BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details
Menu
 
Expert Shopper Beauty & Personal Care

Best Macy's perfume

Which Macy’s perfume is best?

Fragrance choices such as perfume often are extremely personal. Macy’s sells a wide selection that vary in size, fragrance and budget. Purchasing a fragrance you like tends to differ from purchasing fragrances and perfumes for another person. Stores offer gift sets that provide multiple options, which gives you a greater chance at getting at least one perfume in a set that appeals to an individual. Perfumes can even match the seasons based on the included scents and ingredients. If you are looking for a new winter-friendly scent from Macy’s, select the Dior Hypnotic Poison Eau de Toilette spray.

What to know before you buy a Macy’s perfume

Applying a perfume is somewhat of an indirect art form as it can be spritzed into the air or directly applied to specific areas of the skin. Perfumes provide a wide range of both scents and size options to best accommodate personal preference as well as more practical considerations, such as how body chemistry interacts with fragrant scents.

Size

Perfumes often come in several size options and most commonly include a rollerball option as well as two or more full-size options. Full-size options tend to have more than 3 ounces and can last for a year or more. Some perfumes are only recommended to last for about a year because the potency and integrity of the scent may fade over time, but other perfumes can last for several years before you need to replace them. Before purchasing a larger size, consider personal usage and the amount you will likely be able to finish before the scent loses its strength.

Body chemistry

Personal body chemistry can impact how a scent works on your skin. Consider using a tester or sample size of the perfume for about a week while doing varied levels of physical activity to see how the perfume works with you. Some perfumes activate with heat, so days when you move around or sweat will likely produce a different scent from the days when you are less active. Consider trying some perfume on a low-risk week that doesn’t involve an important event, just in case you need to wash the perfume off if it isn’t compatible with your personal taste or body chemistry.

Scent combination

The intended scent within a bottle of perfume tends to shift and change depending on body chemistry. However, body chemistry can change over time, so what smells good and works with your body at one point in time may not work in the future. Perfumes often include several different notes and scents so as body chemistry changes, the more currently obvious fragrance notes may change over time.

What to look for in a quality Macy’s perfume

A quality perfume can work well with your personal body chemistry and withstand several hours of adventure. These perfumes tend to come in different size options to make it easier to bring a bottle for travel as well as leave one at home. Quality perfumes tend to have a more sophisticated list of ingredients and more complex fragrance patterns, with both high and low notes of fragrance that perfectly pair with and balance each other.

Extended wear time

Quality perfumes tend to last for a longer period of time on the skin. Keep in mind that eau de parfum and eau de toilette are two different types of perfumes, so they can’t be properly compared when it comes to how long they can last on the skin.

Essential oils

Quality essential oils tend to extend the wear time of perfumes, meaning that the more essential oil is included, the longer it is likely that the perfume will last. Perfume with a generous amount of essential oils likely does not require heavy application because it is designed for strategic application on key areas of the body, such as behind the knees.

Ingredient quality

Some perfume ingredients can be extremely expensive to produce and acquire, such as rare flowers. That means that the more difficult or labor intensive it is to acquire a specific scent, the more expensive the overall perfume tends to be.

How much you can expect to spend on a Macy’s perfume

The price of a quality perfume can vary depending on the quality of the brand as well as the size of each product. Smaller rollerball items tend to range around $20 while a full-size bottle of perfume tends to circle around $100 or more.

Macy’s perfume FAQs

What is an eau de toilette? 

A. Eau de toilette contains a large amount of alcohol and you can apply it anywhere on the body. It tends to last about five hours when placed on the skin, so it’s not ideal for long occasions or hectic days.

What is an eau de parfum? 

A. Eau de parfum provides more direct ingredients, meaning it is more highly concentrated and has a larger amount of the scents due to an increased amount of oil. This type of fragrance tends to last longer because it has a more highly concentrated amount of essential oils, and therefore can average about 12 hours or so depending on the individual fragrance combination and other factors, such as body chemistry.

What’s the best Macy’s perfume to buy?

Top perfume

Dior Hypnotic Poison Eau de Toilette

What you need to know: This product is an eau de toilette, so it tends to last around five to 10 hours when placed on the skin.

What you’ll love: The product has hints of almonds and vanilla that combine with jacaranda.

What you should consider: Some customers mentioned that the combination of smells didn’t work for them.

Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s

Top perfume for the money

Paris Hilton Rosé Rush Gift Set

What you need to know: The scent is light and floral, offering strong notes of rose and more subtle hints of papaya and peony.

What you’ll love: The gift set comes with several items, such as a travel spray and one eau de parfum as well as one shower gel and one body lotion.

What you should consider: A group of customers felt the scent tends to fade.

Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s

Worth checking out

CHANEL COCO MADEMOISELLE

What you need to know: The perfume comes in three size options and contains warm floral hints of Turkish rose and orange.

What you’ll love: It adds a touch of sophistication with a floral scent you can apply to either the skin or clothing. It lasts for about eight hours or more depending on conditions.

What you should consider: Some customers thought it was a smell geared for more mature women and found it too overpowering.

Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s

 

Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.

Camille Cabrera writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

Share this post: