Since the beginning of civilization, man has always
considered scent as an important indicator of the quality and wellbeing of the
things around him. Scent is used to determine if food is already spoiled and if
a fruit or vegetable is ready to be eaten.
But scent can also reflect an individual’s personal hygiene
practices. People who have bad odor are perceived by society as dirty and in
some cases even disgusting. That’s why a lot of people are so keen on how they
smell, especially in public.
Perfume is the most obvious way to achieve a pleasant scent
without doing much effort. But since perfume is derived from essential oils
which are very hard to produce, not everyone can afford to buy it. But don’t
despair; there are alternatives that we can try to still smell good without
spending too much. Here are some of them.
Over the Counter
Colognes and Sprays. These kinds of scents are the easiest to find since
they can be bought from drug stores and supermarkets. They usually come in
plastic bottles and are marketed as scents for everyday use.
The scents of these products are quite short-lived; lasting
only for about a few minutes to a couple of hours after application an
implication of its very affordable price. So unless you want a longer lasting
way to smell good, you might want to try something else.
Boutique Made
Perfume. Nowadays, boutiques also offer perfumes to their customers.
Fashion labels like Bench, Folded and Hung and Penshoppe are some brands that
offer their own line of perfumes and colognes.
Perfumes bought from these stores are usually more potent
compared to over the counter products. After application, their scent can last
up to a few hours depending on the brand and the product.
And unlike over the counter perfumes, those that are
distributed by boutiques can target multiple consumer groups. Packaging for
example is better. They are more presentable as some of them come in fancy
glass bottles with atomizers.
Perfume Bars. Perfume
bars are also gaining popularity among thrift shoppers. They are very
accessible mostly found on popular shopping malls and offer scents inspired by
branded perfumes like Lacoste, Dolce &
Gabbana, Ralph Lauren and Armani.
They also have a higher concentration of essential oils
compared to over the counter products. They also usually give rewards to
returning customers and offer customers an option to refill their perfume
bottles at a discounted price.
Class A Alternatives.
Class A perfumes otherwise known (at least locally) as Singapore perfumes are basically
toned down version of branded original perfumes as they are practically made
out of the same stuff, the only difference is that the amount of ingredients
used in these types of perfumes are less compared to the originals, so their
lasting effect is also not as good as the real ones.
Packaging is also almost identical to the real thing.
However, since this type of perfume are basically knock offs, they aren’t
usually sold in malls or shopping centers. Instead, they are commonly found on
online stores and online wholesalers.
Scent per Cents.
Scent per cents have been around for quite some time already. They are usually
found in small kiosks inside malls and sell original perfumes on a per milliliter
basis. This type of marketing allows consumers to experience all the perks of
using an original perfume without having to spend too much.
They also offer a wide range of scents for buyers to choose
from. Prize wise, each milliliter of perfume would cost around 40 pesos or
higher depending on the brand.
Smelling sweet doesn’t always mean having to spend thousands
on expensive perfume and beauty products. By just being thrifty and practical,
people like us, who aren’t blessed with unlimited source of income, will always
have ways to make ends meet. And perfumes are no exception. I hope I was able
to inspire people with this post. Ciao!
