How to Decant Perfume

This post contains affiliate links.

How does one go about getting a decent sized portion of juice out of a perfume bottle that is permanently fitted (crimped) with an atomiser? (Thank you Serge Lutens for finding a way to accommodate the spritzers and the decanters in this fragrance community by supplying removable screw-on atomiser fittings!).

I was recently asked to share how I decant perfume for the purpose of travelling and sharing samples with friends. Whilst most methods tend to require atomising (spraying the perfume into a separate vial), my favourite methods involve minimising the act of atomising as much as possible – primarily to preserve the state of the perfume. The non-atomising approach involves using a syringe to extract the perfume and decanting it into a separate vial. There is also an in-between approach where the perfume is sprayed but atomisation is kept to a minimum using a small tube attachment. This method also helps to minimise mess and spillage.

Why Would You Want to Decant?

There are several reasons why you might want to decant perfume.

For me, FOMO was a primary driver to learn how to decant. I am extremely indecisive, and though I am attempting to minimise my possessions and learn to live with less, when it comes to perfume I like to have options. In particular, when I travel, the thought of not having a range of different fragrances to choose from kind of stresses me out a bit (its also the reason why I have still not mastered the art of travelling “light”). So, being able to decant smaller volumes of several perfumes to take with me when I travel was important.

Also, when I started to become more involved in the fragrance community, I discovered that others would very generously share samples of fragrances I was interested in, but didn’t have the opportunity to sample. Other times, I was happy to simply purchase small decants of perfumes I knew I wanted to wear a little bit but which I knew I would never need a full bottle of. Being able to share small samples and decants was a way to share the love in the community.

There have also been times when a few of us wanted larger volumes of a perfume but could not afford a full bottle (if the fragrance in question was very expensive) and/or we just didn’t want 100ml. In this scenario it is useful to be able to split bottles into large decants and share the cost.

Basic Equipment You Will Need

Before you begin any of the decanting methods you will of course, as a minimum, require a sealable vessel to which you can transfer the decant. These can be anything from small sample atomisers, roller ball vials and drams through to larger perfume bottles. They are generally readily accessible and can be purchased from Amazon, eBay as well as cosmetic suppliers (in Australia a popular and reputable site is https://www.newdirections.com.au/).

Regarding the sample atomisers I like to use 3ml, it’s a good size if you want to give someone a bit extra, but you don’t have to fill it up if the juice is precious and you just want to give them enough to know what it smells like. This prevents me from having to keep and store a large range of sizes. To keep costs down I generally use plastic sample atomisers, but if I am doing up a larger decant (5ml+) I will tend to use glass to help preserve the perfume a little better. It is also worth noting that I try to source glass vials that block UV light as well. Although, if someone is actually buying the decant off me, I will generally give them the option for clear glass as some people like to be able to see the volume that it has been filled to.

It’s not critical but it is also a good idea to have some plumbing/teflon tape handy as well, to help seal the vial and preventing any leaks. Especially if you are using vials with threaded lids.

Finally, I like to use a simple label maker to label the vials. It is more legible than my handwriting and it is more likely to survive if there are any leaks, whereas a sharpie pen will simply disappear due to the alcohol and oils in the perfume. **Hint** the plastic labels stay on better than the paper ones which are stiff and tend to peel up more readily.

The Decant Methods

1. Just Spritz it In!

Yeah this one is a little obvious but…it truly is my first go-to solution for decanting perfume especially if I am only decanting a small sample. It can be messy but if I am only doing one or two samples then really, I don’t see much point in using up other gear just for the sake of a couple of ml. Hold the nozzle of the atomiser right up to the mouth of the vial and spray the perfume directly in. Job done!

2. Use a funnel to decant perfume with less mess

Another easy go-to method to decant perfume is to simply use a funnel.

Preferably the funnel is metal or glass, sadly at the time I was looking for little funnels I was not able to find metal or glass ones, but my plastic ones are doing ok, and they haven’t started to get contaminated yet. The thing with plastic is that it absorbs aroma chemicals over time, which can then potentially contaminate your samples. So, when using plastic things, make sure you only use them for the same perfume, or always clean them thoroughly immediately after use (don’t wait for the perfume remnants to dry!). Usually rinse liberally with water and then go in with some isopropyl alcohol.
So the funnel is handy, its also fairly straight forward and easy. However it can still be messy, the perfume can still drip, or mist or splash back off the conical sides – and sometimes this is unavoidable depending on the atomiser of the perfume bottle.

3. Use a syringe

You can also use a syringe to decant perfume.

First of all, I don’t recommend trying to insert a needle down the atomiser tube of the perfume bottle, that can damage the atomiser. The idea with the syringe is to fit the mouth of the syringe to the atomiser tube of the perfume bottle, and then withdraw the perfume using the syringe. You will almost always need to widen the aperture of the syringe in order to be able to get it to fit over the tube, I usually use a prong of a fork to do this but I am sure there are much better tools and methods! Generally you will need to push down on the atomiser tube as though you were spritzing the perfume as normal but it can be fiddly and the technique of pulling up the plunger as you press down on the atomiser tube can be tricky.

You can also place the syringe over the atomiser tube and simply pump down on the atomiser tube using the same action as though you were spraying (i.e. dont touch the plunger).

Depending on the atomiser mechanism I have found success levels vary from perfume bottle to perfume bottle when using the syringe method.

The syringe method is probably the best for accuracy as you can measure the exact amount you are taking.

4. Use the tube dispenser thingy

I found these little atomiser dispensers on Amazon a couple of months ago. They are basically an atomiser head with a small tube attachment to easily direct the perfume into the vial rather than creating a fine mist.

They make the job a LOT easier and they minimise potential oxidation because the perfume is not “misted”. However, I am conscious that they are plastic, they are more difficult to clean and therefore my ability to reuse them again and again will be limited.

Therefore, whilst these do life immensely easier when I decant perfume, I try to reserve my use of these for only when I am preparing large batches of samples to share with people and/or bigger decants.

Removing Rollerballs to Decant Perfume

Removing rollerballs in order to be able to decant perfume from a rollerball bottle is super easy. Simply take the lid off, then place it back over the rollerball without screwing it on.

Gently apply pressure at an angle to the top of the rollerball fitting, and the entire mechanism should start to slide out.

The rollerballs are generally fitted into a plastic or rubber casing so they are fairly easy to remove. You can then use a pipette to decant a portion of the perfume from the bottle to the vial, or use a funnel to pour it into the sample vial.

A word of warning: Just be careful not to apply too much force, otherwise you risk snapping the neck of the glass vial that the rollerball is fitted to, and you could cut yourself.

What techniques do you use to decant perfumes?