How Many Perfumes Should You Have? – The Perfect Collection


Owning a perfume has become a staple in anyone’s wardrobe. And luckily, with so many out there, it isn’t difficult to find the right ones for you. But how many perfumes should you actually have>

In general, you should own at least two perfumes. One single perfume can’t cover every single setting and occasion, whereas two or more can. Go with one for the warmer seasons and one for the colder seasons. From here, you can expand your collection with these two perfumes as the foundation.

Although two perfumes are generally recommended, you can get away with just one. Still, multiple is definitely the best way to go. In this article, we’ll cover just how many perfumes you should have so you’ll always have an appropriate perfume, regardless of the occasion!

How Many Perfumes Should You Have?

In general, you should own at least 2 perfumes. With 2 perfumes, you can have a cold-weather and warm-weather perfume, ensuring you have a fitting fragrance all year long. More perfumes are recommended, especially if you want to be able to switch things up.

Depending on who you ask, the question of how many fragrances you should have will be answered differently. People who aren’t really into fragrances will probably tell you that just one is enough. However, when you ask someone who likes fragrances the same question, chances are they’ll recommend you own two or more. And if you ask a fragrance enthusiast or collector, chances are they’ll tell you to own 10+ different fragrances.

Generally, though, owning at least two fragrances is recommended. Just one fragrance can be fine, but it’s quite difficult to find a single perfume that works well in every situation. Warm weather requires a different type of scent when compared to cold weather, and a fragrance that’s great for dates or nights out is probably not one that works well in the office.

Still, you can get away with owning just one perfume. Below, we’ll explain what types of fragrances you should go with depending on how large of a collection you want to have!

Owning One Perfume

As mentioned before, it is recommended to own more than one perfume, but if you want to keep it simple and stick to just one, here is how you should go about it.

Try to pick a fragrance that has a generally appreciated and safe scent. You want something you can wear no matter the season or occasion; you want a signature scent.

To find this fragrance, keep in mind that you want to be able to wear it during both the warmer and colder seasons. Don’t go with something overly sweet, but neither go with something overly fresh. Find a solid middle ground; maybe a floral-based perfume or a perfume based on green or woody notes.

Owning Two Perfumes

Owning two perfumes is what I consider to be the foundation. Where owning one perfume kind of takes away a lot of the options, as you need one that works well in every season, that isn’t the case with a 2-perfume collection.

When you own two perfumes, go with a warm-weather fragrance and a cold-weather fragrance. Unlike when you own just one fragrance, now you can go with one perfume focused on sweet notes and one extremely fresh perfume. You’re immediately able to switch things up, not only making your scent repertoire smell more interesting but also allows you to smell appropriate to the seasons.

Ideally, you go with one fragrance that’s focused on sweet notes, such as vanilla or cinnamon, and one fragrance that’s focused on fresher notes, such as lemon, bergamot, or even rose.

Owning Three Perfumes

When you start scaling your collection to three perfumes, I’d recommend you go with one warm-weather fragrance, one cold-weather fragrance, and one that’s sitting in between.

This way, you have an appropriate fragrance for each season, but you also have to switch things up. Instead of wearing the same perfume all summer long, you have another option to keep things fresh and interesting!

Owning Four Perfumes

With four perfumes, you can really start to build an interesting collection. This is where you can explore different options; maybe go with two warm-weather fragrances and two cold-weather fragrances, or maybe you go with one warm-weather fragrance, one cold-weather fragrance, and two fragrances that are more suited towards certain settings.

You can pick up a perfume that’s appropriate for the office and one that’s great for nights out, for example. The choice is up to you; with four perfumes you get a lot of freedom in your choices!

Owning Five+ Perfumes

When it comes to owning five or more perfumes, you can really play around however you like. I would still recommend the foundation of a warm-weather and cold-weather perfume, and in addition, you should have one that works well all year round.

But aside from those three, you can get whichever ones you like. You can get an office-appropriate perfume, one for nights out, one for dates, and maybe even one for festive settings such as weddings.

What you can also do is purchase more warm-weather and cold-weather perfumes. This way, you can switch things up every season, allowing you to keep things interesting. The options are open here, and there really is no going wrong. Get those perfumes you like!

How Many Perfumes Is Too Many?

More than 100 perfumes are probably too many to own. On average, we use three bottles of perfume per two years. Depending on how old you are, you can calculate how many perfumes will be too many. If you own 100 perfumes at age 60, chances are you won’t be able to use them all.

This is a big ‘it depends’ question. If you have an unlimited pot of money, you really can’t own too many fragrances, especially if it’s your hobby. But most of us don’t have an unlimited pot of money, and fragrances should not ruin your financial situation. You really have to judge this for yourself; does it make sense to purchase another perfume according to your financial situation?

There’s also the case that you can only use a certain amount of perfumes. The average 100ml bottle contains 1000 sprays. Going with an average of 3-4 sprays per day, a single bottle of perfume lasts you 250-333 days. This comes down to about three bottles per 2 years.

If you own 120 fragrances, you’ve got enough for about 80 years!!!

Lastly, fragrances can also expire, so if you own too many and can’t use them all, chances are your precious perfume will go bad and smell off.

Should I Have More Than One Perfume?

Owning more than one perfume is recommended, but not a necessity. However, with just one perfume, you are limiting your choices of perfume, as you need one that does well in every setting. A sweet and seductive scent doesn’t go well in the office, and a fresh and soft scent doesn’t go well with a crowded club, for example.

As mentioned before, owning more than one perfume is definitely the way to go. Although not a necessity, it’s definitely recommended to own more than one, just so you’re able to switch things up!

How Many Fragrances Should A Minimalist Own?

As a minimalist, you can get away with owning one or even zero fragrances. Depending on how minimalistic you want to go, you can go for up to one fragrance. Make sure that this fragrance is a solid crowd-pleaser that does well in all settings.

Not everyone wants to own multiple fragrances, and for the minimalists among us, there’s nothing wrong with owning just one or even no fragrances. You don’t necessarily NEED a fragrance (although it’s definitely recommended), so if you want to go truly minimalistic, keep it at zero.

If you do want a fragrance, though, you can easily stick to just one. Make sure that this fragrance is an easy-going one that works well in all settings. If you have just one, you need this one to work in all seasons and settings, so go with something safe and easy.

Should You Wear The Same Fragrance Every Day?

You can definitely wear the same fragrance every day. The only downside to this is that after some time, it can become a little boring to wear the same one every single day.

Wearing the same fragrance every day is perfectly fine. In fact, this is the way most people do it. However, when you always wear the same fragrance, it can become a little stale for both yourself and the people close to you.

When you own multiple fragrances, however, you can switch things up. But keep in mind that you can easily get away with wearing the same fragrance every day. Nothing wrong with smelling great!

Jasper Pieterse

Hi, my name is Jasper and I've been a long time fragrance fan. Ever since 2014, I started to get a huge interest in fragrances and I've had my nose on countless of different fragrances. I'm excited to share my experiences!

Recent Posts