Which brand do you guys recommend getting a discovery set?

Hi everyone! Im currenly looking to buy more niche or independent houses, as Ive want to expand my repertory a lot more, by smelling more things.

I want to get discovery sets/travel sizes as I really dont blind buy much. 

What brand has the best deal or has a better offering? 

Thanks!

I really liked the Nicolai set.  Lots of scents and the blends are really nice.

I also enjoyed the Sarah Baker set but that is a pricier option and I either really liked or really disliked the scents. They do offer a credit toward a full bottle.

I'm working through the Akro set right now, and I think it's reasonably priced for 10 samples.

Xerjoff do sets of 4 of your own choice for about £25

I would suggest any of these as a good starting point

Soprano (I absolutely love this as it smells of pure luxury to me and was what I wore for my wedding day )

Torino21 (great citrus / mint summer fragrance

Tony Iommi Monkey Special (sweet boozy chocolate gourmand)

Naxos (nice tobacco fragrance)

Starlight (another I love , gorgeous cardamom )

other popular fragrances if some of those don’t tickle your fancy could be

Alexandria II Parfum (I am not a fan but many others love this, however I do like the dry down it takes a while to get there and I don’t like what comes first ) Edit: after looking at your collection maybe you should ease your way in to oud before trying this or maybe you will love it right away but definitely should be tested before buying a full bottle.

40 Knots

Nio

Erba Pura

Golden Dallah (great coffee fragrance)

be prepared to spend a lot for full bottles though 💰💰💰🤑

There's really a ton to choose from, so it all comes down to your available budget. I'm currently working my way through the Nishane 21 Discovery Set, which goes for about $120 I believe. It's pretty nice to get a good idea of the house.

If you want to keep it cheaper, they also got a smaller Discovery Set with 12 samples instead of 21. But imo, it's worth spending the extra cash.

Xerjoff offers small sample sets of 4 samples of your choice for like about $30-$35 (shipping included). 

Another pretty great deal comes from Filippo Sorcinelli, with a 12 sample Discovery Set at about $60-$70 with all the samples of your choice. 

But if you really got the cash and want to go all in, the Amouage's Men Discovery Set is pretty nice. 12 2ml samples, but for $130, so on the pricier egde

Honestly it really depends on which fragrance house speaks to your sensibility.

Otherwise interesting value for price when it comes to discovery sets are : Parfum d'Empire, Une Nuit Nomade, Meo Fusciuni, Les Bains Guerbois...

Recently I've been really into 10ml fragrance bottle to really test them through a much longer period, this way I discovered beautiful fragrances from Voyages Imaginaires and Isabelle Larignon but know that these 10ml sample kits might cost you the price of an entire 100-75ml niche perfume bottle. 

https://merlinparfumeur.com/fr

Well it will also depends on what you like cause some houses do and don't do certain kinds of stuff. 

I kinda love Maison Tahité and I'm willing to test even more of them in the future. They essentially revolve around vanilla, cocoa and coffee, but don't be fooled, sometimes it's very subtle. They have a discovery set. 

Other interesting houses I'd check that offer discovery sets or samples selection: Botanicae Expressions, Mancera, Heeley, État Libre d'Orange, Essential Parfums, Bon Parfumeur... But they're more a hit or miss for my tastes. 

I really enjoyed the discovery sets from Masque Artistic Fragrances, which includes Masque Milano, Milano Fragranze, Malbrum and Soul Couture. Not only are the perfumes amazing, but they also come in all price ranges, the presentation is beautiful, and the customer service is top notch. They keep me up to date with new releases, always give me extra samples with purchase and send me coupons.  

Hi, @Zavy. May I ask where you purchased the Meo Fusciuni discovery set? I love Giuseppe Imprezzabile's brand, but I've never seen discovery sets. In Japan, some brands often come with discovery sets or the occasional sample, but not Meo Fusciuni. Thank you for sharing.

Try Chris Collins, PureDistance, Roja

do not waste your money on Le Labo

Bruno Fazzolari/Fzotic - High quality, utterly unique, skilled artistry.

Bruno Fazzolari/Fzotic - High quality, utterly unique, skilled artistry.

He has a little something for everyone. My personal favorites:

"Au Delà - Narcisse / Narcisse des Montagnes | Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari"
"Feu Secret | Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari"

(I love what he does with high quality floral materials.)

Noteworthy:

"Lampblack | Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari"
"Five Squared | Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari"
"Monserrat | Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari"
"Ummagumma | Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari"

Hi @Raluko111,

I am from France. Here we have two shops/retailers offering this sample set :

- Odorare
- 50-ml (which I got mine from, but now it's unavailable)

Both of these sites are really reliable, I ordered a few times from each, but I do not know if they can ship to Japan. I guess the best way is to ask them and ask for the costs of shipping too.

Thank you so much for this! Flying to Paris tomorrow so I will check it out. Very grateful for this @Zavy .

Jousset, Memo Paris, d'Annam: you can redeem a certificate towards a full bottle which is always nice.

The Harmonist, Acqua di Parma: the sets give you a pretty overview of the brand's DNA and the packaging is quite nice.

Oops, I forgot Laurent Mazzone, only tried (and bought 🤣) Lavande Noire but definitly worth sampling if the quality is equal all along the lineup.

A little late to the party, but I'll add my 2 cents :

- Oriza Legrand's discovery set is really lovely in terms of packaging. The price is alright IMO (25€ / 6 samples of your choice). Interesting fragrances for vintage lovers.

- Obvious makes a pretty cheap discovery set. 

- Same for Essential Parfums. Those last two are interesting if you don't know what you like in general and want to explore popular perfumery notes. I personally prefer EP.

- Frapin's discovery set was very cheap I thought, especially considering the price of the full bottles and the fact that most of them pack a punch ( bought from Liquide store online, not sure if other sites carry it for that price).

If you like more subtle fragrances and don't need a lot of projection, the diptyque discovery set is wonderful. They are quite large sizes, though! It would make sense to visit a store so you can choose which ones go into the set. L'artisan Perfumeur also has these sizes in a set. I had theirs but was sadly allergic to something in them.

If you want a challenge to broaden your horizons, checkout Francesca Bianchi. She's got a discovery set for dudes with lots of nice fumes.

I've never heard of anyone regretting a discovery from État Libre d'Orange. I truly believe there is guaranteed to be something unique you will love. I know I'm also late to the party here, but in case anyone else has the same inquiry! 

The classic collection sample set from Kismet Olfactive has a great assortment of fragrances and is a really good intro to her work.