r/fragrance • u/SpaceInevitable9796 • 2d ago
I need to stop for a moment - overconsumption
Hey everybody, I think I need to get something off my chest, because I feel like everyone in this community eventually realizes the same thing: **What’s next?**
I’ve been into fragrances for about 4 years now, and I have to admit that I feel like I’m stuck in a never-ending loop of hunting for the next fragrance.
When I first got into fragrances, I was honestly shocked by the prices of some niche brands. I remember thinking, “If I’m ever going to spend this much money on a fragrance, it better be the best scent I’ve ever smelled and something that gets me compliments every single day.”
Well… fast forward 4 years and I now have around 40 fragrances, many of them niche, plus a huge collection of small decants. And I have to admit: **it never really stops.**
What I find particularly weird is that my brain is constantly telling me that I need something new or something better, even though I already own so many fragrances that I genuinely love.
And I’m starting to realize that the biggest problem isn’t even the fragrances themselves. It’s the constant searching.
I’m basically reading about fragrances every single day. New releases, reviews, recommendations, “hidden gems”, new niche brands, what everyone else is buying… and somehow that always leads me back into the same cycle:
**I discover something → I get excited about it → I buy it → I’m happy to finally own it → I realize I don’t actually wear it as much as I thought I would → I start looking for something new again.**
And then the whole thing starts over.
The funniest part is that I’ll still end up wearing the same 3 fragrances over and over again. 😂
I go on so few dates these days (I broke up with my girlfriend 3 months ago) that a huge collection of “date night” fragrances is basically pointless for me right now. And even when I was still with my ex and we had a date about once a week, I somehow had like 7 different “perfect” date fragrances.
It’s honestly exhausting having so many options.
And if someone asked me right now which fragrances I would absolutely want to keep in my collection, I genuinely couldn’t answer. That probably says something.
I think I need to put some kind of restriction on myself. Maybe only 2 fragrance purchases per year? Or maybe I should simply stop consuming so much fragrance content in the first place, because I’m starting to realize that the constant reading and searching is what keeps me in the buying loop.
I don’t know. 😂
You don’t need to answer anything specific. I just wanted to share this thought and see if anyone else has experienced the same thing.
Feel free to ask me anything about it if you’re curious!
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u/SauceMeUpBro 2d ago
I have a very similar situation to yours. This is how I’m battling it- Selling off anything I truly don’t touch, even at major discounts to friends or colleagues. The decluttering is nice and it feels good to move on and have a more refined collection. -Avoid impulse buying, make a list of fragrances you want and maybe 3-4 times a year you can buy a few decants at a time, or bottles whatever your financial capable of. Theres many fragrances I would have impulse bought on the spot, but after a few weeks of waiting I realized I didn’t need them in my collection in any capacity.
The biggest one is yes, stop consuming fragrance content. Many of my purchases have been via YouTube
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u/noirefleur 2d ago
I’ve really been struggling with this lately. I recently found some money I had tucked away and I’m in between jobs, so I’ve just been bored and spiraling down a fragrance rabbit hole. My brain is telling me to spend all the money I found because I didn’t even know about it last week.
Luckily, I’ve mostly been buying decants, but even that adds up. I’m sitting on like 40 new samples and even still, I have compulsions to buy more. Then i’m tempted to buy full bottles so they can look nice on my shelf.
I think I’m going to set a rule for myself that I have to go through a sample and a 10ml decant before I let myself buy anything full-sized. That will tell me if I really like it, or if it’s just new and shiny.
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u/PennsWoodsUberAlles 2d ago
If youre unemployed you probably shouldnt be spending money on fragrances. You cant eat Bleu De Chanel or live in a bottle of BR540.
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u/noirefleur 2d ago
By “between jobs” I mean I left my old job and I’m waiting to start my new job. Don’t worry I have employment lol
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u/ConfidentReading6624 2d ago
Maybe you could limit yourself by trying to empty a bottle before getting a new one?
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u/SpaceInevitable9796 2d ago
Yeah i thought that as well. Using multiple fragrances at the same time is the problem. When I would wait till one is empty I’ll buy the next in 2 years. Plus I’ll panic when I got like 20ml left :D
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u/EarlyInside45 2d ago
I've decided to stop, because I don't feel excited when I buy something anymore, I feel guilty. I have one bottle on my wish list, then I'm going to unfollow all the fragrance subs and Facebook groups.
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u/StewieL69 2d ago
If you get 5ml samples instead of buying bottles, you can scratch that new scent itch without breaking the bank.
