The perfume is too damn high

One of my all-time favourite perfumes in INeKE's "Jaipur Chai", to which I was introduced when Beth, who wears INeKE's "Field Notes From Paris" bought a Discovery Set and passed along her sample after testing it once. A smash hit, so Le Duc gave me a full-sized bottle.

Photo: Bill O'Such for INeKE

Nicked for niche

Fast forward a couple of years: bottle on last drops, and INeKE, based in San Francisco, announced a sale. (The regular price is $US 145; it is currently out of stock.) There's an added complication: Because Canada classifies perfume as "dangerous goods" when imported to Canada from the US, it must ground-shipped—even for a single bottle. INeKE charged $US 40 to ground ship via UPS.

A week after delivery, UPS sent its own invoice, with these additional charges (all in $CAN):

There was zero duty because the product is US-made so complies with the current Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement. However, the Canadian sales taxes (which I expected to pay) and "entry prep fee"  (which I did not) pushed the total shipping/handling to $CAN 105. Do not tell Le Duc. 

Eau Canada

For several grumpy days, I considered buying only fragrances made in Canada, or at least those sold locally. 

Photo: Zoologist Perfumes

Top candidates are Monsillage and Zoologist. The two makers could not be more different; Monsillage fragrances are sparkling and graceful, Zoologist's quirky and intense. These will even ship free above an easy-to-reach limit and I'd get angel points for supporting small parfumeurs imperilled by the US-imposed tariffs on their products shipped to American customers.

No matter where you live, if your favourite scent must cross a border, I have three strategies to reduce the cost:

1. Find a new love that doesn't break the bank 

Prestige brands are now about 30% higher than before the pandemic. Reasons given include increase in materials costs, tariffs, and corporate greed. There are, however, bargains to be found and small artisanal houses have even reduced their prices to stay in business. 

First, order 1ml decants from Perfumeniche (Toronto). Gwen, Perfumeniche's owner, knows perfume like Otani knows pitches. and ships to Canada for free. She will help if you're interested in a new scent. For readers in other countries: Do the same via a local company similar to Perfumeniche, such as Decanted.uk. 

Don't try to replicate your spendy favourite; find one that brings a fresh frisson; for example, if your fetish scent is "Carnal Flower" (Malle), now at $CAN 390 for 50ml, try a lower-priced white floral that pleases. Don't fall for dupes, they are nearly always harsh, unsatisfying, weak or all three.

For maximum cost-trimming, restrict your sampling to locally-made brands or those offered by discounters like those in the next step.

2. Scout discounts on both product and shipping

Open an account at companies like FragranceBuy, FragranceX and FragranceNet, discounters with good reputations. They'll sometimes offer free shipping, either on special promo days or via their loyalty programs. Near the holidays, FragranceNet free-shipped a bottle of Serge Lutens and added only $5.50 handling, with no ugly post-delivery charges. (Their courier is Landmark Global.)

Discounters, though, may never carry the fragrance you want, or it sells out in a flash.

Stores and independent fragrance companies have occasional sales too, often in mid-November to December. In November, Holt Renfrew discounted its Malle line (owned by Estee Lauder), as did another of my favourite houses, Miller Harris, on all their products. Join their mailing lists to track these.  

3. Buy when you travel, or ask a friend to fetch it

For qualified visitors, many countries waive their local tax; check the rules and process. Make sure you or your friend can handle the paperwork and inspection routine; a loving spouse is up for it, but Aunt Gina on her first-ever trip to Paris may be daunted. 

Then, if it's brought back by air, pack to comply with the airline's regs.

Typical packing for carry-on liquids

Review the carrier's rules for perfume and brief the friend if carrying it is new to them. Lynn asked her partner Sue to bring her a little bottle of Tom Ford Black Orchid when she flew to Boston on business. Sue generously bought the 120ml bottle instead, packed it in her carry-on, and Logan airport security confiscated that, because it exceeded the 100ml limit. (She could not check her bag at that point.)

Arrival duties and taxes: If the traveller uses her entire personal exemption for other purchases, your bottle will not be duty-free, and that includes any from a duty-free store.  (For returning Canadians, the $60 gift exemption applies to a gift from someone, not for them.)

For multi-country trips, the purchase must be declared at each entry point; in general, you will not have to pay duty on perfume, though some countries (India is one) may assess it if you are not in transit.

I have learned to say, when asked to bring home a Longchamps bag or French cosmetics, "I am happy to do that, but I always use my personal exemption, so are are you OK with paying the duty on this?" 

Breaking bad

There are outlaw ways to deal with customs, not without risk. A girlfriend I'll call Rosa practiced a technique she called Throw Them a Bone. She would declare a bottle of Chanel along with her other purchases, which took her over her exemption limit. But she also stashed one or two from a lesser-known brand such as Lubin in her husband's shaving kit, and somehow forgot to disclose that. 

If sent to an inspection, Rosa chose a booth staffed by a male officer, as she swore women agents looked at her more closely.  

Some of you might be thinking, Whew! Good thing I don't wear fragrance!

But if you do, don't be daunted. Scent is a sensuous pleasure that dependably lifts my spirits no matter what the season or occasion. I will not be stoppered.