Getting into niche and luxury perfumery can be a real learning curve. With fragrances often sitting at a higher price point, it can feel risky to spend money on something new, especially if you’re still figuring out which scent profiles you enjoy.
In this post, I’ll share where I buy niche fragrances in the UK, along with practical tips on how to try before you buy. The aim is to help you make more confident purchases, avoid costly mistakes, and save a few pounds along the way.
Authorised UK Retailers for Niche Fragrance
Buying from an authorised retailer guarantees the fragrance is authentic. This matters because counterfeit perfumes can smell noticeably different and may be made with untested ingredients. Buying authentic also means the product meets the brand’s quality and safety standards.
Here are some places, both online and in store, that I buy perfume from. These places often sell products at their recommended retail price, although many have frequent or seasonal sales where you can get 15-20% off.
I’ve also shared some referral codes where I have them so you can get some money off. Some of these links are affiliated which means I earn a small % of commission for every purchase through a link, but this is of no extra expense to you.
All of these retailers have options to create an account with them, which I’d recommend you do. It means that each time you make a purchase you collect points which can be converted into money-off vouchers.
Cult Beauty
Best for: large range of niche fragrances with regular discounts
Cult Beauty offers a large range of fragrances, from designer to niche. I think it’s a great website when you already have an idea of what you want as it operates online only, so there’s no opportunity for you to sample fragrances in person.
Cult Beauty stocks brands such as:
- Le Labo
- Creed
- Fugazzi
- Byredo
Look Fantastic
Best for: dipping your toes into the niche world on a budget
Look Fantastic is similar to Cult Beauty and operates in the online space. I think that both Look Fantastic and Cult Beauty host sales more frequently than other retailers on this list.
Look Fantastic stocks some slightly different brands to Cult Beauty and I’d say it leans slightly more designer. However, they do offer some niche brands too.
Niche brands offered by Look Fantastic include:
- Floral Street
- Juliette Has a Gun
- Jo Malone
A recent example of a perfume I bought from Look Fantastic is Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir, which you can read my review of here.
Fenwick
Best for: stacking points with general purchases to spend on fragrance
Fenwick operates online and physical stores so you can go and test a perfume if you have a Fenwick near you.
Brands stocked by Fenwick include:
- Nishane
- Maison Francis Kurkdjian
- Parfums de Marly
- Amouage
You can open an account with Fenwick and accumulate points as you shop which can be turned into money off vouchers. As this is a generalist department store, you might find it easy to stack points if you wanted to use the brand for more general shopping too.
You can shop for fragrances on Fenwick here.
John Lewis
Best for: great customer service and luxe experience
John Lewis is such a classic British brand associated with trustworthiness and quality. As it operates online and as a physical department store, you can test their fragrances in their stunning beauty sections before you buy.
Brands stocked at John Lewis include:
- Frederic Malle
- Kilian Paris
- Maison Crivelli
- Escentric Molecules
While fragrances aren’t often on offer at John Lewis, the company offers a fantastic customer experience. You can shop fragrances at John Lewis here.
Liberty
Best for: niche brands you won’t find anywhere else
I feel like Liberty offers some quite quirky brands that are hard to get a hold of anywhere else. It has an online presence and one retail store on Regent Street in London, which I highly recommend visiting if not just for the experience.
Some brands that Liberty stock include:
- Ex Nihilo
- Matiere Premiere
- Perfumer H
- Reservation Parfums
You can shop fragrances at Liberty here. They really do have the most unique selection of fragrance houses from any brand I’ve listed here.
SpaceNK
Best for: accessibility to niche fragrances as plenty of stores to test them
I love SpaceNK and they seem to have quite a few stores around the UK so it’s a great place to consider buying from if you want to explore the niche perfume market.
Some brands stocked at SpaceNK include:
- Diptyque
- Phlur
- Dedcool
- Penhaligon’s
Note that the the perfume brands available from each company I’ve listed isn’t exhaustive. Most of them overlap with what they offer, so I recommend shopping around to find the best price, as a perfume might be on offer on one website and not another.
For all the websites / companies I’ve mentioned, you can get a discount on your first order by either creating an account with them or signing up to their newsletters. You can also purchase products from these brands through TopCashBack, which will give you a percentage of the money back.
If you’d like more information on budgeting for fragrances, you can read my post on how to get the best possible perfume deals here.
Grey market websites I trust for fragrance
Grey market websites are not authorised retailers. The products are typically excess stock or imported across borders and sold at significant discounts.
These products can be older stock and are typically sold online only, which helps retailers keep prices lower.
AllBeauty
I use AllBeauty a lot and it has a huge range of fragrances at great prices. It’s not uncommon to see niche fragrances on sale for over 50% off the recommended retail price on there.
Every order I’ve received from AllBeauty has been shipped efficiently and they’ve all been genuine products.
Some brands you can find on AllBeauty include:
- Xerjoff
- Mancera Paris
- Serge Lutens
- BDK
- Miller Harris
Notino
I don’t use Notino as often but it has a solid reputation within the fragrance community.
Niche brands on offer through Notino include:
- Nasomatto
- Etat Libre d’Orange
- Memo Paris
- Initio Parfums Prive
Both Notino and AllBeauty are online only, so you will need to have a good idea of what you enjoy before purchasing.
You can browse latest niche perfumes and buy from Notino here.
The best places to buy samples
If you’re not quite sure what you enjoy in a perfume yet, and you don’t live anywhere near a department store to test them, consider ordering a few samples online.
I use the below websites to order samples to test anything I’m unsure of before buying. I’ve found them to be authentic and deliver promptly – and they also have spray bottles instead of dabbers.
Perfumista
Perfumista offers free delivery on orders over £20. Samples come in glass spray bottles that are clearly labelled. The website offers a mixture of Designer and Niche fragrances, and brands include:
- Xerjoff
- Penhaligon’s
- Le Labo
- Frederic Malle
You can browse samples from Perfumista here.
Fragrance Samples UK
I find Fragrance Samples UK to be on average slightly cheaper than Perfumista when comparing like-for-like samples. However, the experience is slightly less luxe as the samples come in plastic vials instead of glass.
Both Fragrance Samples UK and Perfumista offer some slightly different brands so you might have to check both if you’re after something in particular. Fragrance Samples UK offers:
- Akro
- Amouage
- BDK
- Memo Paris
Again, I think samples are a good starting place if you’re unfamiliar with niche brands or scent profiles. You can shop at Fragrance Samples UK here.
Buying niche fragrance doesn’t have to feel intimidating or expensive. Whether you choose to shop through authorised retailers, explore grey market sites, or start with samples, the most important thing is taking your time and buying with confidence.
If you’re new to niche perfumery, I’d always recommend sampling first and keeping notes on what you enjoy. Over time, patterns start to emerge such as certain notes, houses, or styles you naturally gravitate towards which makes future purchases much easier and more satisfying.
If you’d like to save money while building your collection, I’ve also shared a more detailed guide on how I budget for fragrance and find the best possible deals, which you can read here.
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