still not ready to commit after time with a discovery kit.
• Thanks to the detailed quiz, they did a good job recommending fragrances based on my likes, dislikes, and personality.

Find Your Signature Perfume | Noteworthy Scents

Noteworthy Scents is your premier destination for exquisite, handcrafted fragrances that leave a lasting impression. Our artisanal scents are meticulously crafted to evoke emotions and memories, making each fragrance a unique and cherished experience.

Buy Now

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Cons

• There are only Noteworthy’s 17 fragrances as options.
• The large bottle is huge (3.3 fl. oz.) and may not be within everyone’s budget ($100.00 after the discount if you purchased a discovery kit). I’d like to see a smaller option around 1.7 fl. oz.
• Some fragrances didn’t smell like I expected them to, based on the notes (but I liked them anyway).

Skylar Scent Club – Best for Sensitive Skin

Skylar Scent Club is exciting because their fragrances aren’t in travel spray form. Instead, you’ll get a rollerball monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.

Pros

• Clean ingredients, created to be safe for sensitive skin
• There’s an extra level of fun–their scents are inspired by places, so you get to travel around the world in a sense (in a…scents?).
• The quiz results were accurate (I’m a Romantic Dreamer who loves notes like dahlia, apple, and amber and prefer scents with some warmth!).
• In addition to Scent Club rollerballs, you can order the fragrances in other forms (mists, discovery sets, etc.) as one-time purchases.
• Careful descriptions of the fragrances on the site give you a good idea of what to expect from each one.

Cons

• It’s pricier than some other subscription services ($20.00 per month), but you get half off your first month.
• The website seemed especially slow, so the quiz made me feel impatient.
• Limited fragrance selection since it’s one brand vs. hundreds like some other options offer.

Scent Decant – Best Low Commitment Option

A subscription option is available at Scent Decant, and it’ll save you 10 percent, but it’s different from Scentbox’s setup. In this case, you can subscribe to have the same fragrance/size sent monthly.

Pros

• They have high-end fragrances you might not always find at the more well-known perfume sampling sites.
• Several sizes are available, from 1ml to full-size bottles.
• Fast shipping
• There is low commitment since some samples are just a dollar.
• Authentic designer fragrances

Cons

• Shipping is only free after $40.00.
• The subscription won’t be worth it to most people looking for Scentbox alternatives, since you’re not trying new fragrances each month. I’d rather buy a full-sized bottle and use it for months or years and then decide if I’d like to buy more than have smaller shipments of the same fragrance coming my way automatically. Still, you can choose several new scents to try without signing up for anything you’ll need to remember to maintain or cancel later.
• No returns on any decanted scents or opened full-size bottles (you can return unopened full-size bottles in their original condition for up to 30 days).

Is scent Worth It? What about the Alternatives?

I think ScentBox is worth it–and so are the alternatives–because I don’t like to stick with one perfume for very long, and getting a month’s worth at one time is about the right amount for me before I’m ready to move on and try something else (there are a few exceptions!).

Suppose you’re searching for your perfect signature scent. In that case, this is an excellent way to discover one without ending up with several full-size bottles you feel guilty for buying because you did not love them as much as you thought you would. After a few weeks with a fragrance, you should know if you’ll enjoy it long-term, and then you can buy a large bottle with no worries (or regrets).

FAQs about Scentbox Alternatives

Conclusion: Start with Why Scentbox Isn’t for You

The best Scentbox alternatives are a mix of subscriptions, one-time purchases, smaller decants, and companies that focus on you and suggest fragrances you might like. Most are low-commitment (in money and time), but you can purchase a full-size bottle when you find the one you love.

All of the Scentbox alternatives on the list are an excellent way to try out several fragrances without spending a ton of money or cluttering up your vanity or counter with more perfume or cologne than you could ever use. Whether you love to mix things up all the time or you’re on the hunt for your signature scent, these services can help.

If you’d love to have a site get to know you and then help you narrow in on a signature (and a giant, beautiful bottle), Noteworthy has the most thorough quiz I’ve found. Suppose you prefer to go it alone, explore the notes on your own, and sample a new fragrance each month. In that case, I’d go with Scentbird (subscription) or MicroPerfumes (one-time purchase).

Find Your Signature Perfume | Noteworthy Scents

Noteworthy Scents is your premier destination for exquisite, handcrafted fragrances that leave a lasting impression. Our artisanal scents are meticulously crafted to evoke emotions and memories, making each fragrance a unique and cherished experience.

Buy Now

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Continue reading:

Scentbox Review & Guide

Scentbird vs MicroPerfumes Compared

Best Scentbird Alternatives Guide