You smell something lovely on someone, or read about a perfume whose notes sound just like you, and then the question arrives: what if we buy the whole bottle and it turns out not to be ours? That is exactly where a decant comes in.
In this guide we’ll explain what a decant is, how we prepare one at Bloom Store, how to choose the right size without the guesswork, and how to look after it so it stays lovely until the last spray.
What’s a decant?
A decant is a small amount of an original perfume, filled from the original bottle itself into a small bottle labelled with the perfume’s name.
So it isn’t a “smells like” or an “inspired by”. It is the very same perfume: the same scent, the same quality. The only difference is the size.
That matters more than it sounds, because a perfume can’t be judged from the first spray. A scent changes on the skin over time: the top notes you smell in the first minutes are different from the heart that comes through next, and different again from the base that stays with you at the end of the day. The same scent can also smell a little different from one skin to another.
The best way to get to know a perfume is to live with it for a few days, on your skin and your clothes. That’s exactly what a decant gives you.
How we prepare it
- From the original bottle: we fill your decant from the original perfume bottle itself, in the size you chose.
- Into a small bottle: the perfume goes into a small bottle that’s easy to carry in your bag.
- Labelled by name: so you know each scent at a glance, even when you have several decants together.
- Wrapped and delivered: your order is packed and wrapped by hand, with care and love, and shipped to any governorate in Egypt.
As we always say: every perfume we sell is 100% original, and decants are part of that same promise.
The sizes we offer
Most of our perfumes come as decants from 5 to 50 ml: that’s 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 50 ml.
The Ibraq scents we sell as decants, such as Black Carbon Diamond and Balas Rose, come from 3 to 30 ml. So there’s a 3 ml size too, for anyone who’d like to meet the scent on their own skin before deciding.
The sizes available for each perfume are listed on its page; boxes and sets are sold as they are.
| Size | Good for | Roughly how many sprays |
|---|---|---|
| 3 ml (Ibraq scents) | Trying the scent on your skin a few times | about 30 to 45 |
| 5 ml | A first introduction, worn over several days | about 50 to 75 |
| 10 ml | A longer try, and a handy size for your bag or travel | about 100 to 150 |
| 15 ml | When you know you like it and want to live with it for a while | about 150 to 225 |
| 20 ml | Comfortable everyday wear without a full bottle | about 200 to 300 |
| 30 ml | When you really love it and want it around for a long time | about 300 to 450 |
| 50 ml | Our largest decant, for true fans of the scent | about 500 to 750 |
The spray counts are a very rough guide: we’ve assumed one millilitre gives roughly 10 to 15 sprays, which depends on the atomiser itself and how firmly you press. Treat them as a way to picture the size, not a promise.
How to choose a size
Trying a scent for the first time
Start with 5 ml, or 3 ml if it’s an Ibraq scent. That’s enough to wear it on different kinds of days: a work day, an evening out, a hot day and a cooler one. If after a few days you find yourselves reaching for it, that’s a good sign. Torn between two scents? Take 5 ml of both rather than 10 ml of one.
A small tip: don’t judge a scent in its first minute. Give it a while for the heart and base to come through. Sometimes the scent you weren’t sure about at first is the one you love an hour later.
For everyday wear
If you already know and love the scent, 20 or 30 ml is a comfortable size. With a few sprays a day, a decant like this will likely last you several weeks or a few months, depending on how you wear it.
For your bag and for travel
10 or 15 ml is light enough to carry in your bag and top up your scent later in the day. And when you travel, instead of packing a big, heavy bottle, take a decant of the scent you love.
As a gift
A few decants of different scents, 5 or 10 ml each, make a lovely gift for someone who likes to explore, especially if you don’t know their taste exactly. We also have ready-made boxes such as Ibraq’s Diamond Collection, with six 10 ml bottles from the Diamond line. More ideas in our gift guide.
When you really love it
50 ml is our largest decant. If you’d like more than that, many of our perfumes also come as a full bottle, like Assaf’s Arrogate Pink. Just ask us.
That’s the journey a decant is made for: from a small bottle where you get to know a scent, to a full bottle that becomes your scent.
How to look after your decant
Perfume, whether in a big bottle or a small decant, is affected by heat, light and air. A few simple habits make a difference:
- Away from sun and heat: don’t leave it on a windowsill or in the car, especially in an Egyptian summer.
- Not in the bathroom: the constant changes in heat and humidity don’t do perfume any favours. A quiet cupboard or drawer is better.
- Close it properly after every use: so air doesn’t get in.
- Keep it upright: especially in your bag, so it doesn’t leak.
- In a small pouch or box: when you carry it with you, to keep it away from light and knocks.
To get the most out of every spray, read how to make your perfume last longer.
Little questions we hear a lot
- Does a decant smell the same as the big bottle? Yes, because it’s filled from the original bottle itself. Same scent, same quality.
- Is every perfume available as a decant? Most are. You’ll find the sizes on each perfume’s page; boxes and sets are sold as they are.
- Not sure which scent to start with? Answer three quick questions in Find your scent, or read scent families to see whether you lean floral, amber, musk or woody. Then pick a decant from all decants.
- Another question? You may find the answer in our FAQ.
And if you’re still torn between two sizes or two scents, message us on WhatsApp and we’ll choose together, at your own pace.
