scentbird vs microperfumes

Scentbird vs MicroPerfumes Compared: Should You Choose a Subscription Box or a Retailer?

There’s no denying that subscription boxes have changed the way we shop. Instead of roaming around stores to find products, it’s more convenient to spend a few dollars every month and have items delivered to your doorstep. There are now subscription boxes for everyone, including fragrance.

This is why subscription boxes such as Scentbird have become so popular. Scentbird delivers sample-sized high-end fragrances repacked in their own atomizers. I love perfume but hate the high price that often comes with high-end fragrances, so I’m always looking for ways to save on luxurious perfumes.

I thought Scentbird sounded like such a great idea, and tried one of their boxes. However, I wasn’t a fan of the atomizers; they were difficult to open and spray. I loved the perfumes they sent me, but I wish I had more control over the fragrances that they sent.

This is when I discovered the perfect solution: MicroPerfumes. This is a perfume retailer, not a subscription box, so you buy your desired products. They specialize in selling sample-sized perfumes in their own atomizers. The atomizers are easy to use, and MicroPerfumes offers nearly every high-end fragrance.

I decided to compare both perfume companies to see which company fragrance enthusiasts should support. Read my Scentbird vs MicroPerfumes compared guide for more information.

Bottom Line Upfront

In general, I recommend MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes. They’re a third-party fragrance dealer selling samples and travel-sized variations of designer scents. Since these samples are small, you pay less for an exquisite perfume. MicroPerfumes also offers regular promotions so you can save even more. If you prefer a subscription, I suggest Scentbird or any other alternatives.

Year End Flash Sale!
Perfume Gift Sets | MicroPerfumes

Fastest-Growing Beauty Brand. Try multiple scents before shelling out for full-size products. Take 30% OFF All Travel Sprays using code: FLASH.

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

Main Differences Between Scentbird vs MicroPerfumes

The main differeces between Scentbird vs MicroPerfumes are:

  • Scentbird is a monthly subscription box, whereas MicroPerfumes is a fragrance retailer
  • Scentbird is limited in terms of payment, whereas MicroPerfumes accepts more payment options
  • Scentbird doesn’t offer free shipping for international customers, whereas MicroPerfumes does
  • Scentbird only offers a discount on your first box, whereas MicroPerfumes offers coupons and discounts
  • Scentbird only offers a referral program, whereas MicroPerfumes offers a loyalty program

Scentbird

scentbird

Scentbird is a fragrance subscription program specializing in sending travel-sized sprays to their subscribers. Scentbird offers fragrances for men and women. You can fill your account with a queue of your favorite fragrances or leave it blank and have Scentbird send you another fragrance.

You can also opt for premium products, which are luxurious fragrances and can be hard-to-find beauty products. This makes Scentbird an excellent option for fragrance aficionados who want an affordable way to use their favorite scents or for those new to perfumes who want to discover some high-end options.

Pros

  • You can get monthly fragrances at a low price
  • Send designer perfumes
  • Women’s and men’s fragrances
  • You can add fragrances you want to your queue
  • Great way to discover new scents
  • Discount on your first box

Cons

  • International customers must pay for shipping
  • Limited payment options

Features

scentbird subscription activate

Scentbird is a subscription box that delivers a new perfume or cologne to your home every month. You can place a fragrance in your queue for delivery or leave your queue blank and receive the Fragrance of the Month. This applies to women’s and men’s fragrances.

Scentbird also offers other fragrance and beauty products–some you can add to your queue for a premium box, while others you can buy separately from your box. You can also buy into Candle Club, an add-on to Scentbird, where they send a candle to you. Scentbird also offers a gift subscription and sets you can buy without a subscription.

If you don’t want to wait for the delivery, you can buy any item in your queue at a discounted price. You’ll still receive your subscription for that month. I understand why that last point is appealing to users. Subscription boxes aren’t usually customizable, and you’re stuck with receiving what the company sends.

Scentbox still offers customization, but you lack control in other ways. For example, you can’t buy any fragrances without signing up for a subscription. That’s a waste; why buy products in your queue and receive another box?

And Scentbird offers limited purchases for non-members. For example, you can buy another product, like a candle and little fragrance samples, but not other fragrances. I’m also not a fan of their atomizers. Their old ones were hard to use, but I also don’t like their new ones. They’re magnetic, and you must twist the packaging to spray them.

Bottom line: On the surface, Scentbird seems better than other subscription boxes. You can choose the fragrances you want in your queue, or you can keep your queue empty and receive a fragrance that Scentbird chooses.

You can also choose add-ons, such as Candle Club and premium beauty products. They offer gift subscriptions, and you can buy some products without an account.

