Christmas stocking filler perfumes can cost 3 times more

Perfume is a fail-safe gift that will be appearing under countless Christmas trees on December 25th, but at an expensive time of year you might be tempted to opt for smaller bottles to save money. 

However new research has revealed that smaller ‘stocking filler’ bottles often don’t offer the best value for money, costing up to 344 per cent per 100ml or over three times more than the larger version of the same fragrance. 

Fashion discovery website Style Compare has analysed the prices of more than 100 top-selling fragrances from Boots.com, Superdrug and theperfumeshop.com and found that ‘stocking filler sizes’ are significantly more expensive when the price per 100ml is taken into account. 

For example, a 50ml bottle of Versace Yellow Diamond perfume costs £55 while a large 200ml bottle actually costs less from The Perfume Shop at £49.99, making the smaller bottle £86.50 or 344 per cent more expensive per 100ml.   

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette was also one of the worst offenders, costing £104 or 144 per cent more per 100ml if you opt for the 25ml bottle over the 100ml size. 

Their study found that on average, smaller bottles of perfume are 70 per cent more expensive per 100ml than the standard bottle of the same product.

Style Compare’s experts compared like-for-like products and discounted anything that was part of a promotion or gift set. 

A spokesperson for Style Compare said: Small bottles of perfume can make a great stocking filler and because of the lower retail price, it can seem like an affordable option as a last-minute gift.

‘But we’re warning consumers as they shop for perfume in the run up to Christmas to always check the packaging for the cost per 100ml and not rely just on the price of the product.’

The price discrepancy was particularly apparent for cheaper brands, while it was much less for high end brands such as Tom Ford, Guerlain and Chanel.

D&G Light Blue costs £104 more per 100ml if you opt for a smaller bottle, while the designer’s The One perfume is £112 more per 100ml 

Acqua di Gioia is more than 100 per cent more expensive per 100ml if you buy a smaller bottle. Hugo Boss BOSS Femme is actually more costly for a smaller 30ml bottle

Hollister’s Wave 2 perfume works out at better value if you buy a 100ml bottle of perfume for £39