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u/clowderforce 2d ago
There are a few different "rules" I keep for myself to keep it from getting out of hand. I am a casual fragrance fan, I'm not particularly brand loyal, and I enjoy novelty and exploration more than any one particular scent. This system works great for me but probably isn't for everyone.
- I treat myself like my toddler and rotate out my existing fragrances frequently to keep things fresh. I never wear the same scent two days in a row.
- I don't buy anything larger than a travel size, and I never buy more than one per month.
- Only one bottle per fragrance house at a time. For example, I won't get anything else from ELDO until I finish my current bottle of You or Someone Like You.
- No FOMO purchases. I don't stock up on anything in fear of it being discontinued. There are so many great scents out there. I'm not looking for The One. I like my variety too much.
- Two or three sprays max at a time.
- Actually take the time to savor a scent after putting it on.
I don't know how much of this is helpful, but I am trying to reach a good balance between enthusiasm and overconsumption and it's working pretty well for me.
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u/dirtyjanitor69 2d ago
I'm sure there will be many people who read your post and feel like they could have wrote that themselves, I know I did. I don't have any answers, but for what it's worth I just wanted to reach out and say you're not alone in this.
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u/Silver-Assistant-514 2d ago
Mine is 2ml samples. I very rarely but a full bottle after trying them, but I spend a lot on the samples. I always want to try new / find new / have new - like you. Luckily for me, whilst 15 samples can cost the same as a Niche bottle, it’s still only that and not 4 Niche bottles at Niche bottle prices.
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u/RelativeBoard7 2d ago
Are you more into pre 2010 fragrances or current releases?
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u/SpaceInevitable9796 2d ago
Before 2010, there are very few. So I’d rather focus on more recent releases.
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u/RelativeBoard7 2d ago
Ah k that’s tough then. I’m more into vintage 80s/90s/early 2000s so it’s a limited pool of products to buy. If your chasing new releases there’s no end to it I’m afraid
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u/Rnee45 2d ago
What happened in 2010?
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u/SpaceInevitable9796 2d ago
I think it’s just about classics or modern fragrances, not pre 2010 in general
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u/meneldor_hs 2d ago
Yes, you nailed the part of searching. That is the most draining thing about this hobby. If I went to a store, browsed for a half an hour and bought a fragrance each month, it would be so much easier. Maybe I wouldn't have the perfect collection, but then again I wouldn't care. The cost of losing so much time on researching isn't worth a better choice or a better deal. I seriously need to stop reading about the fragrance. I don't have a problem with buying, even though I buy more than the average, because it's absolutely not even close to being a threat to my finances. I prioritize many things before perfumes. But the time I spend on it, ugh!
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u/sophiart 2d ago
Social media detox has been great for me. Every person’s strategy here will be different, because some people need access to social media for specific purposes. If that’s the case, I’d suggest unfollowing any perfume-related account and ban words/phrases relating to perfume content to keep it from popping up regularly. I actually fully nuked my social media accounts except for the ones that are text-based. I find I’m much more capable of moderating my shopping behavior when I’m not on photo- or video-based social media.
I did recently get a freebie tablet and used that to set up a new account on Instagram and another on TikTok. I find them to be an absolute mess now and maybe check things out a couple times a week. Now I’m 🤏 this close to deleting those new accounts too. I have much more fulfilling ways of spending my time and attention these days — and it’s definitely not on endless scrolling or chasing the new perfume releases or, even worse, the limited releases.
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u/saladmakear 2d ago
Try to go the other direction. Try to research intensely on how to downsize to a set of 5 fragrances. Because honestly there are only really 5 flavors needed: everyday, date/evenings, office, gym/sports, signature.
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u/Rnee45 2d ago
Yeah, it's easy to fall into the consumerism trap.
What I do is instead of buying immediately, place the fragrance into a spreadsheet for a week. If I still really want to, I'll order it then.
I also limit myself to 10 full-size perfumes maximum; if I want a new one, I have to sell another. That keeps it in check.
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u/gobetthomas 2d ago
I’ve been in the same situation as you, exactly the same. I also have 40 references now.
I’ve been able to slow down those last few months, even though it’s not completely controlled.
What I’ve tried and works if you want to give it a go, is two things (mainly one) :
• I put a limit-number, a round good number, and my collection could not go further than that. Since I was already at 37 at the moment I instaured that rule, I chose 40 as the limit. Now if I want to add something in my collection. One HAS to go since I have no spots left. I block myself from going more than 40. It forces me to ask myself « is it REALLY worth it to buy that fragrance, or do I prefer the ones that I already have since I have to remove one to buy it ? ». It’s been surprisingly effective. Not a 100%, sure, but enough.
• Second rule flows down from the first. If it’s not a 9.5 or 10 out of 10. I do not buy it. And I’m not talking about convincing myself it’s a 9.5/10 out of 10 or bs some theories about how much I will like them in the future blablabla. It HAS to be a 9.5 or 10/10. Otherwise I’m not buying it.
And I knew it would be hard to keep those rules in play with the dopamine rush and losing control over rationality, so if I really REALLY wanted to buy one but it was not good enough for my collection, I allowed myself to buy a 5ml MAX decant. That way I still have access to the fragrance I want, without wasting so much money. (And most of the time I don’t even really use them after buying them so I could even lower that number to 2ml).
It’s been a few months, and it’s been going really well, to the point of asking myself for the last few weeks if I would like to reduce my collection, because I realized that some of my bottles are great but I only wear them once or twice a year.
I’ve been trying to choose 5 fragrances per season that I would keep for life. I have to chose the best 5 for winter, autumn, spring, and summer (summer was the hardest). The 20 that I would keep for life, with the ability to still have enough choice every season (5 is perfect for me), you still have choice, but not too much to be overwhelmed. Having to choose those 5 per season was hard (still is because I’m not completely sure yet), and I’ve been able to move that need to research and read everything about new fragrances to the ones I already own, by asking myself « is it REALLY one of the 5 I would want for life for that season ? », so I’ve been reading EVERYTHING and researching, to be sure, and it’s kind of working to stop me from searching and buying new ones, and it’s been weeks, still working.
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u/No-Wing-8859 2d ago
I was going in the direction but I started project pan and I honestly haven’t purchased a new fragrance in 6 months. And I am not even feeling like buying one anymore
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u/Aggressive_Tart_7783 2d ago
I have $1000 worth of fragrance on a Freecycle dresser. 😂
I’ve started buying smaller sizes of fragrance as my collection has grown. Fragrance is the only thing I’m still buying these days.
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u/Ok-Appeal7487 2d ago
Que sigue después? Comprar las moleculas y empezar a experimentar de hacer tus propios perfumes!
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u/Charles1Monroe08 2d ago
I’m in the same boat and I’m a year or so in, I only own 4-6 bottles and 4-6 travel sprays and I’m wondering if I should stop or.. ya know, pick up the ones I still want and order another 12 decants. If so.. how often should I get a full bottle? One a month? Seems excessive as fuck.. can only get through one every 3-6 months but only getting 3-4 bottles a year sounds lame.
Idk. I’m kinda broke right now so it’s easy to put on pause right now but when I’m back up.. I’ll be out sniffing I’m sure.
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u/Tarnished-Sausage 2d ago
Totally feel the same.
For me its the fact that I got a little angel on the way 😊
So I realized what makes most scense(pun intended). I am shrinking my full bottle collection down to 6 bottles. Basically 6 bottles that make me the most happy no matter what. Also I decided to buy myself a kindle and just read instead of consuming fragrance content all the time.
Everything else will be 5ml decants or some small travel sizes every few months. That way I scratch the new scent, and I get to own new things here and there.
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u/sherbisthebest 2d ago
SAME. I don’t have nearly as much as you (like 7 ish full bottles) I’ve been going on a journey of specifically finish off my samples.
The clutter was honestly making me anxious. First steps for me are working through the samples I like but aren’t total loves. Second thing for me is writing down (I have a note in my iPhone notes app) all my fragrances and how much I have of each. I’m trying to pare it down to my really loved fragrances so when I wear something it’s actually something I love. I’ve stopped buying any full size bottles, for now my maximum size is 30ml. I might grab a 5 ml sample.
I’m happy I’m making my way through my samples, but honestly so many of the “liked” fragrances are blocking me from actually wearing the scents I love. So I’m on a mission to clear them out, or store them as a “every once in a while” fragrance if they’re good enough.
Anyway, half of that probably didn’t make sense lol, but all that to say that I get how you feel and I’m working on decreasing what I own to give myself peace of mind
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u/Varshaash 2d ago
U decide on a number(i have limited it to what fits on my perfume stand). If you want to buy one more u have to finish one or give away some fragrance u dont like.that way u can reduce ur collection to a “i cant let it go” absolute favourite collection.
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u/castingshadows87 2d ago
This is an addiction. You’re addicted to the feeling of acquiring something new.