However, there are some downsides to this. Scentbird is still largely only available to members; while you can buy products in your queue, you still must receive a separate box. The atomizers they use are also strange.

Pricing

scentbird subscription price

As I’m writing this, Scentbird currently has a promotion. Your first box is $6.78 and includes a free case. Typical Scentbird boxes cost $16.96/month. You can pay for upgrades and add-on subscriptions, such as Candle Box for an extra $25 and Premium Upcharge Products (varies in price).

You can also pay to receive two or three perfume samples instead of one (the price is $27/month and $37/month, respectively) and can edit the frequency of your boxes and take a break. While Scentbird requires an account for most products, you can buy some items without a subscription. For example, I can buy a candle and a gift set.

Bottom line: Scentbird’s box is relatively affordable, and they offer deals for first-time subscribers. You can also choose to change the frequency of your box, upgrade your plan, and choose other add-on services. You must be a Scentbird member to access their entire catalog, but some items are open for everyone to purchase.

Customer Service

I never had to contact Scentbird’s customer service. It looks like they only offer customer service via email. They offer live chat, but it’s difficult to find. You have to visit the “help” section, and then the chat icon will appear in the bottom right. Scentbird also says you can DM them on any of their social networks.

They offer a blog describing their perfumes and more about the brands. I appreciate the fragrance knowledge that Scentbird offers, especially since many people don’t know much about the science of perfume. They also offer an FAQ page, which is excellent for learning more about the brand and how they work.

Bottom line: Scentbird offers a decent blog and FAQ part of their website. I wish they offered more customer service options and that the live chat section was easier to find.

Shipping

After signing up for an account, Scentbird will ship your box within five business days. After your first month, you can expect to receive your package around this same time. You’ll always receive an email when your box has been shipped.

If you’re in the USA, shipping is free. However, Canadian subscribers must pay $4.99/per month USD ($6.68 CAD) for shipping. I can’t find anything about them shipping to other countries. If you’re outside North America, I suggest contacting Scentbird and asking if they will deliver to your country.

I want to talk more about the Canadian shipping issue. I’m American, but my boyfriend is Canadian. He and his friends struggle when they order things from the US. Even $6-$7 CAD isn’t bad for shipping, but this will increase your subscription to $22-$23.

This also doesn’t include any taxes that you might have to pay. In my opinion, that isn’t worth it. Other fragrance retailers out there have better policies when shipping to Canada.

Bottom line: Scentbird’s shipping is free and is pretty quick. However, Canadians must pay an extra $6-$7 in shipping.

Returns

Scentbird has a strict return policy. Subscription items are non-refundable, even if you don’t like the fragrance. This is upsetting; while I understand if you receive products from your queue, you may not like the Fragrance of the Month, and that’s $16-$17 you wasted.

The exception is if your product arrived damaged. In this case, you can return your item within 30 days. It doesn’t look like you’ll receive a refund, but Scentbird will exchange the damaged product for a new one.

Bottom line: Subscription items are non-refundable, which is a shame since you may not like the Fragrance of the Month. If your item arrives damaged, you can exchange it within 30 days.

MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes

MicroPerfumes

MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes is a retailer that sells sample-sized versions of high-end fragrances. They sell nearly every luxurious designer worldwide–from Burberry to Maison Francis Kurkdijan. MicroPerfumes carries fragrances for women and men with various scent profiles.

They carry various sizes, from sample sizes to travel-sized sprays. Some of their fragrances are as cheap as 99 cents, though your price depends on the fragrance.

No matter what perfume you choose, you’ll save a lot of money by buying the smaller-sized option. MicroPerfumes offers other perks, such as additional coupons and free shipping.

Pros

  • Various payments accepted
  • Affordable sample-sized fragrances
  • Other perks, such as free shipping
  • Can ship internationally
  • Authentic fragrances

Cons

  • Not as many niche fragrances

Features

MicroPerfumes sells various sizes of high-end fragrances. Instead of buying a whole bottle, customers can buy a smaller atomizer to try the fragrance or travel with it.

I love this concept; I have so many fragrances and don’t wear them daily. Some samples I used lasted me an entire year! Because of this, buying the whole bottle can be a waste.

MicroPerfumes sells these additional sizes:

  • Travel spray (5 ml)
  • Sample spray (3 ml)
  • Sample vial (0.75 ml)

Since these items are smaller than the retail bottle, MicroPerfumes can price them more affordably. This is a good option if you want to try the perfume and can’t find a free sample elsewhere or simply don’t want to spend much money on high-end fragrances.

MicroPerfumes sells men’s cologne, women’s perfumes, and various unisex scents. They sell designer and celebrity-branded fragrances, though I wish they sold more niche and smaller brands.

