Testers Explained
The Same Fragrance, Simpler Packaging
A tester is the same fragrance you would buy in retail packaging, made by the same house, filled from the same production run. The only real difference is the box it arrives in.
What a tester actually is
Fragrance houses produce testers for their own retail partners, so that a counter has something to spray when a customer asks to try a scent. They are manufactured to exactly the same specification as the retail version and filled with exactly the same juice. What they skip is the presentation, because a bottle that lives behind a counter does not need a decorated box or a display cap.
Every tester we sell is brand new and unused. It has not been sprayed, opened, or handled by customers. The bottle inside is sealed and full.
Identical
- The fragrance itself, with no reformulation or dilution
- The bottle, the atomiser and the volume
- The batch code, printed by the manufacturer
- Brand new and unused condition
Different
- Plain white or brown card box rather than the retail box
- Often marked with wording such as "tester" or "not for sale"
- Sometimes supplied without the decorative cap
- A lower price than the retail equivalent
Why they cost less
You are not paying for packaging you were going to throw away. Retail boxes are printed, coated, foiled and designed to look good under shop lighting, and that cost is built into the price of every bottle. Strip it out and the same fragrance simply costs less.
Nothing else has been reduced. The volume is the same, the concentration is the same, and the scent is the same one you would find in a department store.
Who they suit
Testers are ideal if you are buying for yourself and care about what is in the bottle rather than what is around it. They are excellent for a fragrance you already know you wear, for topping up a favourite, or for trying something new without paying full retail to find out.
They are a poor choice for gifting. If the bottle is going to be wrapped and handed to someone, buy the retail version, because a plain card box marked "tester" is not what anyone wants to unwrap.
All testers are final sale
Because of how they are supplied and priced, testers cannot be returned or exchanged. Please make sure you know the fragrance before you buy, or come into one of our stores and try it first. Everything else in our range is covered by our standard Refund Policy.
Try it before you commit
If you are unsure about a fragrance, our stores are the easiest way to settle it. You can test anything on the shelf, take your time with it, and ask our staff whatever you like. Once you know the scent is right, a tester is simply the sensible way to buy it.
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