Yes, orders of $50 or more ship free within the contiguous US.

We do! Shipping rates are significantly higher for Alaska and Hawaii, so they are not eligible for free shipping. All orders shipping to those states are charged a flat rate of $30.

We only offer shipping rates for the US (excluding territories) at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience!

Our packages are shipped using UPS Ground. For this reason, we require physical mailing addresses upon checkout (no PO boxes).

Orders are packaged and shipped out within 7-10 business days, though delays may occur during the holiday season due to store closures. Once your order has been shipped, the shipping time depends on your area and any potential weather delays. Please contact UPS directly with your tracking number if you have any concerns about the route of your package!

We do not offer returns for online orders (with the exception of damaged items), but some in-store purchases are eligible for an exchange or refund in the form of store credit. You can read our full return policy here!

If your item(s) are broken upon receipt, please email us at info@theperfumehouse.com. We ask that you include your order number and a photo of the damage for our shipping report. For any other questions or concerns with the order you received, please contact us here.

Also known as olfactory fatigue, nose blindness is temporary and completely natural. It frequently occurs in areas such as your home or car, since you spend a lot of time in those places. When your brain regularly receives the same nerve cell signals from a scent, you often stop smelling it entirely. It’s the same reason that your friends have a distinct “house smell,” but you don’t notice your own! Olfactory fatigue can impact your ability to smell a perfume you are currently wearing, making it seem as though it has disappeared within a short period of time. Another common experience is walking into a perfume shop, smelling a few fragrances, and then suddenly becoming unable to distinguish the difference between any of the scents - they all start smelling the same!

We do not offer coffee beans at our shop. In 2011, a study was conducted on the efficacy of smelling coffee beans to “reset” your ability to smell. The study concluded that coffee beans weren’t nearly as effective as we previously assumed them to be, and it makes sense - they’re just another smell to add to the overload of fragrant stimulation! To solve the problem of nose blindness when visiting our store, we recommend either stepping outside to get some fresh air, or smelling your own (unscented) skin. Your body is most accustomed to your own scent, so it can help combat olfactory fatigue.

The difference between an eau de parfum and an eau de toilette is the percentage of fragrance oil they contain. Wear time, projection, fragrance strength, and price are all impacted by this concentration! Approximate percentages for the most common concentrations are as follows:

- Eau de Cologne (2-5%)
- Eau de Toilette (5-15%)
- Eau de Parfum (15-20%)
- Extrait de Parfum (20-30%)

We do…but there’s a bit more to it! The word cologne was first coined in fragrance in 1709, with the citrus-floral scent “Eau de Cologne” created by Giovanni Maria Farina (named in honor of Cologne, Germany). Although cologne is often used to categorize fragrances marketed to men, it technically refers to a fragrance concentration. Eau de cologne fragrances contain approximately 2-5% of fragrance oil diluted in alcohol. They are typically quite fleeting and very fresh, maintaining a similar scent profile to Farina’s original fragrance. We often find that our customers come in looking for a masculine-leaning scent profile (which we also carry!), instead of a traditional cologne.

Absolutely, in more ways than one! The history of scent dates back to ancient times, but the idea of gender-specific fragrance is actually a relatively new one (beginning around the late 19th century). Prior to that, perfume was really only worn by the wealthy and elite - both a symbol of status, and a way to conceal body odor. As fragrance became more accessible, the marketing technique of assigning scents to gender became widely used. Since then, many fragrance companies have made the shift to advertising their products as unisex or genderless. We wholeheartedly believe that fragrance is for everyone, regardless of marketing or gender. If you like it, you should wear it! We do also stock many brands that specifically market their lines as unisex, including Zoologist, BORNTOSTANDOUT, Andrea Maack, Vilhelm Parfumerie, and more.

Looking for something that follows more traditional masculine/feminine scent profiles? Let us know, and we’ll be happy to help you find something you love.

Skin type, pH level, diet, and lifestyle changes can all have an impact on how perfume interacts with your skin! This is why a particular fragrance can smell wonderful on a friend and dull or sour on you, and vice-versa. Temperature and humidity can also influence the way scent performs throughout the day! We encourage you to sample scents prior to purchasing a bottle to allow yourself time to test it out. You can also spray any of our fragrances on your skin while you’re in our shop!

We don't stock raw materials in our shop, so we're not able to facilitate perfume creation here. If you're simply looking for a new fragrance, we encourage you to let our staff guide you through our collection - we have over 1,500 fragrances in our inventory and would love to help you find your perfect scent! If you want the experience of making fragrance, we encourage you to check out Artemisia: Collage With Nature for a variety of perfume-making classes.

At this time, samples are only available in-store. We are working hard to have them available online soon! Prices range from $10-$15 for a 2ml spray bottle, and we offer samples of nearly all our fragrances.

We carry a large selection of fragrances, with most of them being from niche and indie brands. We also stock vintage and/or discontinued scents! We do make changes to our stock over time, so please feel free to send an email to info@theperfumehouse.com if there's a brand you think would be a good fit for us!

Designer fragrances are easier to categorize, as they are scents owned by major fashion/cosmetic houses (such as Gucci, Dior, or Versace). Niche and indie are a bit more intertwined, and are continually becoming harder to define. Niche generally refers to smaller companies that specialize in fragrance and focus on the artistry of their scents. This description often includes brands like Le Labo and Parfums de Marly, though large corporations (such as Estée Lauder) are regularly purchasing these smaller brands and beginning to affect the way we view the niche category. For indie brands, this essentially just stands for independently owned. They are typically much smaller and the brand owner has a hands-on role. You can often find more experimental and unique fragrances in these lines, and they are sometimes (but not always) a bit more affordably priced. For this reason, some brands can be categorized as both indie and niche at the same time.

Many of the brands we stock are both vegan and cruelty free. Brands that are both vegan and cruelty free include Hermetica, Clue Perfumery, BORNTOSTANDOUT, and more. We also have several brands that are cruelty free, but not technically vegan (this is typically due to the use of beeswax or other animal by-products). This includes brands like Zoologist, as they are cruelty free and offer many vegan scents, but are not vegan as a whole.

The fragrance brands we stock utilize both natural and synthetic materials. Often, synthetics are in place to replace previously-used materials such as musk (collected from the musk deer), ambergris (from sperm whales), and civetone (extracted from the civet). Some also replace plant material that is otherwise endangered or unable to be removed without disrupting an ecosystem. The creation of these synthetics allows for truly vegan and cruelty free scents, and it prevents the irresponsible use of both plant and animal materials in perfumery.

We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at info@theperfumehouse.com and include a copy of your resume. While we may not be hiring when you email us, we will keep a copy of your resume on file for when a position opens up.

We accept all major credit/debit cards! At our physical location, you can also use tap-to-pay (including Apple Pay) or cash.