If you’re unsure of the fragrance you want or are looking for a gift, MicroPerfumes sells themed gift sets. There are gift set themes like formal scents for a date or casual scents for the club.

Bottom line: MicroPerfumes MicroPerfumes specializes in selling smaller-sized designer fragrances, so you can get high-quality scents at an affordable price.

They sell fragrances for all genders. If you’re still unsure of which fragrance to buy or want to buy a gift, you can buy one of their themed gift sets. I wish they sold more niche fragrance brands, but I still love this concept.

Pricing

MicroPerfumes pricing

The price you pay for your fragrance depends on which scent you order and the size. MicroPerfumes promotes their samples as low as 99 cents, but you’ll usually pay between $1-$10 for a sample vial. For example, Sauvage by Dior and Her by Burberry cost around $4-$5 for a sample vial.

MicroPerfume’s prices increase when you buy a larger sample or travel-sized fragrance. Using Sauvage and Her as examples again, they’re both around $9-$10 for a sample-sized atomizer (slightly larger than the vial) and $17-$18 for the travel-sized spray.

You may be tempted to buy the sample vials since they’re so cheap, but I would only do this if you want to try a sample but can’t find a free one anywhere else.

If you simply want to use a high-end fragrance at a low price, I would buy one of the 5 ml travel sprays. MicroPerfumes promotes this as the best deal, and I agree.

For example, I purchased a set of 6 ml Elizabeth and James fragrances from Sephora. They were on sale since the brand was discontinued, so I must have purchased them in 2018. I’m writing this guide in 2023 now, and I still have those fragrances.

With designer scents, you only need to use a little bit. I use sample sizes within one year, usually within a few months if they’re tiny. So you get a better deal when you spend $10-$15 more.

Plus, MicroPerfumes offers additional sales and discounts. On their website now, they’re hosting a Valentine’s Day special. You receive 25% off your order, and shipping is free if you’re buying $35 worth of fragrances.

Bottom line: MicroPerfumes sells some sample vials for 99 cents, though most are around $5. I suggest you buy a travel spray, which is significantly larger than the vial, costs $10-$15 more, and the 5 ml spray will likely last you years.

You can save even more money by buying MicroPerfumes products when they’re having a big sale. You can also get free shipping.

Customer Service

I never had to contact MicroPerfumes’ customer service. If you need to contact them, you can contact MicroPerfumes contact MicroPerfumes via email or their contact form. They also have an FAQ page where they answer simple questions, and they host an educational fragrance blog.

This is where MicroPerfumes loses, in my opinion. Most of their competitors, including Scentbird, offer at least live chat as an additional option. I hope MicroPerfumes expands its support in the future.

Bottom line: MicroPerfumes only offers an email/contact form as the only customer contact information. You can also gain insight from their contact form and blog. I wish MicroPerfumes offered more contact methods–even a live chat would suffice.

Shipping

microperfumes shipping info

MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes sent me fragrance samples for this review, and they never sent me shipping information. I have been told they will send you a shipping confirmation email and a tracking number if you order from the website.

Shipping was pretty quick. As I said, I’m unsure exactly when they sent the package. They also delivered to my PO box, which I don’t check daily, so I have no idea when I received it. My guess is I received my fragrances in one or two weeks.

MicroPerfumes sends their packages out of their California headquarters, and I live in Florida. On MicroPerfumes websiteMicroPerfumes’ website, they say standard domestic shipping takes between two and eight business days, which falls within the range that I expected.

You can qualify for free shipping if you spend a certain amount or have a coupon. Their website says you must spend $35 to qualify for free shipping, but they’re also holding a Valentine’s Day special now, so this will likely change once the promotion ends.

MicroPerfumes ships worldwide. Your package may take up to 15 business days to arrive, though this depends on the country you live in. Shipping rates and taxes also vary by country. You can qualify for free shipping if you spend $100.

Bottom line: MicroPerfumes offers domestic shipping within the USA and international shipping. They didn’t provide me with shipping information, but that’s because I received those items for review. My items arrived fairly quickly, and MicroPerfumes delivered to my PO box.

You can receive free domestic shipping, though minimum cost requirements vary. They also offer international shipping, but your items may take 15 business days to deliver. You may also have to pay applicable taxes. You can qualify for free shipping if you spend $100.

Returns

MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes also has a stringent return policy. They only accept returns for full-size products, but they have to be unopened and in original packaging.

You must return the item within 30 days and include the order number, and you won’t be refunded for any shipping or gift-wrapping costs. The only exception is if there were any errors on their part.

MicroPerfumes doesn’t accept returns for sample-sized fragrances, meaning any atomizer or vial 5 ml or smaller. This is upsetting. Even though these fragrances aren’t big, some 5 ml travel-sized sprays cost around $30-$35. If you purchase one of these sprays to try the fragrance or purchased it as a gift, that’s money wasted.

Bottom line: Even though you can return full-size items, I don’t like how MicroPerfumes doesn’t allow returns for their sample or travel-sized items. Customers still spend money to try the fragrance or buy them as gifts, so that’s still money wasted.

Alternatives

Did you read this guide and realize neither Scentbird nor MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes is right for you? Here are a few alternatives that I recommend.

Scentbox

Scentbox

Scentbox is my main alternative recommendation to Scentbird. Scentbox is also a monthly subscription where you receive designer fragrances at your doorstep. You can choose one or two monthly fragrances, and you can either add fragrances to your calendar or have Scentbox choose a perfume for you.

Scentbox offers 850 fragrance options, and there’s a subscription for men’s and women’s scents. There are three subscription tiers, and Scentbox divides its fragrances into three categories: designer, premium designer, and platinum designer.

They’re having a sale now, and the first box is as low as $9.72/month (the usual price is $16/95/month). I wish they explain the difference between the tiers and what qualifies a brand as a designer versus a premium designer.

Like Scentbird, Scentbox offers free shipping across the entire USA, and you can exchange any fragrance you don’t like for free. Scentbox also ships to more countries than Scentbird; they also ship to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, and Singapore. I can’t find anything about international shipping costs on their website, so I suggest contacting them and asking.

If you’re unhappy with your Scentbox subscription, you can cancel anytime.

Scent Trunk

Scent Trunk

If you wish Scentbird and MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes offered more indie fragrances, I suggest looking up Scent Trunk. Scent Trunk is a niche fragrance brand that creates its own fragrances.

You can shop Scent Trunk’s unique array of scents, and you can even create your own. They also host unique collections and limited-edition releases. They have a massive community of perfumers who create original scents you won’t find anywhere else.

There are some downsides to this brand. Their travel-size sprays average $20, and full-size fragrances are $65-$155, which is pretty expensive for a niche brand.

I buy from indie fragrance brands all the time, and their full-size bottles (averaging 50-55 ml) are around $20-$30. I also suggest considering their discovery palettes, which include various vial-sized fragrances. These palettes are around $20-$25 on average.

Like Scentbird, they offer a monthly subscription option. With their original subscription, you receive a fragrance sample based on a theme. The subscription costs $18/month.

They also have themed subscriptions: Botanical Machinist (mixing nature with technology, costs $15/month) and Supernatural Future ($18/month). I wish you could choose your fragrances, which is the only downside to this membership.

Skylar Scent Club

Skylar Scent Club

Skylar Scent Club is another niche brand. While their prices are still expensive, they also offer many perks. Their membership, Skylar Scent Club, costs $20/month, and you receive a rollerball every month.

You can customize your subscription and choose which fragrances you want to receive. You’ll also receive free shipping, and you can return any of your fragrances within 30 days of receiving your box.

What I also like about Skylar Scent Club they offer more than just a monthly box. You can purchase any product in their inventory and receive an extra 20% off. They also sell candles in addition to fragrances.

I also love Skylar Beauty’s ethics. They donate a portion of their proceeds, they’re clean, every fragrance is hypoallergenic, and are cruelty-free. Skylar Beauty is also a small, independent, and woman-owned business.

FAQs

Question: Do MicroPerfumes and Scentbird Sell Authentic Fragrances?

Answer: Yes, they both do. They only buy from the brands or authorized vendors. They also never carry knock-offs, fakes, or imitations.

Question: Can I Get More than One Perfume from Scentbird Every Month?

Answer: Yes, you can! You can get two fragrances for $25/month and three for $35/month.

Question: Can I Carry the 5 ml Travel-Sized Sprays on an Airplane?

Answer: Yes–at least in the USA, the TSA allows liquid perfume in an atomizer up to 500 ml on a carry-on.

Bottom Line

If you want to shop for affordable designer fragrances, I suggest choosing MicroPerfumesMicroPerfumes. MicroPerfumes is a third-party retailer that sells sample and travel-sized versions of designer perfumes.

These smaller perfumes are available at lower prices, and you can get designer perfumes for as low as 99 cents. MicroPerfumes also offers other perks, such as free shipping and additional discounts. Their shipping is pretty fast, and MicroPerfumes can ship internationally.

If you prefer a subscription, I suggest Scentbird or any recommended alternatives. I wish both companies offered better customer service and returns. If these are concerns for you, I definitely suggest taking a look at the alternatives.

Year End Flash Sale!
Perfume Gift Sets | MicroPerfumes

Fastest-Growing Beauty Brand. Try multiple scents before shelling out for full-size products. Take 30% OFF All Travel Sprays using code: FLASH.

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

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top